City Of Bathurst

Bathurst (pronounced /ˈbæθərst/) is a regional town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 200 km west of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in Australia[2] and had an urban population of 28,992 people on the 2006 census night.[1]

The Bathurst area was originally occupied by the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people. The government surveyor, George William Evans, was the first European to sight the Bathurst Plains in 1813.

In 1814, Governor Lachlan Macquarie approved an offer by William Cox to build a road crossing the Blue Mountains, from Sydney to the Bathurst Plains. This first road to cross the Blue Mountains was 12 feet (3.7 m) wide by 101½ miles (163 km) long, built between 18 July 1814 to 14 January 1815 using 30 convict labourers and 8 guards. Governor Macquarie surveyed the finished road in April 1815 by driving his carriage across it from Sydney to Bathurst. The Governor commended Cox and stated that the project would have taken three years if it had been done under a contract. As a reward Cox was awarded 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land near what is now Bathurst.

Bathurst was founded at the terminus of Cox's Road in 1815 on the orders of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and is the oldest inland town in Australia. The name Bathurst comes from the surname of the British Colonial Secretary Lord Bathurst. It was intended to be the administrative centre of the western plains of New South Wales where orderly colonial settlement was planned.

Bathurst is a city in regional New South Wales, approximately 200km or two and a half hour drive from the state capital of Sydney. The city of 37,001 (Census 2005) residents is the oldest inland town in Australia thus boasts a rich history which is highlighted by its unique collection of house museums.

The city is a great place to visit due to a number of reasons: its relatively close proximity to Sydney, its great facilities including tourist attractions and annual events held throughout the year.

Best known for the Mount Panorama motor racing circuit, this famous circuit is steeped in rich motorsport history and has helped put Bathurst on the world map. The racetrack is just over 6 kilometres long and is widely known to separate the men from the boys due to the high level of skill required to manoeuvre a racecar around the demanding and steep circuit.

In October each year, thousands of motorsport fanatics make the 'pilgrimage' to Bathurst for the annual Holden vs Ford battle in the V8 supercar race known as the Bathurst 1000.

Interestingly, the circuit is actually a public road thus it is open to the public on non-race days with cars allowed to travel in both directions around the circuit for no charge. A strict speed limit of 60 km/h is enforced.

Besides Mount Panorama, there are plenty of interesting places to see and visit in Bathurst and they are:

Abercrombie Caves - the most famous and largest natural arch in the southern hemisphere.

Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum - home of the internationally renowned Somerville Collection of rare fossils and minerals from Australia around the world.

National Motor Racing Museum - the history of motor racing in Australia can be seen here.

Bathurst Sheep & Cattle Drome - see what it is like in the rural areas of the Aussie Outback.

Link: http://www.australiafound.com/nsw-non-metro/
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