Dubbo makes a great family getaway from Newcastle and the Hunter, and it’s an easy four-hour drive from the region. Central West NSW’s biggest regional city packs in a genuine safari zoo, underground caves, a heritage gaol and enough playgrounds and water play to fill several days. Here’s what to prioritise and what to know before you go.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo
The zoo is the reason most families make the trip to Dubbo, and it’s worth building a full day (or two) around it. This is a safari-style park with large open-range exhibits rather than a compact city zoo, spread across a five-kilometre circuit that can be explored on foot, by car, on a hired bike, or in an electric cart.
Highlights include the African Savannah section near the start of the circuit, home to rhinos, zebras, giraffes and cheetahs, and the Asian elephants further around, best viewed from the Observation Tower.
The Waterhole at Kilometre 2 has a water play area worth packing swimmers for, and Lion Pride Lands is a favourite with kids for its up-close lion viewing.
Zoo admission covers two consecutive days, which suits families who don’t want to rush, and there’s also the option to stay overnight inside the zoo grounds at Zoofari Lodge, Savannah Cabins or Billabong Camp. These sell out fast during school holidays, so book well ahead if an overnight stay is the goal.
For the full rundown on ticket prices, bike and cart hire, and what to expect at each part of the circuit, see our Taronga Western Plains guide.
Royal Flying Doctor Experience
Located near Dubbo Airport, the Royal Flying Doctor Experience centre charts the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service from its early days through to its current dental, mental health and emergency medical services across rural and remote Australia.
The centre charts the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service from its humble beginnings to what it is today. You’ll learn about the various bases of the service as well as its expansion into dental surgery vans and mental health services.
Kids get plenty to interact with here, including touchscreen displays, drawers to pull out and inspect, and a decommissioned aircraft to sit inside.
The main focus of the centre is its large four screens. Here you’ll see real-time flight data about current RFD missions including location and aircraft speed. Make sure you catch the 8 minute documentary film on the RFD. It runs every 45 minutes and explains the impact of the Royal Flying Doctor service to regional and rural Australia.
Once the film is over, check out the various kid-friendly interactive displays. Here you can do a simulation of a flight including pre-flight preparation, flying and even clearing kangaroos off the landing strip before arrival.
If you get hungry, stop for a snack or lunch at the Outback Trek cafe. It has incredible food and you can dine next to a replica of a mothball plane.
Wellington Caves
A worthwhile side trip about 45 minutes from Dubbo, Wellington Caves offers guided tours through Cathedral Cave and Gaden Cave, both around an hour long. Cathedral Cave is the largest and most popular, featuring the Altar, a 15-metre crystal formation, along with Thunder Cave and The Well.
Enclosed shoes are required for all cave tours, and there are several hundred stairs down and back up, so it’s not the easiest option for prams or very young toddlers.
The tour lasts for an hour and involves touring a series of caves including the famous Cathedral Cave. This contains a 15-metre stalagmite made of limestone and crystal as well as rock formation called The Altar. Historically, this cave was used for church services and actually contains a bible now covered with calcite from an overhead stalactite.
The tour also includes Devonian marine fossils located on the limestone walls. These are fossil corals and other marine invertebrates that indicate that this area was a sea bed roughly 400 million years ago.
A highlight of the tour is The Well, a beautifully coloured deep well in one of the far corners of the caves. It shimmers due to the crystal floor which is a build up of calcite.
Kids interested in fossils should book the Discovery Lab session, where they get to sift through sediment from the caves using brushes, tweezers and magnifying glasses to find teeth, bone fragments and crystals.
Old Dubbo Gaol
Step back in time and visit Old Dubbo Gaol to learn more about the harsh penal system of the 1800s. Check out the tours and performance schedule for entertaining stories on prison life and their attempts to breakout.
A self-guided tour allows you to explore the restored gaol grounds, read the displays and learn about the harshness of prison life. Meet, hear and see the Condemned Man and view original and rare Gaol artefacts.
