The Bathurst 1000 brings more than excitement to Mount Panorama. For homeowners in Bathurst and surrounds, it brings spending into the local economy, opportunities to earn from their homes and exposure to potential buyers beyond the region.
A boost to the local economy
According to Destination NSW, the 2025 Bathurst 1000 generated more than $41 million in visitor spending across the region. From accommodation and dining to shopping and local services, that spending supports businesses and the locals who work in them.
The benefit extends beyond households directly involved in motorsport or tourism. Visitors spend with local businesses, helping support the jobs and services that make Bathurst a practical and appealing place to live.
An opportunity to earn and escape
For homeowners who prefer a quieter week, renting out their home to race visitors could help fund a holiday away from the hustle. Bathurst’s race-week home hire market welcomes families, groups and race teams, creating opportunities for owners to participate.
In our view, the most interesting benefit of Bathurst’s racing calendar is the flexibility it offers homeowners. You don’t necessarily need a dedicated investment property to participate in the visitor economy; your own home could earn income during selected events while remaining your residence for the rest of the year.
The opportunity is worth assessing property by property. Suitable bedrooms, practical parking and convenient access may matter more to race visitors than expensive finishes. Owners should also weigh the likely return against management fees, cleaning, insurance and the cost of staying elsewhere.
A region with a profile beyond its postcode
Bathurst’s racing identity extends beyond the 1000, with the Bathurst 12 Hour and Bathurst 6 Hour adding to its appeal as a motorsport destination. That national and international profile gives prospective homeowners and investors another reason to consider the region west of Sydney.
For sellers, the useful distinction is between promoting rental potential and demonstrating it. An established record of bookings and income gives interested buyers something concrete to assess alongside the home’s everyday features and location. It doesn’t guarantee a higher sale price, but it can help explain what makes a particular property attractive.
That’s where we see the lasting benefit for homeowners: the choice to enjoy their home throughout the year, earn from it during selected events and, when it comes time to sell, show buyers how that flexibility has worked in practice.
Published by Ellie Begg | 9th October 2026
Buying in Bathurst? Start with the way you want to live, then compare individual streets and homes. A suburb name can help narrow your search, but it cannot tell you everything about a property’s layout, condition, surroundings or day-to-day convenience.
If you’re new to the area, or starting your property journey, these are useful places to begin your search.
Looking around central Bathurst can help you work out how close you want to be to the shops, cafés and services you use regularly. It’s also a good starting point if an established home appeals to you.
When inspecting an older property, look beyond its character. Ask about maintenance, heating, insulation and any changes you hope to make. If heritage considerations may apply, check the individual property with Bathurst Regional Council before making plans.
West Bathurst offers established homes close to Bathurst’s city centre. For buyers starting their property search, it’s an area worth getting to know.
According to realestate.com.au, the median house price in West Bathurst was $637,500 for September 2025 to August 2026. That figure describes sales during that period; the price of an individual home will depend on the property.
Browse the homes available, visit the area and consider which layouts and features suit your property goals.
Windradyne gives buyers a choice between established homes and newer residential areas. Westpoint Shopping Centre provides local shopping and services, while land releases such as The Reserve offer opportunities to plan and build a new home.
The suburb has also seen recent price growth. According to realestate.com.au, Windradyne’s median house price rose 10.1% over the 12 months to August 2026. That describes past sales across the suburb; an individual property’s price will depend on its features and location.
Whether you prefer a home that’s ready to move into or the chance to build one around your needs, Windradyne offers both paths to explore.
If you love the idea of an established garden and room to spend time outdoors, Llanarth is worth exploring. Its mix of detached homes gives buyers plenty of opportunities to look for the outdoor space that suits them, whether that means garden beds, a lawn or a place to entertain.
The 2021 Census found that 85% of Llanarth’s occupied homes had four or more bedrooms. For buyers seeking space inside as well as outside, that makes Llanarth an appealing place to start looking. Block sizes and gardens differ from home to home, so the individual listings will show you what’s available.
Kelso brings together schools, everyday shopping and places to meet for a meal. Local school options include Kelso Public School, Holy Family Catholic Primary School and Denison College’s Kelso High Campus. At Trinity Heights Shopping Village, residents can find groceries, a pharmacy, cafés and takeaway food, while multiple venues offer dining and entertainment.
Kelso’s position on Bathurst’s eastern side may also appeal if you regularly travel towards the Blue Mountains or Sydney. The Great Western Highway is a key route linking the Central West with Sydney, so it’s worth considering which part of Kelso best suits your usual journey.
For buyers who want daily conveniences nearby and an eastbound connection, Kelso is a strong place to begin exploring.
Eglinton offers a village setting with its own public primary school. Eglinton Public School serves Kindergarten to Year 6, making it a local feature for buyers researching school options.
Alongside established homes, Eglinton offers current opportunities to build, with potential for more new housing in the future. Buyers interested in creating a home from the ground up may find it an area worth watching.
According to realestate.com.au, Eglinton’s median house price rose 6.0% over the 12 months to August 2026. That reflects past suburb-wide sales, while the price and features of individual homes will vary.
Robin Hill appeals to buyers looking for an established home with space around it. Bathurst Regional Council describes the suburb’s rural residential area as predominantly having lots ranging from around 4,000 m² to several hectares. That could mean room for an established garden, outdoor entertaining or a shed, while still being a short drive from the Bathurst CBD.
