About Bathurst

Situated on the banks of the Macquarie River in the Central Tablelands Region, Bathurst is one of the biggest centres in Central-West NSW. Located about 200km and less than three hours west of Sydney’s CBD, Bathurst is the oldest inland European settlement in Australia, founded in 1815.

A regional services centre with a rich history, Bathurst is a vibrant city with a rich cultural heritage and growing population. Bathurst’s country tranquillity, lower-than-average unemployment rates and close proximity to Sydney and the Blue Mountains has made Bathurst one of the state’s favourite destinations for families looking to move away from the hustle & bustle of the city, causing the city’s population to grow to its current 44,000 people.

Since 2019, migration to Bathurst from other locations in NSW, particularly greater Sydney, has drastically increased. This has seen a rise in the number of new dwelling approvals (great for buying and selling property), and a steady increase in the Gross Regional Product for the region.

What is attracting all these new people to Bathurst? Variety and opportunity. Not only is Bathurst historically and culturally rich, but it also boasts all the opportunities people and families are looking for today – excellent work and educational facilities, a variety of sports for children and adults alike, an abundance of cafés, restaurants, bars and other entertainment facilities, and brilliant parks.

With 18 primary schools – public, Catholic, and private – and five high schools – two public, two private, and one Catholic – Bathurst has state-ranking educational facilities, as well as a Charles Sturt University (CSU) campus. Sports among Bathurst’s children are also extremely popular, with one child playing two or three sports over the year being a common occurrence – from athletics to cricket, soccer to basketball, tennis to netball, and many, many more. The educational and sporting opportunities available to Bathurst’s youth are key drivers in the growing number of families making the move to Bathurst.

Bathurst is also an extremely popular tourist destination, thanks to many factors such as state sporting events, motorsport events, and the region’s amazing culture. Seeing over one million day-travellers and that number again in overnight travellers each year, with Bathurst being the highest-growing tourist destination in the state since the start of 2021.

Not only does Bathurst host all these great facilities and opportunities for everybody, but it is also in a brilliant location in relation to other major centres – Bathurst is a regional highway hub. Several major regional roads, including the Great-Western Highway, Mid-Western Highway, Mitchell Highway, O’Connell Road to Oberon, and Bathurst-Ilford Road, all start in Bathurst. This places Bathurst as the gateway to Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern NSW.

Worried that you won’t be able to access the Blue Mountains or Sydney by public transport? Don’t worry, the Bathurst Railway Station is serviced by CountryLink trains and buses to Sydney and Lithgow, as well as West to Dubbo

Bathurst is a great regional city, and is expected to grow to a population of over 50,000 by the close of the 2020’s. Thinking of making the move? Call us on (02) 6331 6555 and get the ball rolling!

For more information about our great city, visit http://www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/.