Cambria Terrace, a fine collection of terrace houses, Bathurst,

Bathurst
Major historic city on the western side of the Great Dividing Range.
Bathurst is located on the Macquarie River 207 km west of Sydney via the Great Western Highway and 670 m above sea-level. Australia's oldest inland city, it has many fine historic buildings.

With a population of 30 663 Bathurst is one of Australia's fastest-growing regional centres. The raising of sheep, cattle and horses, which began with the earliest European occupation of the land, is still practised on large land holdings near the city. However, education is now the largest single industry. Other contributions to the local economy are made by fruit and vegetable production, a vegetable cannery, a fish processing plant, a pet food processing plant, and government and community services.

Gregory Blaxland, William Wentworth and William Lawson became the first Europeans to find a way across the Blue Mountains in May 1813 which resulted in settlement beyond the Cumberland Plains. However, it was surveyor George Evans who crossed the main range later that year. During the trek he camped on the future townsite of Bathurst and made a favourable report of the country he saw. Evans named the Macquarie River after Governor Lachlan Macquarie and the Bathurst Plains after Lord Bathurst, the British secretary of state for the colonies.

By January 1815 William Cox had completed the considerable feat of building a road over the mountains and in April Governor Macquarie traversed this new route. When he reached the road-building party's depot on the west bank of the Macquarie River he proclaimed it 'a site for the erection of a town at some future period' which was to be named Bathurst. Later that year a government domain, consisting solely of troopers, government personnel and convict labourers, was established. Surrounded by a large government stock reserve, it was used as the launching pad for explorations of the interior by Evans in 1815, John Oxley in 1816, Allan Cunningham in 1823 and Charles Sturt in 1828.

Private settlement was forbidden on the west bank but Governor Macquarie decided to issue ten 50-acre allotments on the east bank to small landholders in the hope that they would be able to supplement the colony's food supplies. To this end ten 'sober and industrious' grantees were given a cow, a servant and four bushels of wheat seed. However, the problematic nature of transport over the difficult Sydney road negated such efforts.

Although it was initially known as Bathurst, the settlement on the east bank had, by the early 1820s, become known as Kelso (now an outer suburb of Bathurst). The Dun Cow Inn opened there c.1817 and the Anglican Church established a parish in 1825.

At the time the area was occupied by the Wiradjuri people, the largest Aboriginal group in NSW, who initially believed the white newcomers to be the spirits of dead kooris. The conflict which followed became so severe that Governor Brisbane declared a state of martial law in 1824 and despatched troops to Bathurst. Reprisals ensued and the Aborigines were slaughtered without regard for age or sex. After four months and 120 deaths (perhaps one-quarter of the Wiradjuri people) the tribe came down from the hills to call for a truce.

A rebellion of 80 convicts was quelled in 1829 after one of their number was flogged for swimming in the purview of Governor Darling and his retinue.

In 1832 Thomas Mitchell discovered the Victoria Pass and a much improved route across the mountains was quickly established. Consequently Governor Bourke decided to open up the government reserve at Bathurst to the public. It was surveyed and land sales proceeded in 1833. This new settlement soon became the centre of a major pastoral area and a regular coach service from Sydney had been established by 1835.

The depression of the 1840s forestalled expansion but, in 1851, the first payable gold in the country was found at nearby Ophir. This sparked a remarkable gold rush which transformed the entire colony. Due to its location and its early establishment Bathurst was greatly affected. It became a commercial centre for those en route to the diggings and the town's population doubled in the course of the 1850s to over 4000. There were some 50 grog shops in operation by 1860. Two years later Bathurst became a municipality. That same year the Cobb & Co coach company expanded its operations from Victoria to NSW, making Bathurst its headquarters.

Notorious bushranger Ben Hall was married in St Michael's Church at Bathurst in 1856. In October 1863 Hall, with John Gilbert, Michael Bourke, John O'Meally and John Vane 'visited' Bathurst in broad daylight. After robbing a jeweller's shop in Howick St they bailed up the Sportsman's Arms Hotel in Piper St and tried to steal a racehorse while the police rode about in search of them. Shots were exchanged in George St as they fled.

The gang returned three days later holding up stores, houses and hotels on the outskirts of town before the police were alerted and the bushrangers dissolved into the evening. Near Rockley they kidnapped the gold commissioner and held him to ransom. His wife rode to Bathurst in the middle of the night to obtain ransom money. In the next few weeks Bourke was killed and, in November 1863, John Vane surrendered at the Bathurst courthouse.

