• Two horse-drawn carriages, each with a driver, parked in front of a building with balcony and storefronts, in black and white.

    Explore the Wonder of BATHURST’s PAST

  • Black and white photo of a vintage street scene with parked cars and businesses with signs on a sunny day.

    Explore the Wonder of BATHURST’s PAST

  • A historic black and white photograph of a small store with three windows and a door in the center. The store sells tobacco, cigars, and bootleg cigarettes. Four people, including a woman with a child, stand in front of the store.

    Explore the Wonder of BATHURST’s PAST

  • Black and white photo of a vintage carousel with children and adults around it, some riding, some watching, with a large outdoor setting in background.

    Explore the Wonder of BATHURST’s PAST

BATHURST HISTORY MUSEUM

The main museum is a two story building located in the East Wing of the Bathurst Courthouse on Russell Street. Spread over two levels, the museum includes both a static exhibition display and a dynamic exhibition space that is updated

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OLD GOVERNMENT COTTAGE & HERITAGE GARDEN

This building is a rare, intact example, of an early Bathurst home. This historic building is located at 16 Stanley Street on the western side of the Macquarie River in the area of the old Government settlement.

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MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS

Get involved in the incredible history of the Bathurst District by becoming a member of the Society. You can also get involved as a volunteer. New members and volunteers are always welcome.

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BOOKSHOP

Located within the Bathurst History Museum and online, explore the enticing titles of books written over the years about the Bathurst district including the people, the land, the history and the architecture.

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Who
we are

The Bathurst District Historical Society began in 1947. Together, our volunteers manage the Bathurst History Museum, Bookshop, Research Rooms, Old Government Cottage with its heritage garden, and thousands of historical items, photographs and archives in the collection.

We welcome the general public and school groups to visit the spaces, explore our collections, and conduct their own research. We also hold monthly events with guest speakers.

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Four men in outdoor clothing and hats around a campfire, with a wooded background. They are sitting and tending to the fire, with jars and a small axe visible.
Display of historical dresses on mannequins behind black panels at an exhibit.
A vintage black-and-white photograph of a large group of men, women, and children posing outdoors on a rocky hillside, dressed in early 20th-century clothing with women in long dresses and wide-brimmed hats, and men in suits and hats.
Two small aircraft parked on a grassy airfield with a building in the background and mountains in the distance, under a partly cloudy sky.
An elderly man dressed in white standing beside a large, vintage penny-farthing bicycle with a big front wheel and a small rear wheel, outdoors on a dirt or concrete surface, with a brick building in the background.
A traditional painting of an Australian bullock team pulling a wooden cart along a dirt path surrounded by lush greenery and tall trees.
A group of women, men, and children dressed in vintage clothing, gathered outdoors for a photo, with some wearing hats and holding flowers, in an old black-and-white style photograph.
Black and white photograph from July 1917 showing snow-covered bushes and trees in a park, with two women dressed in long coats and hats standing and walking along a snow-covered path, with a large building in the background.
Black and white photograph of two men in rickshaws with two men walking beside them, set outdoors with trees and a dirt path
A man in vintage clothing and a top hat riding a horse-drawn carriage on a dirt road, with a leafless tree and wooden fence in the background.
A vintage photograph of a flatbed truck fully loaded with wrapped bales, with three women and a man standing beside it, in a town square with trees and buildings in the background.
Black and white photo of a vintage airplane flying in the sky with clouds.
A vintage black-and-white photograph of a large family outdoors, with several adults and children arranged in front of tall plants or grass. Some individuals are seated, others standing, and a dog and a cat are also present.
An old, sepia-toned postcard with handwritten cursive text. It is addressed to Mrs. G. M. Hopper at George Street, Bathurst. The postcard features a postmark from Bathurst and an Empire emblem stamp at the top center.
Black and white vintage photograph of four people, three men and one girl, standing beside and on the running board of an early 20th-century automobile in a wooded outdoor setting.
A vintage black and white photograph of a room with wooden walls and furniture. The room contains a table with a floral centerpiece, a globe, and various decorative items. There is a rocking horse on the floor, and several framed pictures and paintin
A vintage black and white illustrated postcard of Bathurst, New South Wales, featuring the town's skyview within a floral border spelling out 'Greetings from Bathurst N.S.W.' and a central photo of the town with surrounding buildings and hills.
A large crowd gathers at a parade featuring a float decorated with flowers. The float is shaped like a ship with a cross and the words 'Young Crusaders' visible. People on the float are wearing white attire, while the crowd and some on the float are
An old black-and-white photo of a horse-drawn carriage with four large spoked wheels, parked on a dirt street with buildings in the background.
An old sepia photograph showing a group of men riding in a horse-drawn wagon and standing around it, with several horses hitched to the wagon, in a town square with historic buildings in the background.