Dubbo - Places to See

Opposite the school is Victoria Park which is a major recreational and sporting complex with an aquatic leisure centre and band rotunda. This land was set aside in the original town plan (1849) but no real attempt to render it parkland occurred until the 1890s.

Return along Darling St and into Wingewarra St. The building at no.93 was built in the late 19th century as teacher's accommodation for the nearby school.

Turn left into Carrington Ave, noting the turn-of-the-century cottages. Turn right into Bultje St. To the left is St Patrick's Convent, built in 1884 for the Sisters of Mercy.

Continue along Bultje St and turn left into Brisbane St. To the left is the Gothic Revival design of St Brigid's Catholic Church, built in 1874 with the sanctuary added in 1881 and the transepts in 1909. Note the pyramid-shaped steeple. Adjacent is the presbytery (1902) and over the road are a pair of late 19th-century cottages.

Walk back along Brisbane St and turn left into Bultje St. Just past Macquarie St, to the left, is the Kemwah building, built in 1881 as the Imperial Hotel. On the other side of the road, at 193 Macquarie St, is a structure built of local sandstone in 1865 as the Commercial Bank. The original servants' quarters survive in the basement, as do the internal cedar staircase, the bank vault, the ironbark ceiling and lathe-and-plaster walls. It served as the local shire offices from 1909-1980 and it is now the Old Shire Gallery which sells antiques, jewellery and fine arts.

Turn left into Macquarie St. To the right is the Dubbo Museum.

Dubbo Museum
The Dubbo Museum is located in the former Bank of NSW (1873). This gracious two-storey sandstone building with its cedar staircase, marble fireplaces and decorative ceilings, now contains colonial farm, domestic, Aboriginal and commercial artefacts. To its rear is a collection of 19th-century buildings which have been positioned to form a village square. The museum is open from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and from 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. daily. It is located in Wingewarra St, tel: (02) 6882 5359.

Heritage Walk Continued
Just past Wingewarra St, to the left, is the Commercial Union Building which opened in 1893 as the Bank of Australasia.

At the north-eastern corner of Macquarie St and Church St is the Colonial Mutual Building, an Italianate-style building erected in 1884 for the Australian Joint Stock Bank.

On the other side of Macquarie St are Macquarie Chambers and the Art Deco design of Brian Barnes Sportscene - both interesting structures from the early 20th century.

A little further north along Macquarie St, to the right, is the two-storey Italianate business office of Telecom, built in 1887 as a post office after a design by James Barnet. The clocktower was originally part of the second courthouse.

30 metres further north along Macquarie St is the entrance to the Old Dubbo Gaol.

Old Dubbo Gaol
Dubbo Gaol is a well-preserved incarceration centre which was built c. 1871 (the gates and wall were added in 1887) and which closed in 1966. Now a museum, it offers an opportunity to see the way the gaol and the judicial system once operated. Features include a sizeable collection of animatronic models which tell the life stories of inmates and staff, a gallows pole with hangman's equipment (eight men were hung at the gaol), the condemned man's cell (where Thomas Moore relates his story), solitary confinement cells, a graffiti cell, a padded cell, the watchtower, the exercise yard, a display room, the bathroom, hospital, kitchen, sanitary disposal block and wood-cutting area.

Jacky Underwood, a companion of Jimmy and Joe Governor during a murderous rampage which saw ten killed (see entry on Gilgandra) was hanged at Dubbo Gaol in January 1901.

The museum is located in Macquarie St, between Talbragar and Church Sts (down the lane between the Commonwealth and Colonial State Banks) and it is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6801 4460. Check out: http://www.olddubbogaol.com.au/ for more information.

Heritage Drives
There are two excellent heritage drives outlined in a pamphlet available from the information centre. They take in the historic buildings which lie within Dubbo but outside of the CBD. Another pamphlet outlines the Macquarie River Walk which meanders through the parkland adjacent the eastern bank of the river between Erskine and Cobra Sts.