Another bushranger, John Piesley (see entry on Binda), was tried and hung for murder at Bathurst gaol in 1862.

Strathmore Victorian Manor (a guest house), 202 Russell Street, Bathurst built in 1882

The railway arrived in 1876, opening up the Central West to the Sydney produce markets and proving a further boost to the town's fortunes as a provincial centre. The population increased from 5000 in 1871 to over 9000 by the end of the century with Bathurst declared a city in 1885.

By the end of the 19th-century the large wool enterprises of the district were giving way to smaller holdings with an emphasis on cattle, agriculture, market gardening and fruit orchards. The latter enterprise received a boost when returning soldiers were granted land after World War I, turning their efforts largely to orchards. Motor racing also developed in the area from 1911 culminating in the establishment of the Mt Panorama Racing Circuit in 1938.

A strong emphasis on the retention of local industries, the development of educational institutions, the establishment of decentralised government departments and tourism have been features of the local economy since World War II.

Ben Chifley, the son of a blacksmith and the prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949, was born at Bathurst in 1885 and maintained his connections with the city until the end of his life. He joined the NSW railways at 17 and, at 26, became the youngest locomotive driver in the state. Chifley became a union representative in 1913 but was demoted to cleaner due to his involvement in the Great Strike of 1917. He entered parliament as the member for Macquarie (the local seat) in 1928 and became the treasurer and minister for postwar reconstruction in Curtin's government. When Curtin died in the last month of World War II Chifley became prime minister. From 1949 until his death in 1951 he was leader of the opposition. He was interred at Bathurst.

April witnesses the Royal Bathurst Show, the Bathurst Picnic Races and National Trust Heritage Week. The Bathurst 1000 Super Touring Car Race and the Australian 1000 Classic are held at Mt Panorama in October and the Bathurst Cycle Classic in November.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Bathurst Visitors' Centre is located at 28 William St, on the Durham St corner, tel: (02) 6332 1444, or ring toll-free on (1800) 681 000. The centre has an old Cobb & Co coach on display, a 'Fossicking Guide for Bathurst and District' and information sheets detailing the picnic areas in town, a self-drive tour, the courthouse, Machattie Park and an historical walking tour.

A fine example of Bathurst's architecture - Number 14 - a house only two houses away from Ben Chifley's house

Historic Walking Tour
Police Barracks and The First Settlement
Opposite the visitors' centre is the Bathurst Bowling Club. The current building was erected in 1890 as the police barracks. When the government domain was established at Bathurst in 1815 this site was the headquarters of the army. Some barracks and a gaol were built here in 1822. The town's first courthouse and magistrate's quarters stood opposite.

Head west along William St. Across Durham St is the Bathurst Shopping Centre where the first Presbyterian Church (1835) once stood. Some bricks from the old church and a commemorative plaque are on the front wall of the shopping centre. The adjacent allotments were the first in Bathurst to be sold when the old government reserve was opened to public sale in 1833.

Howick Street
Turn left into Howick St. On the left-hand side of the road is a workman's cottage of the 1830s or 1840s. The Howick and Bentinck St corner features eight detached and semi-detached 19th-century cottages, built of bonded red brick with continuous verandahs. They are rare surviving examples of their type.

The Ben Hall Raid
Return to William St and turn left. The allotments at 74 and 76 William St were once the site of Cobb and Co. offices. When Ben Hall's gang raided the town in 1863 they bailed up a gunsmith's shop which occupied one of these allotments and a nearby jeweller's shop. They then visited the Sportsman's Arms Inn (now the site of the Bathurst Leagues Club), and attempted to steal a racehorse.

Westpac Bank
This imposing Classical building, with its columned central porch and arched ground floor, was erected c.1895 for the City Bank of Sydney. This site was previously occupied by the Carriers Arms Inn where, in 1851, Edward Hargraves announced the discovery of the first payable gold in Australia, thus sparking a national goldrush.

Royal Hotel
This grand old inn dates from the 1840s. The decorative iron lacework is of a slightly more recent vintage and the whole has recently been restored. It now contains shops and a restaurant in the downstairs section with accommodation available upstairs.

Methodist Complex
The Methodist (now Uniting) Church in William St, opposite Machattie Park, was built of red bricks with stuccoed dressings to a Gothic Revival design in 1860. The copper-covered spire, porch and vestibules were added in 1876. The organ was installed in the early 1870s.

The simple Georgian-style church hall (1837), with its large rounded windows, was the original Methodist chapel. Located at 140 William St, it was also used as the town's first national school from 1858 to 1866 and was altered c.1903.

