Bond with your favourite little explorers during a big day out in Bathurst where they can pan for gold, make like race-car drivers and play with a giant toy railway.
Transport yourself into the past at the Bathurst Rail Museum
Start at the Bathurst Rail Museum, home to an incredible model railway where you can watch miniature trains go around the track, passing tiny people, cars and sheep. A dedicated kids’ space houses one of the world’s largest Brio wooden train sets, as well as a cute cubby house built in the shape of Bathurst Train Station.
Parent's tip: Grab drinks from the Refreshment Room cafe outside and don’t forget to take a peek into the red train carriage out the front.
Bathurst Rail Museum, Bathurst
Go vroom at the National Motor Racing Museum
Celebrate the rich history of Australian motorsport at the National Motor Racing Museum. The museum displays trophies, race suits, leathers and other memorabilia, along with 100-plus racing cars and motorbikes from the 1920s to now.
Parent's tip: If you’ve got budding Daniel – and Danielle – Riccardos in the family, make a beeline to the Immersive Room, where they can make like a race-car driver.
National Motor Racing Museum, Bathurst
Tackle the Mt Panorama/Wahluu track
Do a lap of the iconic Mt Panorama/Wahluu track yourselves, which is just outside the door. Scenic Mount Panorama is a public road outside race and community events, and the kids will love watching you safely drive its many sharp twists and turns.
Parent's tip: Outside of the Bathurst 1000 and Bathurst 12 Hour races the speed limit is 60km/hr.
Mt Panorama/Wahluu Track, Bathurst
Treat yourself at Annie's Ice Cream Parlour
Head to Bathurst Town Square for a scoop or two at Annie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlour. Cones in hand, explore this historic square: hear the War Memorial Carillon chime each quarter-hour and play a tune at noon and 1pm daily; watch the ducks paddling in the Victorian-era Machattie Park; and play a game of hide-and-seek around the pretty flower beds and the band rotunda.
Parent's tip: Try the famous Sofala Gold flavour which has nuggets of golden honeycomb in honour of the oldest surviving gold rush town.
Annie's Ice Cream Parlour, Bathurst
Learn about all things gold at Hill End Historic Site
An hour's drive north-west of Bathurst is the Hill End Historic Site, a beautifully preserved gold rush town. Here, your kids can get a taste of what life was like in the heady gold-mad days of the 1870s – and explore this living village that’s home to artists, artisans, poets and other creatives.
Parent's tip: Follow a self-guided tour of the quaint streets and buildings and then fill tummies at the General Store, a cafe and restaurant occupying two heritage buildings dating from 1872 and 1880.
General Store, Hill End - Credit: John Spencer | DCCEEW
Search for gold in the rivers
Bathurst and its surrounding villages were the epicentre of Australia's first gold rush in the 1850s. Today, you can still find flecks of this precious metal in the area's rivers and streams. In Sofala, you can pan anywhere along the Turon River that runs through the centre of town. In Hill End, join Jhob's Gold Panning Tours to try your luck in the local waterways. Tambaroora Fossicking Area, on the road leading north to Mudgee, is a well-known source of new gold.
Parent's tip: Chat to the team at Bathurst Visitor Information Centre about where to go, permits, gold pans and equipment, or to organise a panning guide.
Gold panning, Sofala
Make like a miner at History Hill
Your kids can dig a little deeper into the gold rush era at History Hill by following in miner’s footsteps at an underground mine. Nose around at your own pace and inspect the 10,000 gold-rush and colonial-era artefacts: the little ones will particularly love the steam engines. If everyone’s feeling adventurous, there’s a 175-metre-long underground mine, called The Son of Hope, to explore. Traversing the well-lit tunnel, your kids will get a sense of what conditions were like for underground miners more than a century ago.
Parent's tip: Discover rare items like uranium glass and convict relics along the way.
History Hill, Hill End - Credit: Ribbon Gang Media
See rare minerals and fossils including a T-Rex
What began as one man's passion has become one of Bathurst's greatest treasures. The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, housed in a historic 1876 school building, features the Somerville Collection, showcasing over 5,000 rare and exquisite mineral crystals and fossils from around the world. Highlights include a towering Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, amber-encased fossils and stunning Australian opalised specimens.
Parent's tip: Create your own treasure hunt – who can find the museum's sabre tooth cat skull and fossilised dinosaur eggs first?
Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum, Bathurst
Discover a playground with dinosaurs, a maze and climbing walls
Not your average playground, Bathurst Adventure Playground has climbing walls, dinosaur sculptures, a stockyard maze, a dual flying fox, a large sandpit and a functioning sundial. All our welcome, with accessible swings and accessible toilets included.
Parent's tip: Challenge your family to find every dinosaur sculpture complete with footprints and dinosaur sounds.
Bathurst Adventure Playground - Credit: Bathurst Visitor Information Centre
Have high tea in Abercrombie House
See one of the greatest architectural treasures in the region as you stroll around Abercrombie House, its gardens and grounds. Home to the Morgan family, get a rare insight into a living historic house and museum.
Parent's tip: Time your trip with their high tea days to sip loose leaf blends and nibble treats in the ballroom while live music fills the air.
Abercrombie House, Bathurst - Credit: Bathurst Regional Council
Embrace the great outdoors
Sometimes, the best thing for families to do in Bathurst is get out of it. Start at the Flat Rock Picnic Area, a beautiful riverside spot around 25 minutes outside of town. It's ideal for swimming, fishing, picnicking and camping, and is also pet-friendly. Other places to pitch your tent include Rockytop Bush Retreat, Windy Oaks Farm and Crossley Bridge Sofala Campsite, which are all set beside a river.
Parent's tip: If you prefer a few creature comforts when camping, try the NRMA Bathurst Panorama Holiday Park – it has cabins, a swimming pool, barbecues, camp kitchen, mini golf and more.
Crossley Bridge Sofala Campsite, Sofala
