Dubbo
Population 33,700
Dubbo is situated in mid-western New South Wales on the Macquarie River,
at the junction of the Newell and Mitchell Highways. The city is 416km
(258 miles) from Sydney; 862km (536 miles) from Brisbane; 818km (508 miles)
from Melbourne; and 1207km (750 miles) from Adelaide.
Climate
Average temperatures: January max 32C (90F) - min 18C (64F); July max 15C
(59F) - min 3C (37F). Average annual rainfall - 584mm (23 ins); height
above sea level - 262m (859 ft); average number of rainy days per year
- 74.
Characteristics
Dubbo is known as the Hub of the West. It is a prosperous service centre
for the fertile farmlands around it.
How to Get There By Bus
Pioneer and Greyhound stop at Dubbo on their Melbourne/Brisbane/Gold Coast
runs.
By Rail
There a Countrylink service from Sydney to Dubbo.
By Road
From Adelaide, via the Sturt Highway to Mildura, and then the Mid Western
or the Barrier and Mitchell Highways.
From Brisbane, via the Cunningham Highway to Goon-diwindi, and then the
Newell Highway.
From Melbourne, via the Hume Highway to Seymour, the Goulburn Valley Highway
to Tocumwal, and then the Newell Highway.
From Sydney, via the Great Western Highway to Bathurst, and then the Mitchell
Highway.
Tourist Information
The Dubbo Visitors Information Centre is on the corner of Macquarie and
Erskine Streets, 6884 1422, email tourism@dubbo. nsw.gov.au. It is open
daily 9am-5pm, but closed Christmas Day.
Accommodation
Here is a selection with prices for a double room per night, which should
be used as a guide only. The telephone area code is 02.
Ashwood Country Club Motel, Whylandra Street, 6881 8700. 39 units, licensed
restaurant, swimming pool, spa, tennis, barbecue - $90-130.
Cascades Motor Inn, 147 Cobra Street, 6882 3888. 36 units, licensed restaurant,
swimming pool, barbecue - $85-95.
Australian Heristage Motor Inn, cnr Cobra and Brisbane Streets, 6884 1188.
22 units, licensed restaurant, bistro, swimming pool - $105-145.
Blue Gum Motor Inn, 109 Cobra Street, 6882 0900. 24 units, swimming pool,
barbecue - $75-85.
Country Comfort Dubbo, Newell Highway, 6882 4777. 60 units, licensed restaurant,
swimming pool, spa, tennis, bbq - $90-150.
All Seasons Motor Lodge, 78 Whylandra Street, 6882 6377. 19 units, licensed
restaurant, swimming pool, spa, sauna - $70-75.
Forest Lodge Motor Inn, Myall Street, 6882 6500. 15 units, licensed restaurant
(closed Sun & Mon), swimming pool, bbq - $75-90.
Matilda Motor Inn, 231 Darling Street, 6882 3944. 38 units, licensed restaurant,
swimming pool - $60-80.
Castlereagh Hotel, cnr Brisbane & Talbragar Streets, 6882 4877. 13
rooms (some with private facilities), licensed restaurant (Mon-Thurs) -
B&B $55-70.
Caravan Parks
Dubbo City Caravan Park, Whylandra Street, West Dubbo, 6882 4820. (Pets
allowed) 128 sites, good facilities, pool - powered sites $18 for two,
on-site vans $28 for two.
Poplars Caravan Park,
Lower Bultje Street, 6882 4067. (Pets allowed) 69 sites - powered sites
$12 for two, on-site vans $26 for two.
Windmill Caravan Park, cnr Mitchell Highway & Sheraton Road, 6882 4583.
(Pets allowed on application) 78 sites, pool, barbecue, playground - powered
sites $14 for two, on-site vans $25 for two.
Midstate Motor Park, 21 Bourke Street, 6882 1155. 53 sites, barbecue, golf,
pool - $16 for two, on-site vans $35 for two.
Eating Out
As mentioned in the Accommodation section, several of the motels and hotels
have restaurants. Here are some others you might like try.
The Dubbo RSL Club, Wingewarra Street, 6882 4411, welcomes visitors.
Jules Crepes Restaurant, 195 Macquarie Street, 6882 9300, is fully licensed,
and serves a wide variety of crepes in an old world atmosphere. It is open
Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm onwards.
Hing Wah, 143 Talbragar St, 6882 4401.
Darbar Indian Restaurant, 215 Macquarie St, 6884 4338.
Rose Garden Thai Restaurant, 208 Brisbane St, 6882 8322.
Blue Lagoon, 81 Cobra St, 6882 4444.
Golden Dragon Restaurant, 36 Victoria St, 6882 6663.
Settlers Restaurant, Newell Hwy, West Dubbo, 6882 4777.
Safari Lounge Restaurant, 78 Whylandra St, 6882 1600.
McDonalds is at 22-24 Cobra Street.