The Brooke Moore Centre next door is essentially a two-storey red-brick house which was built in 1852 as the second Methodist parsonage (the original was built in 1838). The fanlights and twelve-paned windows are typical of that period. The upper storey, added c.1900, features popular Edwardian trimmings - small-paned window sashes and a balcony with decorative woodwork.

Keppel Street and Railway Station
Turn left into Keppel St which became an important commercial area when the railway arrived in 1876. Many buildings date from around that era and others have been built to sympathetic designs. Note the two-storey red-brick home known as 'Locksley' at the corner of Keppel and Seymour Sts. Another block brings you to the station which was built to a High Victorian Gothic design with Dutch gables topped by finials, bay windows and a cast-iron verandah.

Flour Mill
Just near the railway station in Havannah St is Tremain's Flour Mill. Built in the early 1850s but no longer in use it is the only survivor of some ten mills that once existed in this area which was known as Mill Town.

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
Return along Keppel St. Between Seymour and Bentinck Sts is the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery which focuses on Australian art from 1955. There is a particularly strong Lloyd Rees collection, Australian ceramics from the early 1960s and the artists of Hill End. Many artists have been drawn to the area over the years, including Rees and Russell Drysdale. Brett Whiteley boarded at The Scots School at Bathurst as a youth and continued to frequent the area until his death in 1992.

The gallery is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday, and from 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays, tel: (02) 6331 6066.

Roman Catholic Cathedral
Return to the corner of Keppel and William Sts where you will find the Catholic cathedral which opened in 1861. The main architect was Edward Gell who designed many buildings in the area from Lithgow to Dubbo.

Catholic Chancery Office
Continue along Keppel St to the George St corner where you will find the Patrician Brothers Monastery (c.1885), now the Catholic chancery office. Note the iron lacework.

Bassett House
Turn right into George St. On the left-hand side is a series of connecting houses. The earliest section is considered typical of town dwellings in the 1840s.

Webb's Building
A little further along George St, on the same side of the road, is a building erected for Edmund Webb, member of the upper house and several times mayor of Bathurst. He started his store on another site c.1851 and expanded due to the prosperity of the goldrush era. The first section was built in 1862 with 1872 extensions.

Machattie Park
Opposite is a fine late 19th-century Victorian country-town park with a bandstand, a Begonia House (in bloom from February to Easter), a caretaker's cottage (c.1890), fernery and lake. Between the ornate Victorian Munro Drinking Fountain (imported from England in 1891 and named after the then-mayor) and the corner of George and Russell Sts is a tree which is home to a family of possums. A plaque in the park commemorates the visit to Bathurst of Charles Darwin in 1836.

This reserve is situated on the site of the old gaol which stood here from 1838 to 1888 when it was demolished to make way for the park which was named after Dr. R.R. Machattie who served several terms as mayor. He was also the leader of the group which fought to have the park on this site.

The Court House

Courthouse and Museum
Facing Russell St is the Neo-Classical courthouse with octagonal Renaissance dome . It is Bathurst's most distinguished public building and is regarded by the National Trust as 'one of Australia's finest examples of Victorian public architecture'. Designed by James Barnet, it was completed in 1880. The wings, built as the postal and telegraph offices, were opened in 1877. The entire structure is 81 m long and 45 m wide.

Donald Horne, author of The Lucky Country, described the building as 'one of the most successful expressions of late colonial self-confidence ever produced. Large and, with forecourt, wasteful enough to belong to the governor of a prosperous province, it has achieved bland certainty by overcoming its own complexities - which include a Doric portico with pediment, an octagonal tower with turret, stone facings and brick pilasters, a colonnade of Doric pillars, a sage-green roof, red bricks, yellow bricks and long lines of sash windows'.

The west wing is now occupied by the Central Western Music Centre. The east wing is now the Historical Society Museum. Its collection includes Aboriginal artefacts and it is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays and from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Saturdays, tel: (02) 6332 4755. There is an entry fee.

The war memorial

Kings Parade
The strip squeezed between Russell and Church Sts is Kings Parade, situated on the site of the old market place which was demolished in 1912.

The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon is a 30.5-metre tower which sits on 12-metre foundations and houses 35 bells. It was built in 1933 to honour those from the district who served in World War I. With a repertoire of 40 tunes it operates at noon and 1.00 p.m. daily.

The Boer War Memorial was unveiled in 1910 by Lord Kitchener who commanded British troops in India and became Commander in Chief at the Boer War in South Africa. It features the name of Lieutenant Peter Handcock who, with Harry 'Breaker' Morant, was shot by a British firing squad in South Africa for executing prisoners.

