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Dubbo New South Wales Australia

White Rhinoceros

Dubbo New South Wales

Located in the central west of New South Wales, Dubbo was our first main stop during our road trip. A five hour car trip from Sydney, or a three and a half hour trip from our home in Singleton, stops along the way are needed. The first European settlement was established in 1828, but aboriginal history dates back over 40,000 years.

With so many attractions to visit in the area, we planned a two day stay here, to see as much as we could, without rushing.

Attractions

Dubbo Visitors Information Centre

Our first visit was the Visitors Information Centre, so that we could get a map of a street walk of historical buildings in town. Only available here, it was also a good chance to see if anything else was happening in town, that had not been mentioned online.

Outside the visitor centre is an information board detailing the dwarf planet Pluto. This forms part of a giant solar system model, centred on the Siding Springs Observatory in Coonabarabran. We passed the position of Neptune at Dunedoo.

Outside the centre is a medicinal garden growing plats that the Wiradjuri People used. An information board describes the uses of the plants.

Town Centre

Following the Dubbo Heritage Trail, we got from the Visitor Information Centre, we found some nice old buildings spread through the centre of town. With 37 buildings and locations, there is a lot to see, but we decided to only find ones that interested us.

Of interest was the old post office, which was designed by the famous architect James Barnet. Another great building was the Old Bank, which is now a pub and restaurant, where we had dinner.

Street Art

Spread all over town, is a variety of street art and sculptures. We noticed them while driving around, but were not aware how many there were.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the most popular tourist attraction in the Dubbo area because of its collection of endangered animals in an open range setting. To view all of the exhibits, we spent a full day at the zoo, walking between enclosures. Your entrance ticket is valid over two days, so you can return the next day if you want to see more. To read our full blog about our visit, click on the link above.

Black Rhinoceros  Dubbo
Black Rhinoceros

Old Dubbo Gaol

Old Dubbo Gaol is one of the locations on the heritage trail and is a popular attraction for many tourists. Maintained in excellent condition and easy to access from the centre of town, it’s a fun place to visit and learn about the gaol’s past. The buildings are all close together, so a visit here only took us an hour. The blog of our visit can be found here.

Male Prison Building at Old Dubbo Gaol
Male Prison Building

Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden

If you like Japanese gardens, you will love this one. Rated one of the best in Australia, the Shoyoen garden is beautiful to walk around and very relaxing. The other section of the Regional Botanic Garden display’s local flora, so if you want to see some without bushwalking, this is a great place to visit. Our full blog can be found here.

 Dubbo Japanese Gardens Dubbo
Japanese Gardens

Old Bank

The Old Bank Restaurant and Bar is, as the name suggests a converted bank. Bookings are essential, as we were lucky to get a table when we arrived. To read our blog on the Old Bank, click here.

Main Meal Lamb Rump
Main Meal Lamb Rump

Western Plains Cultural Centre

The Western Plains Cultural Centre is a combined museum and art gallery, showcasing local talent and history. From high school students’ art, international artists, aboriginal artefacts, and old horse drawn carriages, there is something here for everyone.

Dubbo Wilkins Kennedy and Spence Coach Builders Buggy Dubbo
Wilkins Kennedy and Spence Coach Builders Buggy

Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Centre

The RFDS Visitor Centre is a new, state of the art museum which details the RFDS history. Not only does it have old equipment and two aircraft on display but uses large screens and interactive video to tell its story. We enjoyed our visit and spent longer than we had originally anticipated because it had so much to offer.

 Dubbo de Havilland Fox Moth VH-UQM Replica
de Havilland Fox Moth VH-UQM Replica

War Memorials

As with most towns across Australia, a war memorial commemorates those who were killed fighting for their country. Dubbo is no exception, but’s its Shrine of Remembrance is huge and surrounded by several other memorials. One of these is in memory of a local pilot who earned the Victoria Cross flying a bomber during World War Two. Although he was killed, he saved the lives of five others onboard, while flying the plane home despite being severely wounded.

Macquarie River and Emile Serisier Bridge

Located near the Visitor Centre, the Emile Serisier Bridge caught our attention because of its solid steel work construction. It spans the Macquarie River, so while looking at the bridge, we had a look at the river too.

A better view is available on the opposite side of the river, where you can walk under the structure.

