Highlights
Explore a gold mine in one of Australia’s richest colonial goldfields, see the T.Rex dinosaur skeleton, discover the awesome Abercrombie Caves, admire beautiful heritage buildings and enjoy local wines in the Bathurst region. Mount Panorama is also the home of motor racing.
About Bathurst
With colonial goldfields, dinosaur skeletons, limestone caves and gorgeous heritage buildings and parks, the Bathurst region is exciting and beautiful. You’ll find enthralling things to do and see, such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum.
Getting to Bathurst in Country NSW is easy, with several options. The drive northwest of Sydney, via the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, is a little over three hours. Or take a scenic train, also through the Blue Mountains, from Sydney to Bathurst, or fly into Bathurst Airport and rent a car.
You’ll find plenty of tours and places to stay in the region, including in the gold rush towns of Hill End and Sofala, where you can try your luck gold panning. An exciting events calendar of festivals and sports includes the world-famous Bathurst 1000 at Australia’s home of motor racing, the unforgiving Mount Panorama. Enjoy the Royal Bathurst Show and the National Cool Climate Wine Show.
Amble along pretty tree-lined streets and admire the heritage architecture in one of Australia’s oldest inland colonial settlements. Visit Chifley Home, once the residence of prime minister Ben Chifley, and the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, home to wonderful collections. There are cellar doors such as Vale Creek Wines and savour local produce at restaurants and the Bathurst Farmers Market.
Gold in payable amounts was first discovered in the region in the early 1850s, sparking the Australian gold rush. The world’s largest single piece of reef gold, the Beyers and Holtermann specimen, was found in 1872 in the Hill End goldfields, northwest of Bathurst. You can experience what it was like to mine gold underground in colonial times at the Bald Hill Tourist Mine.
One of the spectacular natural attractions is the Abercrombie Caves, southwest of Bathurst. Enter the limestone caves through the Archway, the largest natural arch in the Southern Hemisphere. Join a tour and discover this amazing underground world. There are campgrounds nearby, too.
