HISTORY OF BATHURST
Bathurst was proclaimed as a town in 1815 following the construction of a road from Penrith across the Blue Mountains. It was initially used as a base for explorers of inland NSW. In the 1860’s Bathurst began to boom thanks to the gold found in the surrounding areas of Ophir, Sofala and Hill End.
One of the famous sons of Bathurst was Labour Prime Minister Ben Chifley who was a train driver before entering politics. There are several memorial sites including at the railway station where his loco is parked in front of the station.
Today the city has a population of about 36,000 and a variety of industries including manufacturing, agriculture and public agencies. Many historic buildings remain in the city centre, but newer buildings are often located between them which detracts a little from the overall feel of the place. We spent a pleasant afternoon looking around and taking lots of photos!
