I don't think so. A book can be captivating (fesselnd), someone very charming can be captivating (einnehmend), a breathtakingly beautiful or very interesting person can be captivating (hinreißend), but I don't think a location can.

Thanks for clarifying.

I would disagree. Locations can be captivating, too, IMO. And why not? There are lots of apartments available in captivating locations, for instance. Just look at some classified ads. Movies are often shot at captivating locations, etc.

within close proximity to the Bathurst area.

Stimme #3 zu. Statt vielen anderen Beispielen hier ein Text einer australischen Autovermietung:

Blayney Carcoar, Rockley, Hill End, and Neville are all captivating locations

a "captivating" location sounds odd. I would prefer "stunning" or "breathtakingly beautiful"