21 April 2019
The day commenced with a visit to quirky Aladdin’s Cave Bottlehouse. What a magical fairyland Jan and Brian Gilmore have produced in a very dry part of Australia.
The bottles have fascinating messages and treasures as well as their children’s time capsules.
The cost to enter this fairyland is $6 for adults $3 for children under 16. Put this on your list for Dubbo.
20 April 2019
Taronga Western Plains Zoo (Dubbo Zoo) is a 5 hour drive from Sydney (during school holidays you can add 3 hours to that time). I have been to several zoos around the world including the famous San Diego Zoo, which is beautiful and my Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where the animals have the most expensive view in the world. Dubbo Zoo has 5km (3 miles) of tracks which you can drive through, ride your bicycle or you can hire a golf buggy or hire a bicycle.
I was last here 12 years ago when my boys were 13 and 18, we went to Dubbo by train and slept at the zoo in the “roar and snore” program. Now called the Billabong Camp experience. Waking up in the zoo and being a part of the morning feeding regime is a wonderful experience. The animals are so excited first thing in the morning, the noise feels like you are in the middle of the jungle.
This trip I drove my car in and left it at the first carpark inside the circuit and walked the zoo. It is beautiful to walk as there are lots of trees and shade, spots to have picnics to watch the animals at your leisure. There is a moat between us and them. Before you go, buy your ticket online so you can bypass some of the traffic entering the zoo. I found leaving my car at the start, then after walking the circuit, I got in my car at the end and stopped at the places I wanted another look on the way out. The ticket is valid for 2 days of multiple entries.
Tomorrow I leave Dubbo and enter a part of my state of New South Wales (NSW) I have never been to.
19 April 2019
Today I drove 290km (180miles) from Leura to the mid western NSW city of Dubbo. I tried to stop off at a few places along the way to capture the changing landscape.
Arrived in Dubbo and I was fortunate to find accommodation as I do not book anything until I arrive at my destination or when I stop because I am too tired. Luckily the Tourist Information Office was open on Good Friday and as Dubbo is a country town, they are updated by local hotels when there are last minute cancellations which I was fortunate to snap up. I am staying at the Orana Motel which is very comfortable and close to everything.
From Leura and more especially going on from Dubbo, I need to be aware of more animals running onto the road. This road kill was not by me luckily.
Tonight I went to the Dubbo Observatory. I had a very close call when driving 100kph (65mph) when 3 kangaroos jumped out onto the road in front of my car. I am so aware of the danger of driving from dusk that I normally stay within the city limits at night to avoid the possibility of having an accident with animals. As the observatory is an evening event and in the middle of a remote area, I should have expected kangaroos. I can tell you I slowed down to under 60kph when going back to the hotel.
When on my USA road trip I had skunks, snapping turtles, elk, mustangs, turkey, beaver, chickens, deer, pig come onto the road by surprise and saw many of all these animals and many unidentifiable road kill. So far on this road trip I have seen many kangaroos, foxes, wombat and birds. I expect to come across many more as I move into more remote areas of my beautiful country on this trip.
Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond 