Western Plains Zoo

We’ve made a return visit to Dubbo’s Western Plains Zoo. Garry and I last visited in March 2005. At the time we took advantage of some cheap Qantas airfares, flew to Dubbo, and hired a car. I recall that our itinerary included a comprehensive visit to the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran. The complex was hosting an open day that gave us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at several observatories including the massive Anglo-Australian Telescope.

This time around, our visit to Dubbo was all about the Zoo. For starters, we booked accommodation in the Zoo’s Savannah Cottages located on the edge of its African grasslands exhibit. The cottages are set on a hill outside the boundaries of the Zoo so it wasn’t quite the immersive experience we’d hoped it would be. There is a lodge within the grounds that you can stay at, but it operates more like a hotel. Garry and I wanted something a little more self-contained, so we opted for one of the free-standing apartment-style cottages.

We booked two nights in Dubbo. The first evening ended up devoted to business. We spent the afternoon interviewing for a warehouse manager role our 3PL provider wanted to fill. By the time we were done, we’d spent more than four hours hosting a video call and subsequent debrief session. The shortlisted candidate we met didn’t impress us, so we felt we’d wasted half a day of annual leave.

The following day was spent almost entirely based at the Zoo. We drove from exhibit to exhibit, taking our time to soak up the scenery, spot the animals and enjoy their antics. Highlights included watching the giraffes and rhinos feed, getting up close and personal with the meerkats, and being entertained by the hyper-active otter families.

We then spent our final morning in town revisiting a few of our favourite animal exhibits at the Zoo before making our way to Mudgee via the historic gold-mining town of Gulgong. I’d never heard of this town before researching our road trip. 

Gulgong is the childhood home of bush poet Henry Lawson. Its narrow, winding streets are lined with dozens and dozens of beautifully preserved heritage-listed buildings. We spent an hour or so wandering through this 19th Century time capsule of town. I later read that around 130 buildings in Gulgone are listed on the National Trust’s register.

Finally, a quick shout-out to the famous Nyngan helicopter.  This unique display outside the defunct railway station in the centre of town memorializes dramatic rescues conducted by the Australian Air Force during record-breaking floods in April 1990.  At the height of the floods, more than 2,500 stranded residents had to be evacuated by helicopter from the railway station, the highest and only unflooded place in town. For us, the station was a handy pitstop on the long - and unbelievably straight - road between Bourke and Dubbo.