Dubbo Regional Gallery
Dubbo Regional Gallery is located opposite Victoria Park in Darling St and is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Wednesday to Monday. 'Animals in art' is the predominant theme of the gallery. There is no admission charge although donations are welcome, tel: (02) 6881 4433.

The Claypan Gallery
The Claypan Gallery is located in a restored historic building. It displays local crafts, including paintings, silver jewellery, Aboriginal art, pottery and wood-turning and is open from 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Wednesday to Monday, tel: (02) 6882 5828. To get there head west of the CBD along Victoria St (the Mitchell Highway) and turn left into Depot Rd just before you reach the railway crossing. It is located at 21 Depot Rd.

Jedda Boomerangs
At Jedda Boomerangs you can watch these former hunting weapons being made from Mulga wood, watch a demonstration (conducted hourly), have a throw, select a boomerang, have it hand-decorated and browse through the gallery. There is also a childrens' play area. They are open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. daily. Admission is free although a guided tour incurs a cost. To get there follow the Newell Highway to the southern side of town then turn off, heading west along Minore Rd for 4.3 km until you come to the 'White Pines' estate, tel: (02) 6882 3110.

Western Plains Zoo
If it is necessary for humans to cage other animals up then this is surely the most civilised way of doing it. This open-range zoo specialises in large animals which are separated from the public by creating raised earthen viewing areas below which is typically a ditch or moat with a small unobtrusive electric fence. This provides a feeling of naturalness, although it should be pointed out that the elephants constantly rub their feet against the edge of the moat suggesting that they understand their habitat is very limited.

In spite of this, the 300-hectare zoo is a tour de force. There are a number of ways that visitors can see the animals, of which there are more than 800 native and exotic species dispersed over 300 ha of landscaped parklands. The ideal way (although not in the heat of summer) is to hire a bicycle at the gate and slowly cycle around the largely flat 6-km circular track. It is possible to drive your car around. As this entails constant stopping, opening of doors and irritating disembarkation routines, the park provides open-sided mini-mokes which ensure a more leisurely (and hence more attentive) pace and speedier transition from vehicle to viewing area. There is also a guided walk in the morning with zoo volunteers. Alternatively, people can opt for a package deal involving an overnight stay at the Zoofari Lodge which includes two days admission (bicycle hire included), three excellent guided tours of the zoo (in the afternoon, evening and morning), dinner, breakfast, a lunch voucher and a 10% discount on souvenirs.

The park is divided into Africa, Asia, North America, Eurasia and Australia. Africa comes first for the obvious reason that it contains many of the most crowd-pleasing species - Cape hunting dogs, zebras, giraffes, hippos, elephants, camels, Barbary sheep, lions, cheetahs, eland, sitatunga etc. It is a treat to feed the giraffes and watch those incredibly long prehensile tongues come curling and grasping out of those remarkable necks. Rare and endangered species such as the southern white rhinoceros, Galapagos tortoise, the bison and the Przewalski horse are bred at the zoo. The Bengal tiger and white tiger and the extraordinary vocalising of the Siamangs are also highlights. Less dramatic but more endearing are the ring-tailed lemur, the meerkats, the echidna and the small fenced area where children can pat antelopes and other hoofed animals.

The experience of eating at the park is something of an exotic obstacle course with bees buzzing your sweet drink while a variety of unusual waterbirds peck at your shoes in an attempt to persuade you to part with some of your sandwich.

To get there, follow the Newell Highway south-west of town for a little over 2 km and take the signposted turnoff to the left into Obley Rd. The entry is 600 m along here to the right. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. daily (no admission after 3.30 p.m.), tel: (02) 6881 1400 or check out: http://www.taronga.org.au/taronga-western-plains-zoo

Dundullimal
2 km beyond the zoo, in Obley Rd, is the historic timber-slab homestead known as 'Dundullimal', built c.1840 by wealthy early settler, John Maughan, as the head station of his 26 000-acre sheep station. At that time it housed 20 people, including six convicts. It is one of the oldest homesteads left standing in western NSW and is located in a pleasant setting on the banks of the Macquarie River.

