Bathurst is the birthplace of former Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley. His childhood home, on Busby Street, is now a museum.
Bathurst Regional Council, formed in May 2004 incorporates suburbs Kelso and Raglan and the villages of Eglinton, Perthville, Georges Plain, Trunkey Creek, Brewongle, Vittoria, Peel, Wattle Flat, Sofala, Hill End, and Meadow Flat.
Bathurst's economy was transformed by the discovery of gold in 1851. It later became the centre of an important coal-mining and manufacturing region.