The magazine asked top food and travel journalists to nominate the country’s best new food weekends and Bathurst came up trumps. 

Australian Traveller editor Georgia Rickard said it was wonderful to see regional NSW finally being recognised for its food scene.

She said there were some high-calibre food experiences in the region, and Bathurst’s flourishing café culture was an excellent example.

“The Hot List” article notes Bathurst has long been a “magnet for motorheads”. “But Australia’s first inland city is now seducing long weekenders drawn to its dinky sweet bars, hip cafés and industrial-cute eateries,” it said.

“Linger with locals over lemon tarts at the Legall Patisserie and Café, head to The Hub for a toasted sandwich and ham and onion jam or tuck into pizza in the pretty courtyard at Church Bar.

“A visit to the city’s new cool-quarter must include a cocktail at Webb & Co or a comfort-oriented dish such as kangaroo and pinot ragu at Cobblestone Lane Restaurant, housed in a lovingly restored former department store built in 1863. The Stone Pine Distillery is also worth a detour.”

Also included in the article was the suggestion that guests to Bathurst should bunk down at Bishop’s Court Estate. 

Ms Rickard said gourmet getaways were the holiday of the moment, and the fact Bathurst has its own distillery was a reflection of growing new trends across the country.

“It’s an indicator of the growing level of sophistication of country areas like Bathurst,” she said. “Hopefully this kind of article will bring Bathurst the recognition it deserves.”

One of the food highlights mentioned in the Australian Traveller article was Legall Patisserie and Café on Keppel Street. 

Owner Angele Legall yesterday said more and more people were coming to the country to enjoy the food on offer.

“We have a lot of customers from Sydney and many from out west who stop off on their way to Sydney,” she said.

Church Bar owner Matt Harrowsmith said being mentioned in a national magazine could only be good for Bathurst. 

When setting up Church Bar six years ago he decided to focus on one thing, make it interesting, and do it well. 

“We have a pretty good following on social media, a good rating on Trip Advisor, mentions in Lonely Planet and have made it into the Good Food Guide a couple of years in a row,” he said. “It all helps.”

Ian Glen of Stone Pine Distillery said around 50 per cent of his cellar door business was tourist driven. However, where his business has really started to grow is in the calls from bars all over Australia who want to stock his product, especially the gin.