Begin at the Bathurst Courthouse and investigate law and order in colonial Australia, its architecture and its role in early society. Continue to the Bathurst Historical Society Museum to uncover key moments in local history, including stories of convicts, early medicine, meteorological technology and bushrangers. Conclude with an interactive treasure hunt in Machattie Park.

Visit the sites of the old and new Bathurst Flagstaff, where Governor Macquarie proclaimed Bathurst an official settlement. Learn about the controversy surrounding the flagstaff’s location and the role of the local Wiradyuri Aboriginal community in Bathurst’s early history. Explore the Wiradyuri Wars and their impact on the settlement and relationships in the region.

Experience life in early colonial Australia through hands-on activities, from building mud bricks and cooking damper to operating goldfields machinery and panning for gold. Learn about early migrants, Aboriginal Australians at first contact, women and children, while exploring Bathurst’s social and economic development, the geology of gold and its impact on colonial Australia.

Explore the natural history of our planet and learn about gold, minerals and their practical uses. Discover Earth’s structure, the geological timeline and the history of life on Earth, including dinosaurs and fossils of scientific significance.

Step into Australia’s gold rush history in Sofala, one of the country’s oldest surviving gold rush towns. See its well-preserved historic buildings and narrow winding streets, learn about its gold mining heritage and experience an authentic 1850s goldfields landscape along the Turon River.