The Evans memorial (1913-1920) commemorates the discovery of the Bathurst Plains in 1813 by George Evans, Assistant Surveyor of Lands. The Anglican cathedral was completed in 1971.

Ribbon Gang Lane
In 1829 a young ticket-of-leave convict named Ralph Entwistle was seen swimming naked in the Macquarie River by Governor Darling and his retinue. For this affront he was flogged and his ticket-of-leave removed. This injustice caused a rebellion of some 80 convicts in 1830. Entwistle and others became bushrangers, committing robbery and murder. They were known as the 'Ribbon Gang' after the ribbons they wore in their hair. Ten of their number, including Entwistle, were caught at Abercrombie Caves and hanged at this spot. Ribbon Gang Lane is situated near the corner of Church and William Sts.

Technical College
The technical college at 79-81 William St is a two-storey American Romanesque building erected c.1896 of red brick with terracotta facings and other detailing. The interior is also of a high quality. The architect was W.G. Kemp. The section at 79 William St is a former bank and annex to the school of arts which once existed next door at the Howick St corner.

Old Public School
Around the corner in Howick St are the former public school and headmaster's house which were built to G.A. Mansfield's Gothic Revival design in 1876. One of the first district schools to be established in the area, it is a red-brick structure with sandstone base and detailing, a pyramid tower with lead spire and a gabled slate roof with bargeboards. The residence has dormer windows, filigree timber bargeboards and timber verandah. The first telegraph office (1861) was formerly in front of the residence.

Presbyterian Church
At the corner of Howick and George Sts is St Stephen's Presbyterian Church, a Gothic structure built of red bricks in 1871-72.

1 George St
Proceed to the end of George St. At no. 1 is a fine, two-storey residence built in 1860 for John Ford, a local banker and coach proprietor.

Old Government Cottage
At the rear of No. 1 George St is Old Government Cottage, a single-storey sandstock brick Georgian house with a gabled shingle roof and external bread oven. Built between 1817 and 1820 to house the commandant of the original government settlement, it is the oldest brick building west of the Macquarie River. Governor Macquarie also stayed here with his entourage on his farewell visit to Bathurst in 1821.

This was the site of the government depot set up by Surveyor Cox during the construction of the road from Penrith in 1814-1815. The apricot tree outside the house is thought to have been planted by noted botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham. Inside, three rooms have been restored to their original condition with local donations of furniture and artefacts of the colonial era. It is open on Sundays from 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. or at other times by arrangement, tel: (02) 6332 4755.

Foundation Cairn
Nearby in Stanley St is a cairn to denote the site where, on 7 May, 1815, Governor Macquarie proclaimed the town of Bathurst. The first church service west of the Blue Mountains was held near this site on the same day. The Heritage Wall commemorates the early European settlers of the district.

Bicentennial Park
Behind Stanley St is Macquarie River Bicentennial Park which has the best childrens' play equipment in town, cycleways and a stone weir.

Self-Drive Tour
A number of fine historic buildings fall outside the above walk but they are included in the Self-Drive Tour, available from the Visitors' Centre. It takes in historic homes such as 'Delaware', 'Bradwardine', 'Esrom House', 'Ermington Park', 'Walmer', 'Llanarth' and 'Eglinton Cottage'. Some of the highlights are listed below.

Mrs Traill's House and Garden
Miss Traill's House (c.1845) is a colonial Georgian home at the corner of Russell and Peel Sts which was bequeathed to the National Trust by the Lee family who were amongst the very first European settlers to the west. The house, horse paddock, gardens and domestic collection provide a window into the past. Items include a convict-painted portrait of Emily Kite. It is open from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. from Friday to Sunday, tel: (02) 6332 4232. There is an entry fee.

Nearby in Mitre St is the facade of the carefully restored Bathurst Hospital (1880s).

Abercrombie House

Abercrombie House and Strath
If you start at the corner of George St and follow Durham St (Ophir Rd) out of town then, after 7.5 km, you will see, on the left, a large signboard indicating the entry gates to Abercrombie House (1870-78) which is one of the country's finest stately homes. A large, three-storey, 40-room mansion in the Scottish Baronial style, it sits upon the first land grant west of the Macquarie River which was issued in 1827 to William Stewart who was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of NSW in 1824. Stewart built a home called 'Strath' in the 1830s. The remaining wing and original stone fence are still standing opposite Abercrombie House. 'Strath' was partially dismantled in 1870 by his son, James, who used the bricks for the internal walls of the mansion.

