And now, their vision is becoming a reality, with the facility set to open in Kelso in the coming weeks.

"It is a huge investment," Mr Mace said.

"World Gym is a full-service facility where we offer everything you can imagine: creche, Pilates, it's 24 hours, we have a cafe, we have supplement shops," he said.

"There's also a large time investment as well. We've been doing this since August 2022, which was when we first laid eyes on the space, and it's just been a process since then."

For Mr Mace, the process is entirely worth it, because for him, owning World Gym is all about helping people and developing positive relationships with gym-goers.

"We love helping people, seeing them chase their goals, we love giving back to the community," he said.

Due to open in June, 2024, World Gym Bathurst will be in a 2200-square-metre space on Pat O'Leary Drive.

And the space is set to increase during the construction process because a mezzanine level will be installed, adding to the functional surface area of the facility.

These functional areas will include a creche, cafe, supplements store, merchandise store, a reformer Pilates station, a sauna and a cycle room, as well as traditional gym facilities including a cardio area, a weights station and space for group classes.

Once the gym is up and running, Mr Mace said that he was hopeful that this investment would have a flow-on effect for the Bathurst community, with dozens of employment opportunities on offer.

These range from those working in the gym once it opens its doors to local tradesmen that have been hired to complete the construction process.

"We could easily have up to 50 people on the books," he said.

"There's a combination of staff who will work reception, there's the personal trainers, there's group fitness instructors."

Mr Mace said that World Gym, in his opinion, is unlike any of the gym alternatives already in Bathurst.

He said this variety is key to ensuring Bathurst has an abundance of options when considering health and fitness.

"We looked at the facilities around here, and there's nothing like World Gym, there's no other gyms that offer some of the services that we do," he said.

Since the announcement that the gym would be opening in Bathurst, Mr Mace said he had been inundated with messages of support, and queries regarding specially advertised membership offers.

"To put it mildly, it's blown us away. It's been going for six weeks now, and the amount of chatter and the amount of people who have signed up has been quite overwhelming," Mr Mace said.

Mr Mace believes that the response they've received will result in a positive flow-on effect for other fitness centres in Bathurst, as it will encourage a beneficial shift towards health and fitness.

"I think it will lift the whole awareness of health and fitness, to a degree whereby I think all of the fitness facilities in Bathurst can benefit from it," he said.

And, that is a large part of Mr Mace's ultimate goal, which is to increase consciousness regarding the benefits of exercise and gyms as a whole.

"Gym is not all about the biceps and the muscles, it's about mental health. People can come here and it's a safe space," he said.

"We don't accept drama in here, we don't accept judgement in here, this is a safe space to come."

Overall, he said he was just looking forward to the day when they can open World Gym to Bathurst locals.

"We're very excited to open the doors to the community," he said.