Two Days in Dubbo

Published on Jan. 27, 2010 in Australia

Yan-Shih and I are quite big fans of trains. I especially like sitting back and relaxing, reading a good book, and writing postcards. After our 60-hour train-ride through China, the 6-hour train-ride from Sydney to Dubbo was no problem.

One aspect we researched in Dubbo was how to get around without a car; we like to live green, and renting a car is sometimes a bit expensive. After eventually finding the bus schedule, which didn't even go anywhere near the zoo, we knew we had two options: 1) take taxis and rent a bike, or 2) rent a car. Two bikes for four hours in the zoo costs $30, plus the taxi around the city. Unfortunately, Dubbo is just a bit too big to comfortably walk around, and being in Western NSW, it is 40C during the summer. We opted to rent a car.

Two blocks from the rail station was Budget, where we had pre-booked a small rental. We quickly visited our Hotel, the Cattlemen's Inn, and then went to one of the local vineyards, the Tombstone. Yan-Shih and I have visited several vineyards: in New Zealand, in the Hunter Valley, and California. We exited the road into the little gravel yard, and didn't see anybody. After walking around for a few minutes we met a guy, wearing a motor racing shirt and missing a few teeth; "don't have kids" he yelled at us. We entered the plywood wine tasting hut and embarked on the most unique wine tasting experience possible. Our wine-master worked in our suburb as a chef at the local pub, but spent half the year in Dubbo with his family tending the vineyard. He mentioned he'd earn 50k in six months at the pub, and he'd also just bought a 30k BMW Mini, which is Yan-Shih's favourite car. He was tearing out the front seats and sticking in a V8. We also discussed about the local population of Dubbo, about working the vines, and Australia in general. The experience was a bit surreal, but interesting, and we left with a bottle of Shiraz and some good memories.

We next visited the cafe with the "best coffee in Dubbo", but the coffee was easily the worst we'd had in Australia. It has "washing machine" foam, and the espresso was borderline cold. The coffee in Central Station was even significantly better, and I even get a discount. Leaving unsatisfied, we debated what to do. We looked north and saw a national park that could be interesting, and we left for that. Even just 30m out of Dubbo I started to have feelings of the Real Australia, of Steve Erwin, and then we went back to the hotel.

On the way back we stopped by the local Indian restaurant, which actually had damn good curry, and finally settled back in our hotel. We spent the rest of the night watching the Australian Open and the News, eating curry and blue cheese, and finally fell asleep.

The next morning we checked out of the Cattlemen's, which we'd recommend if there is a sale, and drove through the CBD and found the only place open, a little cafe with a very Australian waitress. Then again, it was Australia Day, so anybody not decked in an Australian flag was obviously unpatriotic. She brought us our cappuccinos, and I have to admit, the other cafe should have their "best coffee" title striped away. The coffees weren't spectacular, but at least it tasted like the cappuccinos in Sydney. The chocolate muffin was even good, and after eating we left for the zoo.

Although the zoo is a bit expensive at $45 per person (Yan-Shih got a student discount), we basically came to Dubbo for no other reason. I'm glad we entered the zoo right at 9:00, because spending the afternoon in 40C+ heat wouldn't be much fun. We left about four hours to travel around the zoo, and unless you're an animal fanatic, I think that's about right. It seemed like we were being passed by more cars that we were passing, so I'm guessing most people did it in far less than four hours. Although I had seen all the animal types before, many in the wild (like the deer my mom shooos away from her garden), we still had fun. If anybody is thinking about visiting the Dubbo Zoo, I almost recommend just walking and leaving the car at the parking lot. It might be a little far, but if you have a hat and lots of water, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble getting in and out of your vehicle.

After the zoo we went to get food at "Hog's Breath", an American-centric steak joint on the corner of the CBD. Although we should have ordered the 18-hour slow roasted steak, we opted for the hamburgers. One thing to note: if they ask you "do you want avocado or bacon with that?" what it actually translates as is "if you want avocado or bacon, we'll charge $3.50 for each, even though your burger is only $12". And $12 for a burger is a bit hefty - I can get a steak and Guinness at some places in Sydney for that. However, it did taste pretty good, so we left it at that and went to the train station.

I dropped Yan-Shih off with our backpacks and returned the car, a few block away, yet nobody was around. I left the keys in the Key Deposit slot and walked back to the train station. Shortly the train arrived, we boarded, and six hours later we were home, and the adventure was over. My overall impressions? This was a good quick adventure to keep the travel bug at bay for a few months.

Tagged as: australia | cafe | dubbo | outback | zoo

Comments are currently closed for this entry.