Covering 210 squares Abercrombie House represents a very unusual design in the Australian context, featuring a stepped slate roof with Dutch gables and bull's eye windows topped by elaborate finials. The external walls are of local granite and the round tower incorporates a spiral iron staircase. The ornate interior features 29 fireplaces, a ballroom with an 8.5-metre ceiling, seven staircases, a plenitude of cedar and a parquetry floor. The present owner also has a large collection of paintings, antique furniture, ceramics, woodwork and historic artefacts from around the world. There are formal gardens and a number of substantial basalt outbuildings on the estate which once hosted 120 tenant farmers.

Public lecture tours are conducted by the owner on specific days throughout the year (including most Sundays) and the visitors' centre can inform you of these, tel: (02) 6332 1444. On such days the gates open at 3.00 p.m. and close at 3.15 p.m. and the tour takes about 75-minutes. The cost is currently $5.50 for adults and $3.50 for children. Organised groups may be accommodated at other times, tel: (02) 6331 4929.

The owner is an advocate of constitutional monarchy and the Museum and Archive of Australian Monarchy (MA'AM) is a special exhibit relating to the nine British monarchs who have sat on the throne since the British colonisation of Australia. It is usually open after the house tour for a small extra charge.

Bathurst Gaol

Bathurst Gaol
Brooke Moore Ave joins Vittoria St and Browning St. It contains the gaol's massive, hand-carved sandstone gate, featuring a lion's head holding a key - a Victorian symbol of secure and certain retribution. The gaol, designed by James Barnet and opened in 1888, is not open for inspection.

Mt Panorama
Mt Panorama is one of the country's prime venues for touring car racing with the Bathurst 1000 and the Australian 1000 Classic held every October. Motorcycle racing began on the roads near the mount in 1911 and speedway racing ensued with the Old Vale Circuit in operation from 1931 to 1937. The Mt Panorama Circuit was established in 1938 as a scenic route although it is likely that the idea of a motor-racing circuit underscored the endeavour as both cycle and car racing were transferred to Mt Panorama that same year. The first motorcycle Grand Prix was held in 1949 and the first car Grand Prix in 1958. The race that is now called the Bathurst 1000 was inaugurated in 1960 with Jack Brabham an early hero of the course. The event is now attended by some 40 000 spectators.

This 6.2-km scenic circuit is open to the public all year round (at 60 kph), offering fine views over the area at an elevation of 874 m. The lap record is 129.7 seconds, set by Neil Allen in a McLaren M10B F5000 in 1970. It is located at the south-western corner of Bathurst. Follow William St to its western end and it branches off to the left as Panorama Ave. The race entry begins after you cross Hawthornden Creek.

Racing Hall of Fame
At the end of Panorama Drive you will come to Murray's Corner where you will find the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Hall of Fame. It is open, for a fee, from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. daily. There are race-winning motorcycles and cars, a photographic collection, a non-stop video covering racing on Mt Panorama since 1963, along with trophies, helmets and other memorabilia with sales of videos and souvenirs, tel: (02) 6332 1872.

Mount Panorama Winery
Turn right at Murray's Corner into Pit Straight, travel across the starting grid and turn left into Mountain Straight. At no.117 is Mt Panorama Winery, established in 1991. It is closed on Mondays, tel: (02) 6331 5368.

McPhillamy Park
At the southern end of the circuit is McPhillamy Park. Situated atop Mt Panorama it provides fine views over Bathurst and the surrounding farms. The lookout is best visited at sunrise and sunset.

Bathurst Goldfields
As you come down from the summit through the 'S' bends and around Forrest Elbow you will see the entrance to Bathurst Goldfields, a reconstruction of a goldmining village which has a mine, a working stamper battery crushing ore, operative steam engines, a miner's hut, a blacksmith's forge and gold panning lessons. A visit takes the form of a guided tour and there are exhibits and accommodation available. Tour times are obtainable from the Bathurst Visitors' Centre (tel: 02 6332 1444) or you can ring Bathurst Goldfields on (02) 6332 2022. The address is 428 Conrod Straight.

The Slattery Museum
At the southern end of Bentinck St is St Stanislaus College, a fine three-storey Gothic structure which was built in 1873. The oldest Catholic boarding school in Australia, it is constructed of decorative red brick with two towers, scalloped bargeboards, marble fireplaces and pine and cedar joinery. The fine marble hall was designed by Edward Gell.

It was at the college, in 1896, that Australia's first X-ray was taken in 1896 by Father Slattery and the museum within is dedicated to Slattery who was at the forefront of numerous scientific developments. It is open, for a fee, by appointment only, tel: (02) 6331 4177.

