Note: Lx = Lithgow Bx = Bathurst
Step 1: Public transport (from Sydney)

If you plan on getting to Bathurst by public transport… good luck. Haha.

Public transport to Bathurst is absolutely disgraceful at the best of times. You can get here by plane, train or bus.

Option 1: http://www.cityrail.com
If you are after a more flexible arrangement from the Sydney direction - grab a cityrail ticket to Lithgow - services run there every 2 hours or so. Check out the Sydney to Lithgow line and someone might ever so kindly go and pick you up from Lithgow should you not be willing to walk the 50 km’s to Bathurst. Or they might be putting extra bus links between Lx and Bx on. If I hear about that (or if anyone else does) post it up. The bus link timetables are listed on the cityrail website as well. Bookings are essential on these buses and I’d imagine they’d be pretty booked up on race week - the buses are run through Countrylink.
(Funny situation there - cityrail runs only so far as Lithgow and then it’s all Countrylink out this way. Sorry about any confusion. So you can either book your tickets separately through cityrail or countrylink - or you can book it all in advance through countrylink… see below)

Option 2: http://www.countrylink.info
Daily XPT to Bathurst (that’s right… one daily XPT… LAME!) It leaves Sydney Central at 7.10am and arrives here at 10.41am (see timetables on the website) DO NOT GO VIA COOTAMUNDRA (unless you are keen on hours of excess train travel - I don’t even know why they bother offering it as an option - it’s 11 hours) Unless you are coming from out Canberra/Goulburn direction.

Option 3: http://www.rex.com.au or http://www.airlinkairlines.com.au
The quickest way to get here - by plane

Option 4: http://www.selwoods.com.au
Bus service leaves from Eddy Ave (next to Syd Central) at 5pm - gets here at 8.15pm Sun - Fri and on Sat leaves Syd at 11am and gets here at 3pm (which is ok if you only want to come up for the Sat night and the big race)

Or… drive… hire a car or drive your own

There are random tour companies that bring buses here too - but I would dare say that they’d be pretty booked up.

http://www.131500.com.au/countrytransport/ is also handy to look at it all from all different areas.

Rach xo

Hi Rach thanx heaps for this thread. My hubby and I are going to the Bathurst race for the first time. We are going with a tour group and staying at the Bathurst Appartments aparently 5min drive away from the track. Can’t wait. Would love to know where some nice places to get a meal are after a long day at the track. Once again thanx for helping people out when they get there. Hope to see you there.

hermione ( Kerrie )

Wow I just had a cause of de ja vu Kerrie…..our first Bathurst(8 years ago now) was with a tour group and we stayed at Bathurst Apartments…..which is well placed to a lot of different places to eat.

Just got off the phone from the person organising an Adelaide contingent…then I read this

Will be my second Bathurst, normally we hit the RSL for dinner - they get VERY bust bit are well organised to cope.

How freaky Mel thanx for the info that there are some places to eat. Don’t want junk food every day. Hope we can get up to 8 bathursts. I can’t wait.

Meals out about around town…

Pub Grub
- Knickerbocker Hotel (Cnr William St & Russell st) - awesome pub grub, hotelier is a champ, good prices, good feed
- The Eddy (William St) - haven’t been there for a few years personally, but I heard they have good big meals
- The Chifley (Havannah St) - awesome food, awesome prices, awesome owners
- Kelso Hotel (Gt Western Hwy, Kelso) - awesome food, awesome prices, set out really well and the staff are great
- The Ox (Cnr William St & Piper St) - less pub grub, more bistro style. They have good deals, nice pizzas, great pasta. Prices are a bit more expensive for their meals except for their special deals
- Hotel Dudley (Mid Western Hwy) - great meals, prices a bit more expensive but you get huge meals. I haven’t been there for about a year or a bit more - but I’ve heard it’s still good
Other pubs I’ve heard are alright for meals but haven’t tried myself: The Park (George St), The Vic (Havannah St - opposite the Railway Station)