Information boards, which include old photographs of the house, allow visitors to appreciate the changes which have occurred. There are sandstone stables, a working saddlery, a blacksmith, a woodshop kitchen, a gift shop, an animal farm, a tractor hayride, an animal show and the Woolshed Cafe. The house is also the departure point for river cruises (contact the Dubbo Information Centre). It is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, tel: (02) 6884 9984.

Dubbo Observatory
The first turnoff on the right after Dundullimal is Camp Rd. It is about 1 km along here to the Dubbo Observatory. Doors open at 6.30 p.m. for the 7.00 p.m. session which involves a slide show about the universe before proceeding outside where three twelve-inch telescopes are in use. Fully-computerised, they can locate 64 000 different objects at the touch of a button.

Slide shows are run in the day-time for groups and there is a gift shop. Other session times can be arranged for groups with sufficient forewarning. Attendance is by advance booking only, tel: (02) 6885 3022 or check out: http://www.dubboobservatory.com.au/

Dubbo Military Museum
The Dubbo Military Museum is a large complex with a varied collection that includes a Neptune Bomber (with a cockpit open to the public) and other planes, a radio truck and other vehicles, guns and tanks (which can also be entered), and a scientific expo with telescope available by arrangement (designed for school tours and groups). The complex has a supermaze (which incurs an extra charge) and paintball is also available. It is located in Dunoon Tourist Park (turn off the Newell Highway into Camp Rd, 4 km south of the zoo turnoff) and it is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6884 5550.

Indidjinart Aboriginal Art & Craft Studio and Workshop
Indidjinart is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily. You can watch a didjeridu being made in the traditional manner or browse through the arts and crafts. It is located 5 km south of the visitors' centre in Old Dubbo Rd. Admission is free, tel: (02) 6884 7031.

Terramungamine Reserve
Just beyond Jinchilla, along Burroway Rd, is Terramungamine Reserve. Along the Macquarie River is a rocky outcrop which features about 150 grooves created by Aborigines who once used the hard stone to sharpen their stone axes. There are also ancient rock paintings in the reserve and a camping site.

Tours
Conducted tours are available to the zoo and to other local and regional attractions with and Langley's Dubbo Day Tours (tel: 02 6882 8977). Bookings are essential. Scenic Flights are available with Western Plains Aviation, tel: (02) 6884 6709.

Cobb & Co Heritage Trail
The historic inland coaching company, Cobb & Co, celebrated the 150th anniversary of its first journey in 2004 (and the 80th anniversary of its last, owing to the emergence of motorised transport). The trailblazing company's contribution to Australia's development is celebrated with the establishment of a heritage trail which explores the terrain covered on one of its old routes: between Bathurst and Bourke.

Cobb & Co's origins lay in the growing human traffic prompted by the goldrushes of the early 1850s. As the Heritage Trail website states: 'The company was enormously successful and had branches or franchises throughout much of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. At its peak, Cobb & Co operated along a network of tracks that extended further than those of any other coach system in the world � its coaches travelled 28,000 miles (44,800km) per week and 6000 (out of their 30,000) horses were harnessed every day. Cobb & Co created a web of tracks from Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria and Port Douglas on the Coral Sea down to the furthest reaches of Victoria and South Australia � in all, a continuous line of 2000 miles (3200km) of track over eastern Australia from south to north, with a total of 7000 miles (11,200km) of regular routes' (see http://www.cobbandco.net.au).

Cobb & Co sites in Dubbo include the old booking office, the cemetery, which contains the graves of several Cobb & Co figures, the post office (Cobb & Co took over the Wellington to Bourke run in 1872), an old company shed (now on the grounds of the Dubbo Zoo), changing stations, track routes and crossings.