Day 8 Friday 19th July, Racing around Bathurst

After doing a little bit of washing we headed out to drive around the famous Mt Panorama racing track that comes alive once a year in October. I wouldn’t say we raced around it but we did enjoy the picturesque views especially from Skyline and just pretending we were racing through the esses. (Yes that’s how it was spelt on the map.) Following this we headed back to town and did a Historical Surveyors walk which traced the beginnings of Bathurst back in 1813.  After lunch, Rob had a few jobs to complete so I went for another very interesting historical walk around the railway area of Bathurst called Milltown. One of the most interesting things I discovered was that Bathurst was the home of former Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley. He worked his way up in the railways, starting as a shop boy, then and engine cleaner and finally an engine driver. His experience in railways led him into politics and he continued to study while working in the railways. Apparently he always maintained his connection with this area of Bathurst and returned many times over the years. The cottage he shared with his wife is still standing and is a museum but it was not open during my walk. In the early evening we headed down to the “Winterfest” in centre of town at Machattie Park. There was a skating rink full of children, young people and parents. The trees in the park were beautifully illuminated and there were several lighting installations around the area which although not the Sydney “Vivid”, were pretty impressive for a town like Bathurst. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening even if it was a little cool!