Destination's Journey

Tag: Street Art

  • Gunnedah New South Wales

    Gunnedah New South Wales

    Gunnedah New South Wales

    Town History

    Located on the north west slopes of New South Wales, Gunnedah has a long history of habitation by the Kamilaroi people. The town’s name means Place of White Stones in the Kamilaroi language. Within 45 years

    Colonial settlers arrived in the area in 1833, taking advantage of the Patrick Plain fertile soil to farm sheep.

    Getting There

    Gunnedah was our second overnight stop on our road trip. Only a 90 minute drive from Dubbo, the road was in good condition the whole way. Direct from Sydney, it’s a five hour drive, but there are plenty of interesting stops along the way, the most notable of which is Coonabarabran.

    Attractions

    Gunnedah Town Centre

    The Gunnedah town centre is full of old historic buildings, making a walk though town interesting. While there, look at the buildings’ facades as they are often nicely decorated and show the year the building was built. Over time many buildings have changed owners but the original builder is often still displayed on the facade.

    Old Bank Chambers
    Old Bank Chambers
    Old Shop Fronts Kamilaroi Highway
    Old Shop Fronts Kamilaroi Highway
    Gunnedah Town Hall
    Gunnedah Town Hall
    Old Acropolis Café Building Kamilaroi Highway
    Old Acropolis Café Building Kamilaroi Highway

    Miners’ Memorial

    In the centre of town near Wolseley Park a statue pays tribute to the coal miners who brought wealth to the town. Many miners failed to return home because of the dangerous work and this is a memorial to them.

    Miners' Memorial Wolseley Park Gunnedah
    Miners’ Memorial Wolseley Park

    Red Chief Memorial

    Located in the town centre, adjacent to the NSW Government Offices building in Abbott Street this is first memorial erected in honour of an Aboriginal historical identity.

    Buried probably in late 1700`s. Cumbo Gunnerah was the legendary warrior and wise leader of the Gunn-e-darr people of the Kamilaroi tribe. He was buried, it is thought, in the late 1700’s in a manner befitting an Aboriginal man of great importance, that is in a sitting position, backed by a tree carved with totemic designs in his honour.

    Red Chief Memorial Gunnedah
    Red Chief Memorial

    Silo Art

    A beautiful piece of silo art now brightens one of Gunnedah’s old silos. Featuring Dorothea Mackellar and lines from My Country, it adds to the Mackellar presence in town. For our blog on the silo, click here.

    Gunnedah Maize Mill Silo Depicting Dorothea Mackellar and Lines From My Country
    Gunnedah Maize Mill Silo Depicting Dorothea Mackellar and Lines From My Country

    Gunnedah Water Tank Museum

    The Water Tank Museum contains artefacts from Gunnedah’s past, as well as an amazing mural on the outside, dedicated to the Vietnam War. To see our full blog and more photos click here.

    Gunnedah Water Tower mural
    Water Tower mural: Soldiers of 7RAR waiting to be picked up by Huey Helicopters by Jenny McCracken

    Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue

    In addition to the Silo art honouring Dorothea Mackellar, a statue of the poet riding a horse can be found near the Water Tower Museum. Our full blog and photos can be found here.

    Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue
    Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue

    Pensioners Hill Lookout and Sculptures

    This beautiful sculpture-filled park has great views over town, making it a must visit when you visit. An easy walk from the car park past the sculptures rewards you with magnificent views. Our blog and photos of all the sculptures is here.

    Aboriginal Man Sculpture Gunnedah
    Aboriginal Man Sculpture

    Gunnedah Rural Museum

    This is a fantastic place to visit especially for those interested in rural life in Australia from the late 1800s to late 1900s. We particularly liked the tractor and car collection, as they were extensive and in good condition. The museum also has a model railway out the front for rail enthusiasts. We really enjoyed this laid back huge museum. The full blog of our visit is here.

    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.

  • Mortels Sheepskin Factory Beresfield

    Mortels Sheepskin Factory Beresfield

    Mortels Sheepskin Factory

    Located in Beresfield, New South Wales, Mortels Sheepskin Factory not only sells you their products, but teaches how they are made and the history of sheepskin in Australia. Unfortunately shut during our visit, we were unable to view the factory, but we did tour the museum and see the giant Ugg boots.

    Mortels Sheepskin Factory Museum

    The museum is free to enter, so while there go in for a look. Although it’s small, the displays and information boards explain the history of sheepskin in Australia. Exhibits from wool presses to World War One soldier’s jackets make it worth the visit.

    • Sheepskin Jacket
      Sheepskin Jacket From World War One
    • Inside the Museum
      Inside the Museum
    • Inside the Museum
      Inside the Museum

    Giant Ugg Boots

    Entering Thornton, you can’t miss the giant Ugg boots. Originally painted as regular sheepskin, but now upgraded with aboriginal artwork, they look amazing.

    If you are into seeing all of the “big” things in Australia, this is a must see.

    • The Big Ugg Boots
      The Big Ugg Boots
    • The Big Ugg Boots
      The Big Ugg Boots

    Shop and Café

    Of course, a visit here must include a visit to the shop, so that you can sample and maybe buy some of the excellent items for sale. Everything sheepskin, from Ugg boots and coats, car seats covers and blankets.

    There’s also a café so when you need to recharge after learning all about sheepskin there’s one on hand.

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

  • Dubbo New South Wales Australia

    Dubbo New South Wales Australia

    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.

    • Pluto Information Board
      Pluto Information Board
    • Medicinal Garden
      Medicinal Garden

    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.

    • Dubbo Courthouse
      Dubbo Courthouse
    • Colonial Mutual Building Dubbo
      Colonial Mutual Building
    • Old Dubbo Post Office
      Old Dubbo Post Office
    • Westpac Bank Building Dubbo
      Westpac Bank Building
    • St Brigid's Catholic Church Dubbo
      St Brigid’s Catholic Church
    • Catholic Presbytery St Brigid's Dubbo
      Catholic Presbytery St Brigid’s

    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.

    • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
      Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
      More Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    • Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
      Aboriginal Street Art on the Overpass Near the Visitor Information Centre
    • Cockatoo Art Work at the Visitor Information Centre
      Cockatoo Art Work at the Visitor Information Centre
    • Aboriginal Street Art in the city centre
      Aboriginal Street Art in the city centre
    • Statue of William Ferguson, a Champion of Aboriginal Rights
      Statue of William Ferguson, a Champion of Aboriginal Rights
    • Sheep Silhouettes in the City Centre
      Sheep Silhouettes in the City Centre
    • Rhino Statue at the Entrance to the Airport
      Rhino Statue at the Entrance to the Airport

    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.

    • Shrine of Remembrance
      Shrine of Remembrance
    • Memorial to Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) in World War Two.
      Memorial to Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) in World War Two.

    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.

    • Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
      Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
    • Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
      Rail Bridge Over the Macquarie River
    • The Macquarie River
      The Macquarie River

    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.