Points of Interest
The city is best seen by following the signposted Tourist Drive, which
starts at the Civic Centre, Darling Street. Heritage Walk commences at
the Museum and takes in many historic buildings around the city.
The Old Dubbo Gaol, 6882 8122, in Macquarie Street between the State and
Commonwealth Banks, is hopen daily 9am-5pm, and has many items of interest
including animated robots, and the original gallows.
The Museum, 234 Macquarie Street, includes a village square with 14 shop
exhibitions. It is hopen daily 9am-5pm
.
Dubbo Regional Art Gallery in Darling Street, 6881 4342, has changing exhibitions
every four to six weeks, and you can book in advance for tours by trained
guides. The Gallery is open Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 11am-4.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-noon,
1-4pm.
Western Plains Zoo, Obley Road (6km south of the city), 6882 5888, is Dubbo's
main tourist attraction, and entry is daily 9am-4pm, but visitors are welcome
to remain until 5pm. The Zoo, opened in 1977, is a sister zoo to Sydney's
Taronga Park. It is administered by the Zoological Parks Board of New South
Wales, and is Australia's only official open range zoo.
Its 300ha (741 acres) of open bushland and landscaped exhibits are home
to more than 2000 animals. Visitors can drive their own cars around the
6km sealed road in the Zoo, or hire a bike or mini moke, or fitness fanatics
can walk. There are several picnic areas en route, as well as free gas
barbecue facilities, or you can lunch at the licensed bistro, open noon-2pm,
or grab a bite to eat from the fast food outlet.
The Dubbo Military Museum, Newell Highway, 6884 5550, has a whole range
of WW2 military equipment in an open air setting. The museum is open daily
10am-4.30pm.
Yarrabar Pottery and Gallery, Peakhill Road, 6884 2455, has a potter in
action, and can make functional and decorative pottery to your requirements.
The Gallery is open daily 9am-5pm.
Facilities
Golf, lawn bowls, tennis, fishing, sauna, cinema, swimming pool, ice skating
rink, ten pin bowling, slot car racing and horse racing. Paddle boats,
canoeing and water skiing on the Macquarie River.
On the second Sunday of the month, Markets are held in the Showground,
10am-1pm, and hundreds of stall holders sell everything from plants and
toys to furniture.
Festivals
The Orana Country Music Festival is usually held during the Easter period.
The Dubbo Agricultural Show is held in May.
There are events held every month in Dubbo, and the Visitor Information
Centre has all the details.
Outlying Attractions Peak Hill
Located 71km (44 miles) south-west of Dubbo, on Roose Road, Peak Hill,
is the site of an open cut gold mine, 6869 1733. It consists of two holes
of enormous depth. When you view the mine from the lookouts, it is hard
to realise that these holes were originally gouged out by hand. The walls
of the holes reflect an array of colours, due to the presence of iron,
calcium, magnesium and other trace elements.
To get to the lookouts, turn right at the Ex-Services Club and follow the
signs.
Peak Hill Tourist Information is at 105 Caswell St, 6869 1981.
Parkes
Parkes is 121km (75 miles) south-west of Dubbo, and is the major centre
of the Lachlan Valley, servicing the towns of Peak Hill, Alectown, Bogan
Gate, Trundle and Tullamore. Parkes has a town population of 10,100,
and Parkes Visitor Information Centre is on the Newell Highway, 6862
4365 or email tourism@parkes.nsw.gov.au They are open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri,
10am-4pm Sat-Sun.
The main attraction in the area is the Radio Telescope, and to get there
travel north on the Newell Highway for 20km (12 miles), turn off the highway
and follow Telescope Road for 6km (4 miles), then follow the signs. The
Visitors Centre is open daily 8.30am-4.15pm, 6861 1776, and you shouldn't
miss the audio-visual show entitled "The Invisible Universe", which is
screened daily from 8.30am, with the last show at 3.30pm. There is a moderate
admission fee.
For those who love statistics: The radiotelescope is neither a tracking
station for Earth-orbiting satellites, nor a communications station. It's
for astronomy. It was built in a very quiet radio interference zone, near
a large service town, close to Divisional headquarters in Sydney, and in
a location with a low recorded average wind speed. The telescope was opened
on October 31, 1961. The dish and drive mechanism weigh about 1,000 tonnes.
The dish is 64m (210 ft) in diameter and 0.4ha (1 acre) in area. There
are about 20 full-time staff, not all astronomers. Only 4 live on site,
the rest live in and around Parkes. When the dish is pointing vertical
to the zenith, the astronomers are not observing. The telescope is normally
operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Other attractions in Parkes include: Henry Parkes
Historical Museum, 316 Clarinda Street, 622 815; Motor Museum
- Craft Corner, cnr Bogan & Dalton Streets; BHP Gold
Mine, 6km south-west of Parkes; Pioneer Park, a collection
of agricultural machinery and road transport; Bushman's Hill
Development, the restoration of the Bushman's gold mine adjacent
to the Visitor Centre; and Mugincoble, a Wheat Terminal with
inspections arranged by the Tourist Centre.
