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Van Trip 2007
Sandy Hollow to Dubbo
Days 2 to 4
233 km travelled today
After a very pleasant stay at Sandy Hollow we made a leisurely exit from the park and headed along the Golden Highway toward Dubbo. This leg of the journey was very enjoyable with stops at Merriwa for lunch and a rest, and Dunedoo to fill up with petrol.
Merriwa is a town in the far west of the Upper Hunter Valley. It is located on the Golden Highway, 273 kilometres northwest of Sydney and about half way between Newcastle and Dubbo. It's population in 2006 was 946. It is host to the Festival of The Fleeces every year. It had its own local council until 2004, when it was merged with nearby Scone and Murrurundi to form the Upper Hunter Council.
Dunedoo is a village situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales. It is located on the southern bank of the Talbragar River at the intersection of the Golden and Castlereagh Highways. It is relatively isolated with the two nearest rural centres of Mudgee and Dubbo situated approximately 60 km south and 100 km west respectively. It is due to this isolation that Dunedoo has many facilities not usually found in villages of this size. Dunedoo largely functions as a service centre to the surrounding district which focuses on the production of wheat, cattle, mixed farming, timber, fat lambs and wool. As with many wheat-growing centres of western New South Wales the village's skyline is dominated by a large silo. Dunedoo also features a small hospital (Dunedoo War Memorial Hospital), two schools, a licensed hotel, a small commercial area, a small freight railway station as well as sporting and special event facilities.
The first half of the 20th century saw many of Dunedoo's residents fighting in both the first and second world wars, documented by the war memorial currently found in the town's park. The gradual loss of railway services in western NSW affected Dunedoo in the 1960s with the loss of passenger railway services, In 2002, Dunedoo appeared in an ABC documentary entitled "A Loo with a View" Dunedoo District Development Group had proposed to build "The Big Dunny" in the hope of attracting tourists, as the Big Banana does for Coffs Harbour. The documentary centred on "The Big Dunny" proposal, it was to have been a three-storey high building featuring five-star toilets, visitor centre, viewing platform, and even a radio station. It was concluded that it would attract only 30 visitors a day which would not be enough to make it viable, so the project was abandoned.
Following our inspection of the interesting towns of Merriwa and Dunedoo we continued on the Golden Highway to Dubbo, where we checked into the Dubbo Cabin & Caravan Park, sites 19 & 20, having travelled 233 kilometres for the day.
We stayed in Dubbo for 3 nights, and spent much of our time exploring the many sites of the city. On the second night we enjoyed a delightful barbecue of bangers and salad with Leo and Maureen.
Dubbo is a city in the Orana region of Western New South Wales. It is the largest centre in the region, with a population of 32,327. It is located at the intersection of the Mitchell, Newell and Golden highways, 303 km north-west of Sydney and is a major road and rail freight hub to other parts of New South Wales.
Tourism is a significant industry. Dubbo features the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, which is home to various species of endangered animals, including the Hite, Black and Indian Rhinoceros. and runs a successful breeding program for a number of endangered species. The zoo is home to numerous specimens from around the world in spacious open-range moat enclosures, grouped according to their continent of origin.
Other town attractions include the historic Dundullimal Homestead and the historic Old Dubbo Gaol.
Dundullimal Homestead is a slab hut type homestead located about 10 km south of Dubbo, on Obley Road and the Macquarie River. It is located six kilometres further out of town than
Western Plains Zoo. Built in the early 1840s as the head station of a 6,500 hectare squatting run, the building is believed to be the oldest surviving slab hut house in Australia.
The homestead is also Dubbo's oldest building open to the public. The house is furnished with original period furniture.
The working areas include a sandstone stables complex, the blacksmith's forge, coach room, sunken cool room and stores.
The Old Dubbo Gaoll began as a courthouse lockup in 1847. With the selection of the location for a new town along the Macquarie River it was one of the first government buildings along with the constable's residence and the post office. The lockup, which was a slab hut of one main room and two cells, frequently leaked when it rained and was not the most secure area as it was not enclosed by walls.Crimes brought about by greed, hunger and poverty saw many individuals locked away in the small confines of the lock-up and in 1859 Dubbo lockup was proclaimed a gaol. In 1871 a new gaol was built complete with 4 cells and a bedroom for the gaoler. This new police gaol, along with Dubbo being proclaimed a circuit court in 1874, saw more serious criminals locked away, including those who had committed such crimes as assault, murder, infanticide and sexual assault. The Dubbo Gaol was provided a gallows for those crimes deemed to warrant the death penalty.The first hanging occurred in 1877. Seven executions would follow including the notorious Jacky Underwood, who was involved in the Breelong Massacres later fictionalised in the novel "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith" by Thomas Keneally. Prisoners who were sentenced to be hanged were held in the condemned cell. This cell had an inner grill wall with a gate, creating an alcove in the cell for a warder to sit on 24 hour watch. It was not unusual for the prisoner to be chained inside the cell as well, as Thomas Moore had been. On average most of the men were held in this cell for 2 months with only 1 hour allowed for exercise.The Gaol was closed on the 31st of August 1966.
Our last day in Dubbo was spent preparing our Vans to leave for Cobar the following morning, We discovered that our cars were covered in a sticky mess from the overhanging trees in the Van Park. It took a great deal of elbow grease to clean up the mess.