Stories and history come to life in the Escape Talk and Characters in Costume, these theatrical performances will enlighten your visit with characters motivated to breakout and stories of success and failure. These tours run at different times during the week and are more frequent during school holidays.
Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden
Free to enter and conveniently located next to the Adventure Playground, Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden is worth building into a Dubbo itinerary even for families who wouldn’t normally choose a botanic garden.
It’s made up of five distinct spaces: the Shoyoen Japanese Garden, Sensory Gardens, Oasis Valley, Biodiversity Garden and the newer Wiradjuri Garden.
The Japanese Garden is a highlight, with koi swimming in a central pond and a traditional pagoda.
The Sensory Gardens are designed to be touched and smelled as well as seen, and the herb section is especially fragrant.
Sandstone sculptures are dotted throughout, and the Biodiversity Garden includes signage on the traditional Wiradjuri uses of local plants.
Dubbo Regional Adventure Playground
Located next door to Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden is the Adventure Playground. This is an amazing large playground with over 40 different play elements. It’s a beautiful playground with lots of timber equipment and sandstone spread around a landscaped hill.
There is plenty to keep kids happy including a massive climbing structure with a giant slide, flying fox, basket swing and lots of balancing equipment.
There is also accessible elements including a wheelchair friendly Liberty Swing.
For younger kids, head to the other side of the playground. There you will find a smaller play structure plus a water play area.
Hours run 8am to 8pm during daylight saving and 8am to 6pm outside daylight saving, with the playground closed each Wednesday morning until midday for maintenance. Free entry, with seating, toilets and barbecues on site.
Additional Playgrounds
Elston Park is a great place to visit to let kids run off some steam. Bounded by Cobra, Fitzroy & Gipps Street, it has a fun playground including a flying fox. There is also plenty of lawn area and flowers to enjoy. The park also features a water play area which is open during the warmer months.
Victoria Park is a beautiful historic park in the middle of Dubbo with beautiful gardens and lots of trees. It also features an All Abilities Playground called Livvi’s Place. There is a large climbing net, swings and equipment close to the ground. Also nearby, is a large skate park.
Dubbo Aquatic Centre
Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre is a good option for cooling off in warmer months, with an Olympic-size pool, children’s leisure pool, splash park and waterslides. A disability chair lift and accessible equipment are available. Worth knowing before planning a visit: this is a seasonal outdoor facility, typically open from September through to April, so it won’t be an option on a winter trip to Dubbo.
Western Plains Cultural Centre
Western Plains Cultural Centre is a good indoor option if the weather turns, or simply for families who enjoy museums and galleries. The centre combines a gallery, museum and community arts space, with free admission daily. Highlights include Australia’s largest preserved wool wagon, a carved tree of significance to local Indigenous people, and an interactive 1950s classroom that lets kids compare old-school desks, blackboards and ink wells with their own classrooms.
Good to Know Before You Go
Families visiting more than one paid attraction should look at the Dubbo Region Great Big Adventure Pass, a single ticket covering Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Old Dubbo Gaol, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Experience and Wellington Caves. It’s worth checking current pricing against buying tickets separately, since a family doing all four attractions could save a reasonable amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Two to three days covers the zoo, Wellington Caves and one or two of the smaller attractions comfortably, without feeling rushed. Families short on time could focus on the zoo alone for a full day and add the Botanic Garden and Adventure Playground next door as a lighter second stop.
Yes, it’s roughly a four-hour drive from the Newcastle and Hunter region, making it a manageable long weekend or short holiday.
Most attractions suit a wide age range. The zoo, playgrounds and Botanic Garden work well for toddlers through to teens, while Old Dubbo Gaol and the cave tours at Wellington Caves are better suited to school-age kids and up, given the amount of walking, stairs and historical content involved.
No, it’s a seasonal outdoor facility generally open from September to April. Plan around this if visiting outside the warmer months.
More Family Day Trips from Newcastle and the Hunter
Dubbo makes a solid multi-day family trip as there’s plenty to do. Have a look at our full guide to Western Plains Taronga Zoo. For other family holiday ideas, check out our guides to Coonabarabran, Port Macquarie and the Blue Mountains.