Ben Chifley's house in Bathurst

Chifley Home
The modest house which prime minister Ben Chifley (1885-1951) shared with his wife from 1945-1949 is open Saturday to Monday from 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.. It is located at 10 Busby St, tel: (02) 6332 1444.

Showgrounds
Kendall Ave (part of the highway) will take you from Durham St across the Evans Bridge over the Macquarie River. It is the access point to the showgrounds where you will find the very unusual timber showground pavilions (c.1880), built in the style known as 'Carpenter's Gothic'. The two-storey brick gatehouse is also of interest.

Cobb & Co Heritage Trail
The historic inland coaching company, Cobb & Co, celebrates the 150th anniversary of its first journey in 2004 (and the 80th anniversary of its last, owing to the emergence of motorised transport). The trailblazing company's contribution to Australia's development is celebrated with the establishment of a heritage trail which explores the terrain covered on one of its old routes: between Bathurst and Bourke.

Cobb & Co's origins lay in the growing human traffic prompted by the goldrushes of the early 1850s. Bathurst was central, in that it became the site of the company's headquarters in 1862, under the management of local boy, James Rutherford. The first coach arrived at Bathurst, from Victoria, to the applause of a large fanfare, and with Rutherford at the reins. The company's principal coach construction factory operated behind Bathurst's Black Bull Inn until 1881 (now part of the Bathurst Shopping Centre, at the corner of Bentinck and Howick Sts.

As the Heritage Trail website states: 'The company was enormously successful and had branches or franchises throughout much of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. At its peak, Cobb & Co operated along a network of tracks that extended further than those of any other coach system in the world ­ its coaches travelled 28,000 miles (44,800km) per week and 6000 (out of their 30,000) horses were harnessed every day. Cobb & Co created a web of tracks from Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria and Port Douglas on the Coral Sea down to the furthest reaches of Victoria and South Australia ­ in all, a continuous line of 2000 miles (3200km) of track over eastern Australia from south to north, with a total of 7000 miles (11,200km) of regular routes' (see www.cobbandco.net.au)

The Bathurst leg of the trail takes in the aforementioned Black Bull Inn, the site of the town's second coach factory, the original passenger pick-up site, the original booking office site, the Anglican Cathedral, which has a memorial to Rutherford, his first home, the mansion he later built, the cemetery where he lies, and the Visitors Centre, which has a related booklet, a restored Cobb & Co coach, and the book 'The Cobb & Co Trail From Bathurst to Bourke.' The trail also takes in related sites around the shire.

Kelso
On the other side of the bridge is Kelso which was established soon after 1815 when Governor Macquarie granted ten 50-acre allotments to ten settlers on the east side of the Macquarie River. At the Gilmour St intersection is the post office group which serves as a reminder of the colonial period. The post office, butcher's shop (a former inn) and the Kelso Hotel are of stuccoed brick with original 12-pane windows. They are thought to date from the 1840s while the general store, a rare survivor of its type, dates from 1890. Another early inn now forms the basis of the Evans Shire Chambers just down Lee St.

Woolstone
Turn left into Gilmour St. To the immediate left is the magnificent building known as 'Woolstone' which was built in the 1890s by the son of Thomas Kite, one of the first ten settlers. This building was superimposed upon Thomas Kite's earlier cottage (c.1840).

The Holy Trinity Church
A little further along Gilmour St is Holy Trinity Church - the first church to be built in inland Australia and the first Anglican church in the country to be consecrated (by Bishop Broughton, the first Anglican bishop). The Anglican parish of Kelso was founded in 1825.

The church is situated on a hill overlooking Bathurst and is surrounded by a pioneer cemetery. The parish hall at the foot of the hill is older and once housed the first school in the district.

The two-storey Gothic rectory was designed by Edmund Blacket and built in the 1870s. The church is open from 1.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. on Sundays and at other times by appointment, tel: (02) 6332 4606.

Bathurst Sheep and Cattle Drome
If you turn off the highway at Kelso into Boyd St it becomes Limekilns Rd. After 6 km take the signposted right into Bathurst Sheep and Cattle Drome. This property housed an army camp in World War II and then a migrant hostel.

