It is proving to be a magnet for international visitors.

People from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales make up the largest percentage of overseas visitors.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, with a breakdown of entries in the visitors’ book showing fossil and mineral lovers are also flocking here from Canada, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark, China, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Korea, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Poland and Spain.

The museum’s importance to the local area is highlighted in a recently-released official report on the economic impact of the cultural facilities in the seven Evocities in NSW.

The museum’s visitor services and administrative officer, Linda Coleman, said people came from an amazing diversity of places to see the Somerville Collection.

A snapshot of the entries in the visitors’ book tells the story, with visitors from Canada, France, the United States, Northern Island and Italy in just the past month.

There are also entries from throughout Australia, including Shepparton, Moree, Adelaide, Sydney, New Zealand, Launceston, Toowoomba, Wollongong, Newcastle, Woonona, Riverstone, Barooga, Kiama, Warrnambool, Kingaroy, Doglish (WA), Darwin and Cootamundra, to name a few.

“We’ve even had people in from the Canary Islands,” Ms Coleman said.

“A lot of visitors find out about us because we appear in all the Lonely Planet guides. Actually, we are one of the top three things to see outside Sydney, behind Jenolan Caves and Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo, so we’re right up there.

“We get up to eight per cent of our monthly visitation from overseas and we always try to show these people particular specimens that are from their part of the world so they have a personal interest in what they are looking at.” 

Ms Coleman said they know of people who have flown into Sydney and jumped straight on a train to Bathurst just to visit the museum.

“This is because we are known amongst people who know their fossils and minerals as having one of the best displays in the world. It’s world class,” she said. 

Museums and Galleries of NSW chief executive officer Michael Rolfe said the report clearly demonstrates the economic value cultural facilities generate in major inland cities.

“And while we also know that cultural programs have a profound and positive impact throughout communities served, it remains their economic value that drives decision making towards providing new and improved facilities,” he said.