Forbes
35km (22 miles) south-west of Parkes on the Newell Highway, is Forbes,
which has many well attended parks and gardens and historic buildings.
Forbes Railway Arts and Tourist Centre, Union St, can be contacted on
6852 4155.
Forbes is Ben Hall country. The famous bushranger was part of the notorious
Gardiner Gang who carried out a gold escort robbery at nearby Eugowra.
He met his death in a hail of bullets at the age of 28 and is buried in
the Forbes Cemetery. The Forbes Museum, in an old Music Hall which once
formed part of the Osborn Hotel, houses an interesting collection of relics
of the bushrangers, and outside of Forbes a plaque marks the spot where
Ben Hall was killed. Other interesting graves in the old cemetery are those
of Kate Foster, sister of Ned Kelly, and Rebecca Shield, grand-niece of
Captain Cook.
The Lachlan Vintage Village, 6852 2655, is one kilometre from Forbes on
the Newell Highway, and visitors can relive the past of an old gold town
with exhibits dating from 1860 to 1900. Many of the early buildings and
commercial businesses of the area have been reconstructed in a central
part of the 81ha (200 acres) village to provide the visitor with a view
of a country town from yesteryear.
The complex also contains: the Lachlan Diggings, built on the site of the
Forbes goldfield, where you can try your luck panning for gold in the creek;
the Farming Museum, an 1860s farm complete with equipment, animals and
the historic 'Nelungaloo' homestead with original furniture; Ben Hall's
cottage; the home of the famous Australian poet, Henry Lawson; and the
Trigalana Woolshed, the entry building which houses the Blackridge Restaurant
and a souvenir shop.
Forbes also has three wineries, two of which have their own distilleries.
For inspections and cellar door sales enquire at the Tourist Centre.
Wellington
Situated on the Mitchell Highway, 50km (31 miles) south-east of Dubbo,
Wellington is famous for the Wellington Caves, 8km (5 miles) south of
the town. There are tours of the caves every hour 9am-4pm, except 1pm,
6845 1733, and accommodation is available in nearby Caves Caravan Park,
6845 2970.
The Wellington Tourist Information Centre is at Cameron Park, 6845 1733,
and they have information on attractions in the town, which include a clock
museum, a winery, and arts and crafts galleries. You can email them at
wellvic@australis.aunz.com and they are open 9am-5pm daily except Christmas
Day.
The Burrendong Dam is 32km (20 miles) upstream from Wellington, and there
you can waterski, sail, swim, fish, or relax in the sun. Burrendong's arboretum
covers an area of nearly 160ha (395 acres), set aside for the cultivation
and preservation of plant life native to Australia. Mookerawa, another
section of the Burrendong State Recreation Park, and Burrendong offer great
facilities for visitors who love to camp.
Gilgandra
The town of Gilgandra is on the Newell Highway, 66km (41 miles) north of
Dubbo, on the western side of the Warrumbungles. It was known originally
as the town of windmills, and is home to one of the country's best privately
owned observatories.
The Gilgandra Visitor Information Centre is on the Newell Highway, 6847
2045 email gilinfo@tpg.com.au It is open 9am-5pm daily, closed Christmas
Day. Drop in here for information on the attractions in the town, and available
accommodation.
Coonabarabran
Situated 95km (59 miles) north-east of Gilgandra, Coonabarabran has a population
of around 4000. The town name means 'Inquisitive Person' and the Visitors
Centre is on the Newell Highway at the southern end of town, 6842 144,
email coonavic@lisp.com.au, open daily 9am-5pm. They have enough information
to satisfy any inquisitive person on accommodation and attractions, which
include Miniland and Museum, and Crystal Kingdom.
The main attraction, however, is the Anglo-Australian Observatory, in Siding
Spring, whose visitor's gallery allows visitors to view some of the workings
of this immense piece of equipment. On the site there is also a fascinating
permanent exhibition, 'Exploring the Universe', which should not be missed.
The Observatory is 28km (17 miles) west of the town, and is open daily
9am-4pm, 6842 6291.
35km (22 miles) from town is the Warrumbungle National Park, covering 21,004ha
(51,880 acres) and containing magnificent scenery and prolific fauna and
flora. The Park has spires and domes that are remnants of violent volcanic
activity some 13 million years ago, and they are a spectacular sight. Food
is not available in the park, and pets are prohibited. For further information
1300 361 967 or visit www. npws.nsw.gov.au
Between the Warrumbungle Mountains and the Namoi River is the Pilliga Forest
and Nature Reserve, a vast flat area covering approximately 5400
sq km (2084 sq miles) of natural wild forest and scrublands known as the
Pilliga Scrub. The town of Baradine is the heart of the Pilliga, and there
you can visit the Baradine Forest Centre, Lachlan Street, 6843 1607, and
find out details of the many forest drives, and the location of the numerous
sandstone caves.