The 'Drome' is intended to furnish some insight into aspects of life on the farm for those who are unacquainted. It is popular with children, school groups and particularly Japanese visitors. Sheep and cattle are paraded on a stage to a commentary (in English and Japanese) on the different breeds and their uses. There are boomerang and spear-throwing, sheep-shearing, wool-classing, lamb-feeding and sheep-dog demonstrations with an emphasis on audience participation, as well as pony rides, an animal nursery and farmyard (with emus), a small golf-range and dorm-style accommodation. Performances are held at 11.00 a.m. daily with extra shows in the school holidays, tel: (02) 6337 3634.

Ben Chifley Dam
Ben Chifley Dam is 19 km south-east of Bathurst via The Lagoon. Power boating, sailing and fishing can all be enjoyed but no swimming is allowed.

	Tourist Information
	Bathurst Visitor Information Centre 28 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6333 6288, or (02) 6332 1444, 1800 68 1000 Facsimile: (02) 6332 2333 Email: visitors@bathurst.nsw.gov.au
	Motels
	Bathurst Explorers Motel 357 Stewart St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2966, 1800 047 907 Facsimile: (02) 6331 2723 Rating: ***
	Ben Chifley Motor Inn 272 Stewart St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5055 Facsimile: (02) 6332 1429 Rating: ***1/2
	Country Comfort Bathurst Cnr Mid Western & Great Western Hwys Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1800 Facsimile: (02) 6332 1890 Rating: ****1/2
	Country Lodge Motor Inn 145 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 4888 Facsimile: (02) 6331 4011 Rating: ***
	Governor Macquarie Motor Inn 19 Charlotte St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2211 Facsimile: (02) 6331 4754 Rating: ***1/2
	Panorama City Motor Lodge 51 Durham St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2666 Facsimile: (02) 6332 1439 Rating: ***1/2
	Coachmans Inn Cnr Great Western & Littlebourne St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 4855 Facsimile: (02) 6331 7273 Rating: ***1/2
	Bathurst Motor Inn 87 Durham St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2222 Facsimile: (02) 6331 3568 Rating: ****
	Gold Panner Motor Inn Sydney Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 4444, 1800 354 224 Facsimile: (02) 6331 4270 Rating: ***1/2
	Abercrombie Motor Inn 362 Stewart St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1077 Facsimile: (02) 6331 8895 Rating: ***1/2
	Bathurst Heritage Motor Inn 102-106 Stewart St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6334 3433 Facsimile: (02) 6334 3499 Rating: ****
	Hotels
	Commercial Hotel 135George Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2712 Facsimile: (02) 6332 4109
	Edinboro Castle Hotel William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5020
	Elephant & Castle Hotel Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5544
	Family Hotel Russell St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1353
	Kings Hotel 60 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1852
	Knickerbocker Hotel/Motel 110 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4500 Facsimile: (02) 6332 2944 Rating: ***
	Park Hotel/Motel Cnr George & Keppel Sts Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 3399 Facsimile: (02) 6334 9099 Rating: **1/2
	Railway Hotel 157 Havannah St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2964
	The Kelso Hotel/Motel Sydney Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 6675 Facsimile: (02) 6331 6812 Rating: ***
	Victoria Hotel 3 Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5777
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Boronia B & B 173 Lagoon Rd Orton Park Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 6070
	Budden's B & B Guesthouse 18 Budden St Rockley Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 9279
	Dinta Glen B & B 3 Strathmore Dve Forest Grove Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 6662 Facsimile: (02) 6332 6662 Rating: ***
	Elm Tree Cottage Bed & Breakfast 270 Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4920 Facsimile: (02) 6331 8566 Rating: ***1/2
	Littlebourne Bed & Breakfast 4031 O'Conell Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 9094 Facsimile: (02) 6332 9094 Rating: ***1/2
	Paeton Place 1554 Mid Western Hwy Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6368 5846 Facsimile: (02) 6368 5873
	Rossmore Park Farm Holidays Limekilns Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 3634
	Ryder Homestead 130 Thompson St Wattle Flat Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 7171
	The Church and Schoolhouse O'Connell Rd O'Connell Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 5773 Facsimile: (02) 6337 5778 Email: church@ix.net.au Rating: ***
	The Old School House 159 Seymour St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1206 Rating: ****
	The Russells B & B 286 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4686 Facsimile: (02) 6332 4686 Rating: ***1/2
	Woolstone House 24 Gilmour St Kelso Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 3900
	Yarrabin 3253 Beaconsfield Rd O'Connell Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 5712 Facsimile: (02) 6337 5628 Rating: ***
	Cherrywood by the River Bed & Breakfast 2 Eglinton Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 9472 Rating: ***1/2
	Holmhurst Guesthouse 306 William Mt Panorama Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4141
	Homeleigh 46 Churinga St Kelso Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 3403 Facsimile: (02) 6331 3489 Rating: ***1/2
	Strathmore Victorian Manor Bed & Breakfast 202 Russell St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 3252 Facsimile: (02) 6332 3819 Rating: ****
