Regional city is Australia's surprising vaccine leader with more than half its residents receiving at least one jab - here's the reasons why it's winning the race

A regional city in Victoria is setting the pace in Australia's race towards immunisation and emerging from the Covid pandemic. 

New figures reveal more than half  - 52.6 per cent - of the eligible population in Bendigo, 150km north of Melbourne, have received their first jab of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The town, known for its stately buildings from the gold rush and quality healthcare, has a population of 153,000 people.  

The average vaccination rate for the rest of Victoria in terms of people receiving their first jab is 42.58 per cent while the national average for those over 16 is 41.4 per cent.   

Bendigo in central Victoria, about a two hour drive north of Melbourne, with a population of 153,000 locals is among those leading the country in vaccination rates

New figures reveal more than half - 52.6 per cent - of the eligible population in Bendigo, have received their first jab of a Covid-19 vaccine

More than a quarter of Bendigo's resident's are also fully vaccinated at 25.1 per cent with local health bosses saying even more would be rolling up their sleeves for the jab if the supply was there. 

'Our issue has never been about hesitancy because there's a whole lot of people who want to get the vaccine or will get it,' Bendigo Health chairman Bob Cameron told The Age. 

They key to the city's success seems to be a combination of trusted and efficient local health organisations, along with bringing workplaces on board and tailoring information campaigns to multicultural groups. 

A vaccine hub opened in the town in May and is capable of vaccinating up to 1,000 people a day with 80 car parking spaces nearby. 

'The building used to be a supermarket and then it's been used as a call centre. So this is a perfectly suited location,' Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan told the ABC. 

She said the central CBD location with public transport nearby would 'make it easy for people to come, get their vaccine dose and be part of the program to keep our community safe'. 

A vaccine clinic for the local community of Karen refugees from Burma  

AUSTRALIA'S VACCINE ROLLOUT AT AUGUST 7

Per cent of the population over 16 who have had their first or second dose. 

AUSTRALIA first dose 43.60 

second dose 21.95

ACT first dose 50.44 

second dose 25.64

NSW first dose 45.46 

second dose 22.29

NT first dose 44.16 

second dose 26.83

QLD first dose 39.35 

second dose 21.12

SA first dose 43.37 

second dose 21.83

TAS  first dose 50.48 

second dose 27.20

VIC first dose 44.01 

second dose 21.87

WA first dose 39.22 

second dose 18.97 

The hub, currently delivering about 600 doses a day, is also the only place in central Victoria administering the Pfizer vaccine to eligible groups.

About 6,000 doses have also been delivered by Bendigo Health's outreach program, mostly to workplaces and multicultural communities. 

Bendigo has a large Karen refugee population of more than 1,100 people or 375 families. 

Three vaccination clinics have been held with interpreters present at the town's Buddhist monastery for the ethnic group originating from Burma. 

'Another successful COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for the Karen community completed,' the health service wrote to Facebook on August 2.

'It's such an honour to help our refugee communities learn about and get the COVID-19 vaccine.' 

A Karen translator is on staff at Bendigo Community Health Services, and posts videos on the organisation's page explaining lockdown restrictions and the vaccine rollout in their language. 

There has also been a phone helpline setup to support the community by answering questions in the native language. 

'The hotline plays a very important role in engaging people to come forward to have their vaccine,' refugee project worker Nido said. 

The local Afghan refugee community also has two similar clinics.

Adding to Bendigo's impressive vaccination rates is the fact a large proportion of the local population works in the healthcare industry.

Staff from Bendigo Community Health Service hold up an award for reaching 2,000 doses of Covid vaccine administered

'Everybody knows someone who works at the hospital or works in health and was involved in the second wave last year. I think that brings a realness and humanity to it,' Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit director Casey Nottage said.  

The other leading areas in Australia having at least one dose of the vaccine are the suburbs of North Sydney and Hornsby at 51.9 per cent. 

Darwin is at 43 per cent, South Adelaide at 46.1 per cent, and West Brisbane at 46.2 per cent. 

While in Tasmania, Hobart has a 50.8 vaccination rate for the first dose and inner Perth leads the way in WA at 48.9 per cent.