Bathurst Golf Club is nearby, and Robin Hill is well positioned for people who regularly travel west towards Orange or Dubbo via the Mitchell Highway. It offers a spacious setting with practical access to both Bathurst and the road west.
If acreage is on your wish list, explore White Rock and the Blue Ridge area. Here, buyers can find larger homes and blocks with room to enjoy outdoor living, whether that means gardening, entertaining or simply having more space around the house.
Scots All Saints College’s Senior School campus is on O’Connell Road in White Rock. The same road leads out towards O’Connell, making this area a starting point for trips to one of Bathurst’s neighbouring villages. As with any acreage property, look closely at the individual block, its services and how you would use the space.
Choose three priorities before you start inspecting. For example:
Then inspect homes in a few different areas. Keep brief notes on what each property gives you and what you would have to compromise on. Once a home becomes a serious option, investigate the address itself, including its condition, planning information and any relevant risks. The NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer is one place to begin checking planning information.
There is no single right Bathurst suburb for every buyer. The best place to start is the area that fits your priorities, and the best place to finish is with careful checks on the particular home you want to buy.
If you’re deciding where to look, get in touch with BX Realty. Tell us what matters most to you, and we can help you identify properties worth inspecting across Bathurst and the surrounding region.
Published by Ellie Begg | 29th September 2026
FAMILY-owned and client-focused, BX Realty is promising to deliver exemplary service that gets the basics right.
The new real estate agency in Bathurst is owned by the Begg family, led by director and head of sales, Ellie Begg, and her father, Bernard Begg, the principal.
Ms Begg is a familiar face around Bathurst, having spent the last 18 months working for Agent Chapman Real Estate.
In some ways, it was fate that she reached out to Agent Chapman when she did.
Ms Begg had returned to Bathurst while on maternity leave and wanted a new challenge after working as a communications manager for some big brands in Sydney.
Real estate drew her interest and she commenced her search for an agency that she felt aligned with her values and that would be prepared to offer her mentorship.
When she got in contact with David Chapman, who she said shared “the same ethos and values”, it was just as he had received his Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis.
He was open with her about his health, as was she with him about her ambitions to one day own her own agency, and the two came to an arrangement.
Ms Begg was “thrown in the deep end” at the beginning of 2025, receiving hands-on industry experience as she continued to obtain her own qualifications, while Mr Chapman had the extra set of hands he needed to run his business as his speech declined.
Ms Begg said he was “an incredible mentor”, who really prepared her to take the next step in her career by sharing his knowledge and guiding her through the systems specific to the industry.
They agreed that the end of the 2025-26 financial year was a good time to make the transition, Ms Begg into her own real estate agency, and Mr Chapman into early retirement, closing down Agent Chapman Real Estate.
“We never had a timeline on what this was going to look like,” Ms Begg said.
“Dave has always been really supportive of my goals and dreams to have an agency of our own, and I think it just came down to both of us feeling ready and like it was the right time, and having mutual respect and agreement there.”
Mr Chapman will contribute to BX Realty as a referring partner, connecting people to the business when they reach out to him with sales inquiries.
“I’ll be referring any clients on to Ellie without hesitation,” Mr Chapman said.
“She has proven to be more than capable of handling their inquiries and she is starting to climb the local agent ladder as far as number of sales.
“She is really heading along in leaps and bounds.”
Ms Begg will be using everything she learned from her time with Mr Chapman, combined with her extensiving marketing and media experience, to deliver a unique property service to the Bathurst community.
One of the things she has learnt is how important it is to get the basics right, and that is her promise to prospective clients from the outset.
She said she will draw on her marketing and media background to develop the right strategy to sell homes, knowing that no two houses are the same.
BX Realty also offers fixed fees for clients, very similar to Agent Chapman’s fee structure, which is an uncommon approach in Bathurst.
Ms Begg said this gives surety to clients and takes some of the stress out of the process of selling a home.
“I think the certainty that comes with fixed fees is a really nice thing for a client,” she said.
“It’s important to me that every client feels comfortable and confident from start to finish, and I think the fixed fees are a really big part of that.”
Overall, her goal for BX Realty is to offer an exceptional and reliable service, built around the unique skill sets of its staff.
That’s not only Ms Begg’s marketing and media background, but Mr Begg’s extensive knowledge of the finance industry.
She has proven to be more than capable of handling their inquiries and she is starting to climb the local agent ladder as far as number of sales.- David Chapman, BX Realty referring partner, on Ellie Begg’s expertise
Ms Begg said BX Realty intends to deliver “the absolute best service possible for every single client”, regardless of the value of their property.
“The biggest thing for us is just strategy and making sure it is top-notch, making sure our service is there,” she said.
“Something that Dave taught me, which is … so basic, yet so incredible, is literally just get your basics right.
“Just get your basics right and put in a bit of care and love.
“I know the people that worked with David can see how much he actually cares about his clients, and that is definitely something we feel the same about.”
As the business becomes more established, Ms Begg hopes to expand its services to offer property management.
BX Realty will have an office located at Shop 1, 82 George Street, where the fit-out is currently underway.
To learn more about the business, visit the agency’s website or call 0498 193 223.
Rachel Chamberlain | Senior journalist – Western Advocate