Restaurants
Key: Fancier tastes = menus with words you need a dictionary to decipher what vegetable/animal/sauce/etc you are eating. Straightforward menu = you don’t need a dictionary to decipher what you’re eating!!
The Hubb (Keppel St) - new place, new owners (where Zieglers used to be - hurrah!! Zieglers doesn’t exist any more :) ) Good food, I’ve only been there for lunch but it was enjoyable. Haven’t had any negative reports for dinner or anything! For the person with fancier tastes
Acropole (Cnr William St & Howick St) - straightforward menu, huge variety, reasonable prices, big meals.
GT’s (William St) - for those who need a bit o’ BEEF. Bit more expensive, but there’s a bit of choice and they always have specials up. I have heard that it’s gone downhill but I haven’t been there in a bit so I can’t confirm that myself. Last time I went there I enjoyed it
Elie’s (William St) - Great variety, great prices, always have different specials up
Crepes Royale (William St) - GREAT DESSERTS. Try the Snowball Sundae - marshmallows, meringue, cream, midori, coconut, ice cream… and MORE CREAM. Oh, and a wafer Crepes at reasonable prices. Also have other meals - pasta, steak etc. But if you’re a dessert fan (as I am) - you can always go there after you’ve been somewhere else for dessert :)
Other places I haven’t tried for a bit that I believe are still alright: Lamplighters (William St) - bit more expensive, Crowded House (William St), Waratah (George St) good prices, good meals (although new chef since I was there last), Treehouse (Cnr Mid Western Hwy and Mitchell Hwy)
Places I haven’t tried but I’ve heard are good - Cobblestone Lane (George St) - expensive, must book!

Foreign Cuisine
Plenty of Chinese Restaurants to choose from. They are all fairly good. One’s I’ve tried: Rose Garden (Church St - off George St), Chinese Inn (George St), The Great Wall (George St). There’s also a good one out at Kelso (near the Kelso Hotel - can’t remember its name) and also one opposite Machattie Park on George St (next to Cobblestone lane) it’s a bit cheaper but still alright food. Oh and one down near the library - it tastes awesome
Benjarong Thai (George St) - great food. yum yum
I can’t remember the name of the place - but there’s a lebanese restaurant on George St next to Country Coffee and their food is really nice and reasonable too

Lunch
Banjo’s (William St) can get very busy - but great spot for great variety at good prices
Tully’s (William St) great staff, great owners, great food love it
Le Galle’s (Keppel St) - French pattisserie, great dessert great pies, staff are wonderful, nice setting

Food on the run
PeeWee’s Bakery (Howick St) - Great pies, great prices
Carah’s Pies (Keppel St) bit more expensive as pies go - but they’re worth it
There are 2 french bread shops (one in William St, one in George St) both make rolls that you can pop in and buy for a few dollars and they have ham and salad on them. Better than food from up at the Mount
Zac’s Kebabs (or Kebab’s on George - they seem to keep changing their name) (George St) Food is awesome at 3am in the morning on the way home from the pub It’s probably fairly decent during daylight hours too.
There’s a great hamburger place on Bentinck St (opposite Blockbuster video’s) and I just can’t think of the name. Also another good one round the corner in Keppel St - opposite the library

BIG TIP - Buy your food down town and take it up to the track. If you want to pay triple the price for half the quantity of food and a bucket full of fat on the side - feel free to buy it from the track

RSL also has a good feed too - would have to agree I haven’t been there for ages but I’ve heard it’s good.

Anyway, lotsa choice. There are a few places to avoid… if you’re wondering, send me a private message. I’m not one to give negative publicity in public view. Except for McDonald’s here - they suck. Although last time I went there the guy that served me was psychic - he gave me sweet and sour sauce for my nuggets before I asked him for it!! I was so impressed. lol. But McDonald’s is McDonald’s… although Bathurst customer service leaves a lot to be desired

Rach xo

Oh and I forgot to throw in - Annie’s Ice Cream is great for ICE CREAM…. try Sofala Gold (named after nearby Sofala - where gold was found… duh) - vanilla icecream with honeycomb through it…
Bridle Track (named after a rocky road out of town) - sorta like rocky road in a chocolate ice cream. Has marshmallows, turkish delight and broken up chocolate in it… mmmmmmmmmmm
Plus they have great strawberry, lime, choc chip (mint or vanilla), passonfruit, chocolate… lotsa different ones

They also have hotdogs, devonshire tea, milkshakes, thickshakes, lollies - great staff and reasonable prices

For those who love their sweet stuff - like me!! (Not saying I’m sweet… saying I love my sweet stuff… lol)

Rach xo

thanks maid marion, might come up there for a drive in the next couple of weeks(bit of a tradition now)and have lunch there somewhere

You guys are sooo lucky, I have to drive 12 hours or so to get there.

Know the feeling David - but still looking forward to it.
SA Contingent leaving first thing Tuesday, staying in hotel in West Wyalong overnight with aim to arrive at the track about lunchtime Wednesday. Gives plenty of time to set up camp site and head in to town for some shopping… and a walk around the track in the evening.

Last year, we hit the RSL for dinner each night. Huge numbers there, but they deal with it quite well.

im also a local here in bathurst…i agree with the list mentioned by maid marion (where to eat) …

Don’t leave our town until you have tried Annies ice cream…..the strawberry is to die for!!!