Bathurst is one of Australia's oldest inland cities built at a site personally chosen by Governor Macquarie in 1815. In 1851 it was the scene of Australia's first goldrush and many fine buildings remain, a legacy of the era. The Victorian Renaissance court house with a double story portico and large octagonal central dome is now home to the Bathurst Tourist Centre which has a fine collection of pictures from the gold rush. A wing of Government House, built in 1817 by Macquarie is still standing and the home of Ben Chiffley a former Prime Minister is preserved as a national memorial. The Bathurst Regional Art Gallery has a notable collection of work by Lloyd Rees.
The gracious city of BATHURST, elegantly situated on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range 209km west of Sydney, is Australia’s oldest inland settlement. Its beautifully preserved nineteenth-century architecture makes it worth a weekend visit from Sydney, to browse the antique shops and mellow out in one of the city’s many cafés. The settlement was first founded by Governor Macquarie in 1815, but Bathurst remained nothing more than a small convict and military settlement for years, only slowly developing into the main supply centre for the surrounding rich pastoral area. It was the discovery of gold nearby at the Lewis Ponds Creek at Ophir in 1851, and more later the same year on the Turon River, that resulted in a goldrush which changed the life of the town and the colony for ever. Soon rich fields of alluvial gold were discovered in every direction and, being the first town over the mountains for those on the way to the goldfields, Bathurst prospered and grew. The population increased dramatically: in 1885 Bathurst was proclaimed a city, and in the late 1890s it was even proposing itself (unsuccessfully) as the site for the capital of the new Commonwealth of Australia.
Although there’s still the odd speck of gold and a few gemstones (especially sapphires) in the surrounding area, modern Bathurst has reverted to its role as a community in the centre of some of the richest agricultural land in New South Wales, a pastoral and fruit- and grain-growing district.
It’s also a tertiary education centre, with many students attending the Mitchell campus of Charles Sturt University. For anyone heading west, it’s still the first stop beyond the mountains, and the gateway to the Outback. In October, visitors are also drawn to the big annual motor-racing meeting – centred around the famous Bathurst 1000 endurance race – at the Mount Panorama Racing Circuit.
The City
Pick up a map from the modern visitors centre at 28 William St (daily 9am–5pm; tel 02/6332 1444) to help you find some of the stately mansions scattered around that bear testimony to Bathurst’s former wealth; one of their pamphlets outlines an entertaining self-guided walk through the historic city centre. The old courthouse on Russell Street, built in 1880, makes a good place to start exploring, and there’s also an interesting little museum tucked away in the east wing (Tues, Wed & Sun 10am–4pm, Sat 9.30am–4.30pm, or by appointment tel 02/6332 4755; $1), which displays relics and archives of regional pioneer history along with some interesting Aboriginal artefacts. The Regional Gallery, 70 Keppel St (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–1pm & 2–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; free), is a fine provincial art gallery which has a very good ceramic collection and paintings by Lloyd Rees, as well as regular special and travelling exhibitions. Machattie Park, further north up Keppel Street, on the corner of William Street, offers a chance to relax amid landscaped Victorian-era gardens with duck ponds and spreading shady trees; there’s also a Fern House, and a Begonia House which has an impressive display from mid-February to Easter. Look out, too, for Ben Chifley’s Cottage at 10 Busby St (Mon–Sat 2–4pm, Sun 10am–noon; $2.50), once the residence of Bathurst’s most famous son, who was born to a blacksmith and his wife in south Bathurst in 1885, and was Prime Minister of Australia between 1945 and 1949.
Further afield, a drive up to Mount Panorama and its famous racing circuit provides, as you might expect, panoramic views of the city: there’s the National Motor-Racing Museum on Pit Straight (daily 9am–4.30pm; $5), at the beginning of the racing circuit, featuring famous racing cars and bikes, along with photographs and memorabilia from the races. Sir Joseph Banks’s Nature Park (daily 9am–3.30pm; $3) occupies the summit of the hill, enabling native birds and animals, including wallabies, kangaroos and koalas, to enjoy the vistas from a large area of bushland; the visitors centre houses an aquarium and a reptile collection. Not far away, the Bathurst Gold Fields on Conrod Straight (Mon–Fri 10am–4pm; guided tours $8 tel 02/6332 2022), a reconstruction of a former gold-mining area, are worth a visit if you’re not going to make it to one of the actual gold towns further out. Goldrush mining methods are demonstrated and explained, and you can even take individual lessons in gold-panning. A bit further out, the Bathurst Sheep and Cattle Drome on Limekilns Road, 8km northeast of the city, has an educational and entertaining show (daily at 11.30am, extra shows during school holidays; $10, children $6; tel 02/6337 3634 for details) covering everything you always wanted to know about sheepshearing and milking cows.
Around Bathurst
Another enjoyable excursion, this time to the south, takes in the former gold-mining towns of Rockley, 35km south of Bathurst, and Trunkey Creek, and then continues to the spectacular Abercrombie Caves, 72km south of Bathurst in the middle of a large nature reserve. The principal and most impressive cavern, the Grand Arch (self-guided tours daily 9am–4pm, $10), is 221m long, about 39m wide at the north and south entrances, and in some places over 30m high – it’s said to be the largest natural limestone arch in the southern hemisphere. More than eighty other caves are dotted around the reserve. In one of them, miners constructed a dance floor more than a century ago, and concerts or church services are still held here occasionally. Also within the reserve are old gold mines, and swimming holes in Grove Creek, which runs right through the reserve, plunging more than 70m over the Grove Creek Falls at the southern edge. There’s a camping area on the shore, complete with a public fossicking ground.
Practicalities
There’s a variety of restaurants in the city centre, including Thai, Indian and modern Australian cuisine. Most of the town’s pubs also serve counter meals or have bistros at the back. The Yoga Tandoori House at 94 Bentick St (tel 02/6332 3320; lunch Mon & Wed–Sat, dinner daily) has an extensive selection of curries including many veggie ones. For à la carte dining, try Lamplighters at 126 William St (tel 02/6331 1448; closed Sun) with blackboard specials and old world charm. In a similar vein, Vines Cottage at 142 William St (tel 02/6331 6470; closed Sun) has some more unusual fare, including dishes like kangaroo in port and blackberry sauce. In the Royal Hotel building, the Heritage Royal Coffee House has superb coffee and cakes, while Crêpes Royale serves French-inspired dishes from morning tea, to dinner (closed Mon). Zegelers Café at 52 Keppel St (tel 02/6332 1565), close to the train station, has good lunches in a leafy courtyard and cosy, candlelight dinners in the evening.
Due to the presence of so many students, Bathurst has a reasonable nightlife, centering mainly on the pubs close to the university. Particularly popular is the Oxford Tavern on the corner of William and Piper streets, opposite the enormous Leagues Club. Friday is club night, featuring guest DJs at the Site on George Street ($6 entry).