Days 2 to 4
233 km travelled today
After a very pleasant stay at Sandy Hollow we made a leisurely exit from the park and headed along the Golden Highway toward Dubbo. This leg of the journey was very enjoyable with stops at Merriwa for lunch and a rest, and Dunedoo to fill up with petrol.
Merriwa is a town in the far west of the Upper Hunter Valley. It is located on the Golden Highway, 273 kilometres northwest of Sydney and about half way between Newcastle and Dubbo. It's population in 2006 was 946. It is host to the Festival of The Fleeces every year. It had its own local council until 2004, when it was merged with nearby Scone and Murrurundi to form the Upper Hunter Council.
Dunedoo is a village situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales. It is located on the southern bank of the Talbragar River at the intersection of the Golden and Castlereagh Highways. It is relatively isolated with the two nearest rural centres of Mudgee and Dubbo situated approximately 60 km south and 100 km west respectively. It is due to this isolation that Dunedoo has many facilities not usually found in villages of this size. Dunedoo largely functions as a service centre to the surrounding district which focuses on the production of wheat, cattle, mixed farming, timber, fat lambs and wool. As with many wheat-growing centres of western New South Wales the village's skyline is dominated by a large silo. Dunedoo also features a small hospital (Dunedoo War Memorial Hospital), two schools, a licensed hotel, a small commercial area, a small freight railway station as well as sporting and special event facilities.
The first half of the 20th century saw many of Dunedoo's residents fighting in both the first and second world wars, documented by the war memorial currently found in the town's park. The gradual loss of railway services in western NSW affected Dunedoo in the 1960s with the loss of passenger railway services, In 2002, Dunedoo appeared in an ABC documentary entitled "A Loo with a View" Dunedoo District Development Group had proposed to build "The Big Dunny" in the hope of attracting tourists, as the Big Banana does for Coffs Harbour. The documentary centred on "The Big Dunny" proposal, it was to have been a three-storey high building featuring five-star toilets, visitor centre, viewing platform, and even a radio station. It was concluded that it would attract only 30 visitors a day which would not be enough to make it viable, so the project was abandoned.
Following our inspection of the interesting towns of Merriwa and Dunedoo we continued on the Golden Highway to Dubbo, where we checked into the Dubbo Cabin & Caravan Park, sites 19 & 20, having travelled 233 kilometres for the day.
We stayed in Dubbo for 3 nights, and spent much of our time exploring the many sites of the city. On the second night we enjoyed a delightful barbecue of bangers and salad with Leo and Maureen.
Dubbo is a city in the Orana region of Western New South Wales. It is the largest centre in the region, with a population of 32,327. It is located at the intersection of the Mitchell, Newell and Golden highways, 303 km north-west of Sydney and is a major road and rail freight hub to other parts of New South Wales.
Tourism is a significant industry. Dubbo features the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, which is home to various species of endangered animals, including the Hite, Black and Indian Rhinoceros. and runs a successful breeding program for a number of endangered species. The zoo is home to numerous specimens from around the world in spacious open-range moat enclosures, grouped according to their continent of origin.
Other town attractions include the historic Dundullimal Homestead and the historic Old Dubbo Gaol.
Dundullimal Homestead is a slab hut type homestead located about 10 km south of Dubbo, on Obley Road and the Macquarie River. It is located six kilometres further out of town than
Western Plains Zoo. Built in the early 1840s as the head station of a 6,500 hectare squatting run, the building is believed to be the oldest surviving slab hut house in Australia.
The homestead is also Dubbo's oldest building open to the public. The house is furnished with original period furniture.
The working areas include a sandstone stables complex, the blacksmith's forge, coach room, sunken cool room and stores.
The Old Dubbo Gaoll began as a courthouse lockup in 1847. With the selection of the location for a new town along the Macquarie River it was one of the first government buildings along with the constable's residence and the post office. The lockup, which was a slab hut of one main room and two cells, frequently leaked when it rained and was not the most secure area as it was not enclosed by walls.Crimes brought about by greed, hunger and poverty saw many individuals locked away in the small confines of the lock-up and in 1859 Dubbo lockup was proclaimed a gaol. In 1871 a new gaol was built complete with 4 cells and a bedroom for the gaoler. This new police gaol, along with Dubbo being proclaimed a circuit court in 1874, saw more serious criminals locked away, including those who had committed such crimes as assault, murder, infanticide and sexual assault. The Dubbo Gaol was provided a gallows for those crimes deemed to warrant the death penalty.The first hanging occurred in 1877. Seven executions would follow including the notorious Jacky Underwood, who was involved in the Breelong Massacres later fictionalised in the novel "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith" by Thomas Keneally. Prisoners who were sentenced to be hanged were held in the condemned cell. This cell had an inner grill wall with a gate, creating an alcove in the cell for a warder to sit on 24 hour watch. It was not unusual for the prisoner to be chained inside the cell as well, as Thomas Moore had been. On average most of the men were held in this cell for 2 months with only 1 hour allowed for exercise.The Gaol was closed on the 31st of August 1966.
Our last day in Dubbo was spent preparing our Vans to leave for Cobar the following morning, We discovered that our cars were covered in a sticky mess from the overhanging trees in the Van Park. It took a great deal of elbow grease to clean up the mess.
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