Discover Bathurst

Bathurst between motorsport and city history

Bathurst combines motorsport, railway history, natural history and heritage with landscaped green spaces. Visitors considering the city as a destination can tailor their stay to a range of interests: alongside racing history, museums, a carillon, an art gallery, parks and gardens are all options to explore.

Mount Panorama is a public road. Visitors may walk or cycle around the racetrack. Please take care and wear high-visibility clothing. Track conditions and event restrictions may change, so check the latest information before your visit.

Museums: from natural history to motorsport

The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum permanently houses the Somerville Collection, with more than 5,000 objects. The selection on display may change. The museum is designed as an entertaining and educational destination for families wishing to explore the natural history of our planet.

The Bathurst Rail Museum focuses on Bathurst’s social history as a railway town. Personal memories and artefacts bring this history to life; another major attraction is Australia’s largest publicly accessible HO-scale model railway. The Kids Central Space features a permanently installed Brio layout, one of the largest in the world, designed to encourage creative play for young children. Details about the layout and children’s activities may change.

The National Motor Racing Museum explores the history of Australian motorsport, particularly Bathurst and Mount Panorama as the spiritual home of the sport. Its collection includes more than 100 racing cars and motorcycles, as well as trophies and photographs. The selection on display may change over time.

Parks, gardens and outdoor activities

Machattie Park is a public recreational space in the centre of Bathurst. Its design, laid out in 1890, remains largely unchanged; features include the Band Rotunda and Gardener’s Cottage. The Ohkuma Japanese Gardens offer a different design aesthetic, with a dry waterfall, a small bridge and traditional Japanese plants.

The Bathurst Adventure Playground brings together a variety of play areas and features. These include a double flying fox, accessible swings, a large sandpit, climbing structures and walls, and a stockyard maze. The playground also features dinosaur sculptures with footprints and sound-activated dinosaur noises.

Heritage and planning your visit

The Chifley Home and Education Centre is located in the former home of Prime Minister Ben Chifley and his wife, Elizabeth. The exhibition offers a glimpse of the Chifleys’ everyday life in the 1940s. The Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, meanwhile, is one of the oldest regional galleries in New South Wales.

The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon, a memorial and instrument with 47 bells, stands in the centre of King’s Parade. Regular performances by local carillonneurs are announced for Saturdays and promoted across New South Wales. As dates may change, check the latest announcements if you wish to plan your visit around a performance. Miss Traill’s House is open on Sundays from 12:00 to 15:30; check opening hours before your visit, as they may change.

For travel, the Bathurst Bullet offers a daily return service between Sydney and Bathurst. Timetables may change, so it is advisable to check current services before travelling. You can then plan your travel and visits to museums, historic sites and green spaces around your interests.

Discover more destinations: Yetholme, Brewongle, Hill End

For the regional travel overview: Bathurst Regional Council.