This week I was glad to attend a round table meeting in Hill End. This was a well-attended village meeting of council and community representatives across the RFS, SES, Council’s Engineering and Environment departments, NSW National Parks, fellow Councillors and more. Discussions around the Village Planning Process predominated the evening and it was terrific to have such a high level and diverse range of participation.
Looking ahead, this Saturday is International Women’s Day, a global day of celebration and action, encouraging reflection on the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. To celebrate this occasion, Council held a community breakfast this morning by the banks of the Wambuul/Macquarie River. There was a large crowd in attendance and two terrific local guest speakers. Additional special events will be taking place at the library, BRAG and BMEC throughout the next fortnight to mark this important day.
With the seasons having ticked over to Autumn, we are now counting down to our annual Autumn Colours Heritage Festival and the Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail. The team at The Bathurst Visitor Information Centre has put together a truly superb list of events this year, with the 2025 program including a record 51 tours and activities. From guided night tours and heritage high teas at Abercrombie House, to historic walking tours of our villages and behind the scenes tours at The Rail Museum, there is so much to enjoy and learn. This program of events is designed to highlight the cultural heritage of the Bathurst Region, and need I say that this year’s event will be terrific, as the Heritage Trades Trail was awarded Bronze at the 2024 NSW Tourism Awards and the President’s Award at the 2024 National Trust NSW Heritage Awards.
And soon after this, Bathurst will again be bustling with visitors for our well-loved Winter Festival from 5-20 July in the school holidays. To allow this event to truly thrive, Council is currently on the lookout for food and beverage vendors, market stall holders, volunteers, performers and more. All the information can be found on the Bathurst Winter Festival website. This event is a feature of our events calendar and I’m looking forward to seeing the joy this brings to our community once again.
You may have seen lots of media attention toward Mount Panorama-Wahluu this week. This has been in response to a site card submission made in 2022 to the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) for McPhillamy Park to be recognised as an Aboriginal Site, following a ceremony held for a distinguished Elder. Council is working with relevant parties concerning this and, at this time, our understanding is that the current registration has been treated as “not a site,” for the purposes of State legislation, which is a position that Council agrees with. Ongoing contact has been maintained with the Family, State and Federal Government authorities, and Traditional Owners groups to determine future directions.
Robert Taylor
Mayor of Bathurst