	The Dairy 15 Waterworks La Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 6970 Facsimile: (02) 6332 4671
	Trinty Blue 69 Gilmour St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6334 3212
	Winter-Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast 79 Morrissett St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 2661 Facsimile: (02) 6334 3322 Rating: ***1/2
	Apartments
	Plaza Apartments 60 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 2606 Facsimile: (02) 6332 2807
	Holiday Homes & Units
	The Royal Apartments 108 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4920 Facsimile: (02) 6332 3132 Rating: ****
	Cottages & Cabins
	Bathurst Goldfields 128 Conrod Straight Mt Panorama Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 2022 Facsimile: (02) 6332 3441
	Box Grove Cottage 119Duramana Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 1285 Facsimile: (02) 6337 1285 Rating: ***
	David Jones Cottage 244 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4920 Facsimile: (02) 6331 8566 Rating: **
	Karin's Cottage 480 Eleven Mile Dve Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 1627 Facsimile: (02) 6337 1285
	Lochinvar - Mt Panorama 448 Conrod Straight Mt Panorama Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2469 Facsimile: (02) 6331 2469 Rating: ****1/2
	Monteve Cottage 6 Monteve Crescent Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2857 Facsimile: (02) 6332 2033
	Roseview 130 Mountain Straight Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4787 Facsimile: (02) 6332 4787
	The Cottage 112 Mountain Straight Mount Panorama Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5181 Facsimile: (02) 6332 2918
	The Dairy 15 Waterworks La Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 6970 Facsimile: (02) 6332 4671
	The Old Bank Residence William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4920 Facsimile: (02) 6332 3132
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Chesleigh Homestead 319 Hill End Rd Sofala via Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 7077 Facsimile: (02) 6337 7092
	Yarrabin Guest Property 3253 Beaconsfield Rd O'Connell Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6337 5712 Facsimile: (02) 6337 5628 Email: yarrabinholiday@ozemail.com.au Rating: ***
	Lodges & Chalets
	Secret Valley Lodge 1459 Freemantle Rd Eglinton Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 9683 2626 Rating: ***1/2
	Caravan Parks
	Bathurst Panorama Caravan Park Sydney Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 8286 Facsimile: (02) 6332 6439 Rating: ***1/2
	Broombee 1022 Ophir Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 7784
	Restaurants
	Acropole Restaurant 68 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1310
	Bathurst Fortuna Chinese Restaurant 286 Lambert St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1188
	Bathurst Golf Club Restaurant Orange Rd Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 7751
	Bathurst R.S.L. Club Ltd 114 Rankin St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 3999
	Bathurst Rugby Leagues Club 132 Piper St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2455
	Bathurst Tandoori House 94 Bentinck St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 3320
	Brooklyn Restaurant Mountain Straight Mount Panorama Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 8075
	Bull Pen Steak House George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 3399
	Chinese Inn Restaurant 143 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2046
	Continental Restaurant 82 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1231
	Crepes Royale Restaurant 108 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 3520
	Eliza's Restaurant Cnr Stewart & Brilliant Sts Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1800
	Golden Paradise Restaurant 80 Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 3645
	Governor Macquarie Motor Inn 19 Charlotte St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2211
	Heritage Royal Coffee House & Restaurant 108 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1707
	James Cook International Motor Inn Restaurant Stewart St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1800
	Lamplighters Restaurant 130 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1448
	Marigold Garden Chinese Restaurant 177 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 9575
	Perfect Timing Family Restaurant 177 Howick St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 9883
	Restaurant Legall 56 Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 5800
	Rio Grande Restaurant 159 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 9136
	Rose Garden Chinese Restaurant 82 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 2882
	Sasha's Restaurant 87 Durham St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 6478
	Thai Nyn Restaurant 129 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 3627
	The Crowded House 1 Ribbon Gang Lane Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6334 2300
	The Governor's Restaurant 19 Charlotte St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 2211
	The Great Wall Restaurant 75 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1688
	The Knickerbocker Hotel 110 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 4500
	The Stagecoach Restaurant 73 William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 1264
	The Tree House 263 Durham St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 9222
	Wing Heung Restaurant 149 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6331 9930
	Cafés
	Banjo¹s Retreat William St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 2855
	Country Coffee Cafe 139 George St Bathurst NSW 2795 Telephone: (02) 6332 1367
	Ziegler¹s Cafe 52 Keppel St Bathurst NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 6332 1565