Dubbo Observatory

We booked tickets ahead if time for the observatory, opting for the 10:30PM to 12:30AM visit. This allows visitors to use their own cameras on the telescopes to take photos. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy so our session was cancelled(with a full refund), so next time we are in Dubbo we will try again.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Flying Doctor Visitor Experience Dubbo

Flying Doctor Service Experience Dubbo

Flying Doctor Visitor Experience

How to Get There

Located at Dubbo Airport, just a ten minute drive from town, the Flying Doctor Visitor Experience is easy to get to. From the entrance to the airport, simply follow the signs to the visitor centre, where a large car park allows easy parking.

Flying Doctor Visitor Experience

Housed in a modern building, the museum uses state of the art audio visual displays to explain the history and operation of the RFDS.

RFDS History

The first room contains a large central audio visual display, surrounded by information boards. These detail the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which gives you a great insight into what the RFDS has achieved.

Walk Through Displays

Just outside the history display is a replica of a King Air interior. This is a great display because it allows you to see what the RFDS aerial ambulance looks like. The interior is all set out, including the beds, medical equipment and pilot’s seat.

Items on Display

Several display cases show some of the older equipment used, which contrasts with the latest technology on display.

Aircraft on Display at the Flying Doctor Visitor Experience

A retired Beechcraft Super King Air takes up one corner of the large auditorium, showcasing the main tool of the RFDS. A barrier surrounds the plane, but you are able to climb stairs to see into the interior.

In the Outback Trek Café, a de Havilland Fox Moth biplane replica contrasts with the modern King Air, demonstrating how far things have come since the early days of aviation.

Audio Visual Display

The centrepiece of both main rooms is an audio visual display. In the entry room, an interactive display allows you to hear people’s stories, while using headphones and a touch screen. In the large auditorium, a huge visual display runs a video, detailing medical emergencies and how they were treated. This gives a great insight into the RFDS operations and how important they are to remote locations around Australia.

Outback Trek Café

After looking around the displays, the Outback Trek Café has a range of meals and refreshments, which is a great way to finish your visit. This area is spacious and provides a nice place to sit down and relax. An EH Holden used in the fund raising Outback Trek is on display here, along with the de Havilland Fox Moth biplane.

What Did We Think?

We though this was a great place to visit, because it shows the full history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in a modern setting. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in aviation or the RFDS.

Nowra New South Wales Australia

Hanging Rock

How to Get There

Only two and a half hours drive south of Sydney, Nowra is a great place to explore the nearby Kangaroo Valley and Shoalhaven District. Public transport by train and bus goes to Nowra, but you will then need to organise personal transport to explore outside of the town.

Where Did We Stay

While in Nowra, we stayed at Springs Shoalhaven, because it was in a quiet location and had an on-site restaurant at the adjoining club. The clean rooms and great views over the golf course we a nice place to relax before going out for dinner. The meals at the club were great and the staff friendly.

Nowra’s Buildings

Wandering through Nowra’s business district, we found several nice old buildings, which were worth stopping to look at.

Nowra Street Art

Walking through the central shopping district of Nowra, you will come across many pieces of excellent street art decorated buildings. Mostly located around the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, others can be found in side streets, which makes them fun to track down while exploring.

Ben’s Walk

The walk loops around the Shoalhaven River, through its gorges and forests. The walk begins at the Nowra Showground, where you can enjoy a barbecue, and superb views of the river and mountains from Hanging Rock. The complete track provides a return walk of about 5.5 kilometres taking around two hours. A short return walk from the footbridge to the Showground and Hanging Rock takes around 10 minutes. A suspension bridge provides a fun crossing of the river.

Soldiers’ Monument

Opened in 1931, this memorial commemorates all those who served in conflicts that involved Australia. The bronze statue represents an Australian soldier, his helmet and rifle discarded now that has won and returned home, but remains forever vigil.

Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum

The museum has an almost complete collection of the aircraft operated by the RAN.  This ranges from the early 1950s when HMAS Sydney and Melbourne were acquired to a recently retired Seahawk helicopter.  A purpose-built air-conditioned building houses all the displays. Inside a raised mezzanine floor provides an excellent overhead perspective of the displays.  This is something that many aviation museums are lacking.  There is also plenty of space between each display so that they can be seen easily without the crowding that some museums use.

To read the full story of our visit there, follow the link.

RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5 Fleet Air Arm Museum Nowra HMAS Albatross www.destinationsjourney.com
RAN Fairey Firefly AS.5

What Did We Think of Nowra?

A great place to stay with a range of activities to do and things to see. We used it as a base for exploring Kangaroo Valley and further afield to Kiama and the Illawarra.

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.