What's News 13 March

Published on 13 March 2026

What's News 2026 Tile

Great Western Highway closed in both directions between Little Hartley and Mount Victoria 

The NSW Government is ensuring extra rail, coach and bus services to support Blue Mountains and Central West communities, with specialist engineers advising the closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass will remain in place for at least three months. 

Traffic on the Great Western Highway is being diverted at Lithgow to travel along Main Street, Chifley Road and the Darling Causeway before rejoining the highway at Mount Victoria. Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time. School buses will be diverting away from the area.   

For the latest traffic information on this incident, visit https://www.livetraffic.com/incident-details/267022.  

Temporary Road Closure // Bathurst NRL 

A reminder that the following temporary road closures will be in place from 6am to approx. 11pm tomorrow (Saturday 14 March 2026) for the Bathurst NRL match at Carrington Park. 

- Closure of Howick Street, between Bentinck Street and Seymour Street. 

- Closure of the southbound traffic on Durham Street, between the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre entrance and Havannah Street. 

- No parking on Howick Street, between Seymour Street and Havannah Street. 

- No parking along the Great Western Highway, between Durham Street and Havannah Street. 

- No parking on Durham Street, between the Great Western Highway and the entrance to the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre and the southern side of Durham Street between the Great Western Highway and Havannah Street. 

- No parking within the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre carpark (parking will still be available for Bathurst Visitor Information Centre visitors and Harvest Cafe customers only). 

Resident access will be available during the closure. 

For a full list of closures visit Council’s website at https://bit.ly/BRCEventRoadClosures or contact Council’s Manager Events on (02) 6333 6111. 

NRL Ticket Sales 

Tickets for Round 2 of the 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership between the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are going fast! They are set to sell out, so get in quick. 

The game will take place this Saturday 14 March, kicking off at Carrington Park at 7:30pm. For more details on the event week and to purchase tickets, head to: www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/Events/NRL   

Scheduled maintenance work at Wimbledon Road, Tumulla 

UGL Regional Linx will perform scheduled maintenance work on the bridge at Wimbledon Road, Tumulla from 24 March – 31 March between 7am-5pm. 

The work involves repairing bridge components, which will improve the structural integrity. This will ensure that access remains safe, reliable, and operational for the community. 

If you have any questions or are likely to be impacted by this work, please get in touch with the Communications Team on 1300 661 390 and provide the asset number OBW00256A. 

Peel Street Drainage Upgrade Works 

Upgrade works to the existing stormwater drainage network on Peel Street will commence from Monday 16 March. These works are expected to take approximately four weeks, with construction occurring between 7am – 4pm Monday to Friday, weather permitting. 

The works will involve the excavation of a new trench to install upgraded stormwater infrastructure, including new pipework and stormwater inlet pits. These works are necessary to address ongoing localised flooding that has occurred during significant storm events. Traffic control will be in place for the duration of the works.  

For any questions, please contact Council’s Manager Works on 6333 6223. 

Waste Management Centre closure  

As part of upcoming improvements to introduce a new one‑way traffic system at the Waste Management Centre, line marking works will take place on Thursday 12 March 2026. 

These changes will create a safer and more consistent traffic flow, with all customers entering the Transfer Station required to follow a single‑direction route once the new system is in place. 

To allow these works to be completed safely, the transfer station will be temporarily closed on the day. Alternative waste disposal arrangements will be available for the community. 

2026 Mount Panorama Punish 

Early bird entries for the 2026 Mount Panorama Punish are officially open! 

Your chance to run one hot lap of Australia's most iconic racetrack is here. Get ready to secure your ticket and start training for the ultimate uphill challenge. 

Race Day: Sunday 25 October 2026 

Location: Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst NSW 

Distance: 6.2km 

Elevation Gain: 174m 

Visit the panoramapunish.com for more info. 

Have your Say about ageing in Bathurst. 

Council is developing its second Positive Ageing Strategy which will build on the first strategy and renew Council’s commitment to improve the city’s ability to cater for an ageing community.  

Council invites members of the community to complete the Positive Ageing Survey.  

Have your say online by visiting yoursay.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/positive-ageing or surveys can be collected and returned from the Civic Centre and Bathurst Library.  

Survey closes Friday 24 April 2026. 

Tickets to the Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail are on sale! 

Tickets to the Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail are now on sale. Watch blacksmiths forge iron, see saddlers at work, and discover trades that are disappearing from modern life.  

Date: 11 – 12 April 2026 

Venue: Bathurst Showgrounds 

Waste 2 Art 2026 

The 2026 Waste 2 Art competition is officially open for entries! This year’s theme is ‘Shrink Your Footprint,’ focusing on the growing challenge of reducing humanity’s mass waste footprint. Reflecting this, every artwork this year is required to fit in a shoebox and must be made entirely out of recyclable or reused materials.  

For all the details and to enter, visit Council’s website: https://www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/Services/Waste-Recycling/Waste-2-Art   

Entries close 3pm Monday 27 April. 

2026 CLUBGRANTS SCHEME (Category 1) 

Bathurst Regional Council invites community organisations to apply for funding from the 2026 ClubGRANTS Scheme, under CATEGORY 1 criteria. 

Applications close on Sunday 31 May 2026.  

All applications are required to be completed by ClubGRANTS Online. No manual applications can be received. 

Further information and a link to ClubGRANTS online can be accessed from Council’s website: www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au or the ClubsNSW website www.clubsnsw.com.au or by contacting the Cultural & Community Services team on 02 6333 6523. 

 

Media contact: Genevieve Green Media and Communications Officer  

P: 02 6333 6179 M: 0448 685 340 E: genevieve.green@bathurst.nsw.gov.au