This article is brought to you by the Great Western Plains.
Five hours’ drive from Canberra and Sydney, or 10 hours from Brisbane. Yes, Dubbo and the Great Western Plains region may seem remote, but that’s exactly why you need to go. Adventure awaits at the end of the road. Here are our top picks.
It’s written in the stars
Just two hours from the centre of Dubbo lies the expansive Warrumbungle National Park, ruggedly beautiful by day and a celestial masterpiece by night. It’s home to Australia’s first and only International Dark Sky Park, as well as the Siding Spring Observatory. Open daily during daylight hours to the public, the observatory is one of the few places in the world where scientists and professional astronomers can observe the entire southern hemisphere sky during night-time operations. Additionally, if you camp in the national park or stay at a nearby homestead, you’ll witness the rarity of a night sky free from light pollution. As the sun sets, golden skies turn to pink and mauve twilight before giving way to a black velvet canopy. A tapestry of distant stars, galaxies and planets slowly reveal themselves in all their glittering glory.
Back in Dubbo, there’s another observatory, run by the aptly named astronomer Peter Starr. Here, photography enthusiasts can try their hand at astrophotography by connecting a compatible camera to the high-powered telescopes. You can even capture nebulae housing star nurseries thousands of light years away.
Haunted histories
When the moon rises over Dubbo, you won’t only be seeing stars but maybe a ghost or two as well. Dubbo Gaol dates back to 1840s and operated until 1966 before it was preserved as a museum. It’s considered one of the most haunted sites in regional Australia, with many reports of ghost sightings and paranormal occurrences. Eight men have been executed there, and parts of the original gallows remain on display. Old Dubbo Gaol holds the nationally significant NSW State Hangman’s Kit, with the largest collection of hangman ropes in Australia. A padded and insulated cell for the mentally infirm remains intact and serves as a chilling reminder of the harsh conditions of the time. You can also tour the regular cells where everyone from opportunistic bushrangers to First Nations people, caught up in unfair colonial laws, were imprisoned.
If you’re not afraid of things that go bump in the night, you can join one of their Beyond the Grave tours, led by torchlight. For families and other travellers simply interested in the rich history, the twilight tour gets you out of the compound by nightfall.
For travellers heading north between Gilgandra and Coonabarabran along the Castlereagh Highway, in the evening you can see a spooky art installation just 5km before the peaceful village of Armatree. A Haunting @ Armatree is an art installation by Tracey Moffatt designed to be viewed at night as the abandoned farmhouse pulses red light. Creepy, huh?
By day, a visit to the Coo-ee Heritage and Visitor Information Centre in Gilgandra reveals another vibrant repository of local history. The centre houses five galleries and museums, highlighting Gilgandra’s iconic inception of the Coo-ee March in 1915 to rally local troops to serve in World War I, which is detailed in the Coo-ee March Gallery. The enduring culture of the Wiradjuri, Gamilaroi and Wailwan people is celebrated inside the award-winning Joy Trudgett gallery.
The Gilgandra Rural Museum next door to the centre showcases life in the 19th century, including notable machines like the Rotary Hoe, which was invented by Gilgandra local Arthur Cliff Howard.
Underground gems
If you thought the heritage-listed gaol was old, the nearby Wellington Caves (about 45 minutes from Dubbo) are positively ancient.
The caves were first recorded by Europeans in the 1820s, but they were known to the Wiradjuri people long before that. The caves’ dark and damp limestone interior contains fossils of ancient marine life. Silent except for the occasional drop of water, exploring these caves makes it feel like you’re stepping back to a time when megafauna roamed our great southern land. Key sites include the Cathedral Cave, which features a staggering 15m-high stalagmite called The Altar; and the Gaden Cave, which has delicate coral formations, stalactites and stones that shimmer under the lights. Altogether, a tour of Wellington Caves offers a surreal look at a glittering, ancient world hidden just beneath the dry Australian bushland.
Aussie icons
Back above ground, there’s plenty more to discover. In Dubbo, the Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a popular attraction for people of all ages thanks to its open-air safari style approach, its focus on Asian and African animals (but with iconic Aussie animals too), and the 5km circuit road can be traversed by car, foot, bicycle or buggy. For full immersion, you can stay overnight in unique tented lodges nestled alongside a vast savannah. Awake to the sounds of the wild – whether it be a roar, trumpet or simply the beautiful song of the abundant native birdlife that calls the Zoo home. Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a popular spot for bird watchers with a wide variety of native birds commonly sighted there..
Dubbo is also the base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), providing both life-saving and routine health care to remote communities around NSW. Adjacent to the operational complex is the RFDS Visitor Experience, open 7 days a week. The exhibition features augmented reality, touch screens, digital presentations and video, allowing visitors to watch real-life medical emergencies unfolding and see the hard-working team of medical professionals in action. A decommissioned aircraft demonstrates what an intensive care unit in the sky looks like, and there are plenty of inspiring outback survival stories to be heard.
And while we’re up in the air, the Narromine Aviation Museum, located at the Narromine Aerodrome, is home to the oldest regional aero club, which is still active today. The museum’s exhibition chronicles almost a century of aviation history and showcases rare and restored aircraft, including a 1938 Corben Super Ace.
Bushwalks and birdsong
Hiking and birdwatching opportunities can be found in every direction of the Great Western Plains area thanks to the abundance of national parks, wetlands and marshes. The little-known Goonoo National Park, approximately 35km north-east of Dubbo, is a critical habitat for endangered species like the malleefowl and regent honeyeater. Warrumbungle National Park’s volcanic landscapes support a rich biodiversity, and you can explore it over four days of guided walks with Take Shape Adventures.
In Warren, the privately-owned property of Burrima invites visitors to stroll their two-kilometre boardwalk over the Macquarie Marshes, through River Red Gum forest and shrubland. Expect to see up to 77 species of water birds and over 150 specifies of woodland birds in the thriving ecosystem. An observation tower, overlooking the northern marsh reed bed, provides the perfect vantage point for meditating on the chorus of birdsong, with reed warblers being particularly vocal in the early mornings. For still more dramatic landscapes, wildflowers and wildlife there is also Breelong National Park, Goobang National Park, Nangar National Park or Pilliga National Park.
The classic Aussie road trip
Dubbo and the Great Western Plains offers the ideal location for road trippers and caravanners. Unlike the deep outback, there are plenty of country towns to explore and refuel at. Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, Narromine, Nyngan, Warren and Wellington all have fascinating local histories, as well as the obligatory pub (or three) offering hearty counter meals and local knowledge expounded around the bar. If you’re a fan of Australia’s big landmarks (think The Big Pineapple in Queensland), you’ll love The Big Bogan in Nyngan, which keeps watch like a sentinel in stubbies and a singlet over the town’s main street. If your time is short, you can fly into Dubbo from Sydney and hire a car once there to take in the sights. Alternatively, a daily rail service from Sydney offers another way to take in the scenery without having to get behind the wheel.
Ready to plan your next great big adventure? Visit greatwesternplains.com.au today.
