| Dubbo Tour 2004 |
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| Across the Plains to Dubbo . 6-Day Tour September 19th – 24th, 2004. A springtime tour travelling through some of the more remote areas of New South Wales and staying for 3 nights in the old pastoral township of Dubbo, aboriginal for “Red Earth”. If the winter rains have come, the countryside may be sprinkled with outback wildflowers. An interesting tour taking in a huge slice of western New South Wales and covering over 2,500 kilometres. Day 1 – Sunday 19/9/04 (Adelaide/Broken Hill) Up bright and early this morning as we depart the Festival Theatre at 7.30am to make our way to Broken Hill. Passing through Burra and Peterborough, we reach Broken Hill late afternoon. After checking in to our accommodation, we’ll take a town tour with a local. Lunch provided en route. Overnight & dinner: Mine Host Motel (Phone 8088 4044) Day 2 – Monday 20/9/04 (Broken Hill/Dubbo) A big day today as we depart Broken Hill and make our way in to Dubbo. The first ‘major’ town we pass through is Wilcannia. Wilcannia, once the ‘queen city of the west’, still has many impressive sandstone buildings. It was proclaimed a town in 1864 and was a key inland port in the days of paddle steamers. Declining in the early 1920s with the advent of the car, today it is the service centre for a far-flung rural population. Continue on to Cobar where we have a late lunch. Cobar is a progressive copper, gold and silver, lead and zinc mining town with wide tree-lined streets. Since the opening of the CSA Copper mine in the mid 1960s and the introduction of a channel water supply, the town has been transformed from an arid landscape to a green oasis. There is an abundance of native flora and fauna in the area. The CSA mine has an annual output of 600,000 tonnes of copper and copper-zinc ores. After lunch we pas through Nyngan, Trangie and Narromine as we reach Dubbo early evening. Overnight & dinner: Homestead Motel (Phone 6882 4944) Day 3 – Tuesday 21/9/04 (Dubbo) Dubbo is an important business and commercial regional centre and one of Australia’s fastest growing inland cities. Although essentially a modern city, Dubbo has retained much of its heritage, which can be seen in its colonial architecture, particularly Old Dubbo Gaol and Dundullimal Homestead. This morning we visit both. Dubbo Gaol is a well-preserved incarceration centre, which was built c.1871 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 some of the different gaol cells, the watchtower, the exercise yard, a display room, hospital, kitchen, and woodcutting area. 'Dundullimal', c.1840 is an historic timber-slab homestead built 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 on the banks of the Macquarie River. There are sandstone stables, a working saddlery, a blacksmith, a woodchop kitchen, a gift shop, an animal farm, animal show and the Woolshed Café where we have lunch. This afternoon we visit the Dubbo Regional Gallery where 'Animals in art' is the predominant theme and the Dubbo Military Museum, 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). After an early dinner, we’re off to the Dubbo Observatory, where our visit involves a slide show about the universe before we proceed outside where three twelve-inch telescopes are in use. Fully computerized, they can locate 64 000 different objects at the touch of a button. Overnight & dinner: Homestead Motel . Day 4 – Wednesday 22/9/04 (Dubbo) This Morning we’re off to Western Plains Zoo. This open-range zoo specializes 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. There are more than 800 native and exotic species dispersed over 300 ha of landscaped parklands. 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. Mid-afternoon we return to our accommodation for some free time. Lunch provided. Overnight & dinner: Homestead Motel . Day 5 – Thursday 23/9/04 (Dubbo/Hay) All good things must come to an end and our Dubbo experience is no exception. This morning we leave Dubbo and begin our journey home. Travelling through Peak Hill, we’ll stop off to visit the CSIRO Radio Telescope, star of the great Aussie film ‘The Dish’. Continue on through Forbes and West Wyalong to Hay. Nestled on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at the junction of three highways, Hay has been a welcome stop on the long overland haul since the days of Cobb & Co. We’ll spend some time at Shear Outback, where we take in a tour. Shearers' enjoy legendary status in Australia, and links to Australia's vibrant and colourful shearing culture are obvious in many avenues of Australian contemporary life. Located in the heart of Australia's accessible outback, Shear Outback provides visitors with a contemporary and innovative museum experience. Showcasing the stories, artefacts, technology and culture of the Australian shearing industry, the facility comprises an iconic 'purpose built' interpretative centre and an historic woolshed relocated from the banks of the Murray River. Lunch provided. Overnight: Motel Hay (Phone 6993 1804) Day 6 – Friday 24/9/04 (Hay/Adelaide) Departing Hay we travel through Balranald, whilst prominent in wool and beef, the area does however have significant wheat, fruit and timber industries. The next major centre we reach is Mildura, a beautiful city on the banks of the Murray River. On through Renmark, we’ll reach home early evening. Lunch provided en route. Overnight: Home, sweet home. Tour Cost: $690.00 per person twin share . Single Supplementary extra $170 per person . Tour cost includes: All Accommodation, cooked breakfasts, all lunches and dinners, All Itinerary entrance fees, Morning teas from coach most days. Hostess on board for tour. Deposit $50.00 per person on booking, Balance payable by 1st September 2004 Please advise of any special dietary or rooming requests when booking Cancellation fees: - Within 14 days of departure - $50 cancellation fee. Over 14+ days – No Charge Travel Insurance is recommended to cover any unforeseen circumstances. Itinerary package by Group Link . All Bookings to Eureka Coach Tours Phone 8265 5911 Price and itinerary are subject to change without notice. Tour Report and Photos |
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