Bathurst Activities

Bathurst is a lively regional hub situated on the shores of the Macquarie River, in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, that can provide plenty for everybody. Bathurst is a thriving country town with a wealth of cultural heritage, and is known as a learning hub.

This is also home to the Wiradjuri people, and thanks to the discovery of gold in the area during the early 1850s, it is the site of Australia’s first inland European settlement. It has an incredible collection of historic buildings and structures; it is surrounded by beautiful ancient villages; it has outstanding restaurants; and can claim to have one of the country ‘s finest museums. It is also the home to the most renowned motor race in the country-the Bathurst 1000.

Heritage listed architecture is on show across town. The grand Bathurst Court House is one of Australia’s finest examples of civic architecture from the Victorian era. This magnificent building was opened on July 16, 1880, and is located in the center of town. The Abercrombie House is among the best, and most eccentric, stately homes in the country. A huge, three-story, 40-room estate designed in the 1870s in the Scottish Baronial style, it sits on the Macquarie River’s first land grant west.

Thanks to Mount Panorama, one of the world’s most famous circuits, most Australians associate Bathurst with motorsports. It hosts various international racing events such as the Bathurst 12 Hour and the famous Bathurst 1000. The public can take a spin around the course when it’s not being used for a race. Right next to the circuit you can also visit the National Motor Racing Museum. The National Motor Racing Museum honors the Australian Motor Sports heritage, personalities, and accomplishments. Although Mount Panorama and the Bathurst 1000 are at the heart of its displays, the museum looks all across the Australian Motor Racing spectrum. This tells the history of speedway, wind, drag, racing, open wheeler, sports car, and touring vehicles.

The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is home to the extremely famous Somerville Collection, Warren Somerville AM ‘s lifetime work. It is located in the 1876 Public School building furnished with the beautiful exhibits. It also boasts a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.The Bathurst Regional Art Gallery is a new , highly renowned regional gallery that produces top of the line contemporary art exhibitions. The Gallery is a premium producer of house and traveling shows and runs the nationally recognized network of Hill End Artists of Residence. This is a well-equipped, competently employed facility owned and managed by the Regional Council of Bathurst. You can also catch the popular Bathurst Arts Trail, where painters, potters, glass artists, sculptors and printmakers exhibit their talents in studios and galleries in town.

The thrilling events schedule is full of activities across the year including the iconic Royal Bathurst Show, considered to be Sydney ‘s best west, in January, the Inland Sea of Sound Music Festival, a massive music, arts and culture festival, in February and the Bathurst Winter Festival, a flagship event and a common shared activity for many residents in Bathurst, in July.

Experience the restaurants and cafés at Bathurst, which make the most of locally grown produce. Get in for a pastry at Legall Patisserie before they run out. Have brunch at Harvest Café and Store, which offers a bright menu to represent Bathurst’s seasons and capture the wide range of crops and produce grown across the Central Tablelands. Head to Vine and Tap, a modern Italian restaurant offering sharing dishes to enjoy with family and friends while enjoying a range of local and imported wine, beer and cocktail specialties.

Experience pizza and drinks at Church Bar, a legendary Bathurst drinking spot with an impressive atmosphere as it is situated in an old Anglican Church School house and has a huge wow factor in its grandeur. Their menu is full of pizza options named after Bathurst’s streets or places, e.g. ‘Panorama’ – slowly roasted lamb shanks with baby spinach, sweet potato, mozzarella, feta and rosemary.

Wine lovers will love to go to Bathurst to taste the cold climate wines of the area. There’s the annual Winter Winery Wander in June and the National Cold Climate Wine Show in October. Craft beer enthusiasts will head straight for Two Heads Brewing and Fish River Valley Brewery, all of which deliver a fantastic variety of beers, beautifully crafted on-site, savory seasonal meals and organic produce. They have a variety of quality local wines, spirits and ciders for the non-beer drinkers, to tide you over.

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