city, east-central New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the south bank of the Macquarie River, west of the Blue Mountains. Founded in 1815 and named after the 3rd Earl Bathurst, then secretary for war and the colonies, it is the oldest settlement west of the Great Dividing Range. Initially its growth was slow, but the population increased rapidly following the announcement of the discovery of gold in the vicinity in 1851.
Declared a town in 1833, Bathurst was proclaimed a borough in 1862 and became a city in 1885.
Bathurst is now the service centre of a district producing sheep, grains, timber, fruits, and vegetables. Its industries include railway and precision-engineering works, flour mills, and canning, clothing, footwear, plastics, furniture, and ceramics plants. Bathurst lies at the junction of the Mitchell and Mid and Great Western highways and on the main rail line to Sydney (100 miles [160 km] southeast). The city has Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, a memorial carillon tower, and the Mitchell College of Advanced Education (1970). Pop. (2006) local government area, 30,745.
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