On a clear day you can see back to 1815

The national significance of this was that it marked the breakthrough from the coast for the young colony, and the beginning of Australia's inland expansion and development. 

'Tis pleasing to look forward and think that perhaps at some future period not so far distant, a flourishing town may arise on the very spot we are now occupying on the banks of the Macquarie River, which may hand down the name of our worthy Governor with honour to prosperity, as its founder."

These were the sentiments recorded by Major Henry Colden Antill, a member of the Governor's party, which had travelled over the road from the Nepean, built by William Cox's gang of convicts in the incredible time of six months. 

The entry to the Bathurst Plains depot on the afternoon of Thursday, May 4 1815, by the party which had left Sydney on April 25 was a grand occasion, with the Governor and Mrs. Macquarie leading on their saddle horses. 

After he spent two days exploring the district, the Governor, on Sunday, gathered all 75 people of the Bathurst Depot on the riverbank, where the Union Jack flew from a flagpole for the first time in this newly discovered country. 

The assembled troops fired three volleys, the people gave three cheers, the Governor officially named the site of the intended town, and all drank a toast to the King and the new town's prosperity.  The first divine service was then held in the Governors marquee. 

Bathurst is the oldest inland city in Australia, and in its 185 years it has accumulated a mass of historical associations. 

The first herds and flocks of the inland were pastured on the Bathurst plains, from this frontier town many of the explorer's expeditions set out in an attempt to discover what lay in the centre of the continent; in the first half of the nineteenth century it was the key inland town for commerce, communications; and the administration of justice, as people followed the explorers westward. 

For several decades it was truly a frontier town though an 1824 visitor records the existence of a sporting organization somewhat distinct from Bathurst's most important spectator sport of today the Bathurst Hunt. He says the Hunt was, "for the purpose of enjoying the sport after the Kangaroo, and for the extermination of the native dog." 

Hunt members wore a scarlet frock coat with black velvet facing, a buff waistcoat, with white breeches and top boots, perhaps somewhat gaudier than the regulation suits of today's Mount Panorama crews.  Incidentally, the subscription to the Hunt was five pounds, payable in advance.

In the 'twenties came the bush rangers, and in keeping with frontier town tradition, what is known as the Bathurst Rebellion died in 1830, when 11 men were hanged near the site of the present day Technical College in the heart of the city. 

In the late 1830's a new gaol was built in the centre of the town, with the first court house in front of it.  This looked out on the fruit and vegetable and poultry markets, which in the late 1870's gave away to the market buildings.  The latter, in 1912, gave way to the present-day Kings Parade, dominated by the war memorial carillon. The old courthouse was replaced in 1880 by the magnificent building, which is the city's greatest architectural treasure, and the gaol was transferred from the city's centre.  This ended the spectacle of public executions, which took place in what is now Machattie Park. 

In the 1850s came the era of gold, and for upwards of 30 years vast quantities of gold from Turon and Ophir poured through Bathurst.  Bathurst was a "big town:" - the jumping off place for the inhabitants of the tent and humpy settlements of the diggings. 

In 1862 Cobb & Co, swept into Bathurst, and established there its headquarters for the vast communications network, which covered the Eastern States.  The Bathurst "Times" said that the arrival of Cobb & Co was "like the triumphant entrance of a first -class equestrian troupe on a heavy scale.  There were eight comfortably covered, compact coaches, horsed by 52 high mettled and well trained roasters, driven by bearded and moustached whip, apparently of no mean stamp-jehus of the first order.  Six of the teams comprised respectively seven dashing animals which were handled with less seeming anxiety than one of our crews own towneys would manage his tandem turnout." 

With such a tradition of quality driving, Bathurst just had to provide the setting a century later for drivers of another kind the Moffats, the Bonds, the Brocks, the Geoghegans, the Whitefords, the Davidsons. 

Following the era of gold, Bathurst settled down to become a typical provincial town.  Back in the early thirties, the town had been surveyed by James Byrn Richards, who gave it its distinctive wide streets and town centre, and who went on later to design the layout of Melbourne. 

In 1852 Bathurst was proclaimed a town, in 1862 a borough, and a city in 1885.  Although Bathurst in its earlier decades was a frontier town, there was much skilful physical planning and apparently a considerable amount of thoughtful administration, the benefits of which are evident in the present day city. 

But to get back to Skyline, and the 600 square mile view from the summit of Mount Panorama.   This extinct volcano used to be called less picturesquely, Bald Hills, used as grazing country and for the running of cattle.  (There are still the remains of an ancient stockyards at the top of the mountain). 

Rough tracks were the only means of access until the 1920's.  Then came the depression, and  in an effort to sustain some of the army of unemployed the state  government began its relief work system.  Men were given employment on government projects for a couple of days a week for a small wage.  People were just beginning to think about tourism, and the proposal was put forward that a tourist road on the Bald Hills would be a worthy relief works program. 

The first road on Mount Panorama was vastly different from the stretch of bitumen, which  traverses it today.  When motor racing came to the Mountain in 1938 the road was unsealed, and by today's standards a very rough-and-ready motor racing circuit.
The original idea of using it as a racing circuit stemmed from the need to transfer the old "Vale" circuit to a new site.  The Vale circuit, seven miles long had for seven years been famous as a motor cycle circuit, a hair-raising place with competitors driving along narrow dirt roads but it attracted the best in the game in those days. 

When motor racing was inaugurated at the Mount, a local newspaper competition was conducted to select a new name for Bald Hills.  The winning entrant, a woman, selected "Mount Panorama."

The first meeting was held at Easter, 1938, an Australian Grand Prix meeting.Pic: Two EH's through the Dipper in the 1963 race.  The Morgan/Sach EH179 scored second outright  to the Firth/Jane Cortina GT.

From England came that fine and loveable figure in motor sport, the late Peter Whitehead, who dominated the 150 miles race.  He averaged 66.2 mph on the new circuit with its dirt surface and rough corners.  The 25,000 spectators had a foretaste of the excitement and glamour, which Mount Panorama was to provide in the next three decades.  And Peter drove the race bare headed they were not so fussy about safety helmets then.

Following the intervention of the war the next GP, on the Mount was in 1947, when Bill Murky (MG) won from Dick Bland (Ford) and Ex David son (Mercedes).   Australia's greatest motor race for the series production cars, then the "Armstrong 500" came to the Mount in 1963. 

To Bathurst Mount Panorama has a split personality.  At race carnivals, it brings money and glamour to Bathurst, and excitement.  Bathurst likes to think of the Mount as the most important motor racing circuit in Australia it is undoubtedly physically unique.  Outside race days the Mountain is what it was intended to be- a 35 mph tourist road.  For visitors it provides a delightful sightseeing drive. 

This article has not tried to be a history of Bathurst nor a history of motor racing in Bathurst, but to offer something of both.  And if you want another sidelight on Bathurst's association with the series production motor car, go back to 1900. 

In 1896, Herbert Thomson of Armadale, Victoria, designed and began to build a steam powered motor phaeton the same year that Henry Ford introduced his "petrol driven quadricycle" in the United States.   Ford made millions of cars, Thomas made 13.  The Thomson Motor Car Co, Ltd, selling its vehicles at around 900 Pounds  each, exhibited a car at the 1900 Royal Easter Show in Sydney.  They brought it to Bathurst , and set out on the first overland car journey undertaken in Australia.  Over the shocking roads of the times, the 493 mile journey took ten days, at an average speed of 8.72 mph.   The car burnt 42 gallons of kerosene, at a cost of one penny a mile.