Bathurst, Australia Tourism

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territory in 1815, selected the site for a settlement and named it after the colonial secretary of the day, Lord Bathurst. In 1851 the first large finds of gold were made at Ophir, 35 km from the town, and by 1871 Bathurst had a population of 17,000 and was the headquarters of Cobb's mailcoach company. The gold brought Bathurst an influx of settlers and prosperity; and when the goldfields were worked out the town became the commercial center of a large farming area.

Bathurst's fine old buildings bear witness to its 19th C prosperity. Among them are the Courthouse (1877-80), now housing the Historical Society Museum and the tourist office; the Cathedrals of St Michael and St John; a wing of Government House (so called because Macquarie stayed there in 1821) dating from about 1817; and Miss Traill's Cottage (1845).