Dubbo is a brilliant family destination with loads of child-friendly attractions. Our favourite family things to see and do in Dubbo with kids (in no particular order) are….
- Taronga Western Plains Zoo
- Old Dubbo Gaol
- Inflatable World
- Dubbo Visitor Centre
- Livvis Place Playground
- Elston Park
- Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre
- Animals on bikes
Read on for more info!
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Taronga Western Plains Zoo
We had a wild time at Dubbo zoo. Kids under 4 go free and all tickets are valid for 2 days.
Old Dubbo Gaol
The kids had a great time exploring the old cells and passageways in Old Dubbo Gaol. Make sure you do the guided tour – it’s kid friendly, entertaining and informative (our guide had all the kids laughing and listening) and you’ll hear stories of escape attempts over the years. We spent a whole morning here and it’s in the perfect location to find easily – right in the lovely Dubbo town centre. Visit their website for more info.
Inflatable World
At Dubbo Sportsworld you will find a kids’ paradise – a giant arena filled with jumping castles, inflatable obstacle courses, slides, leaps and jumps! It’s the perfect place to take the kids on a rainy day or if they need to burn off some steam. We planned on having a sit down while the kids played but it was so much fun we ended up running around as much as the little guys! Watch our video below to see just how fabulous it is – they are open weekends during school term and every day during school holidays. You can find their website here.
Dubbo Visitor Centre
This should be your first stop when you arrive in town – they’ve not only got lovely staff with all the info you could ever need (including the cuddly George – pictured) but there’s a great picnic area and playpark at the back. The car park has loads of space including big spots for caravans/buses etc and they sell coffee and have free wifi. We used the BBQs there for a few dinners – and its dog friendly too. It’s also just a short walk from the town centre and shops – including Woolworths if you need any supplies.
Playparks
We spent a lot of time at Livvis Place – an all abilities play park at the lovely Victoria Park. It’s fully fenced and has toilets and BBQ areas. Aldi is only 5 minutes walk away so we would walk over and treat ourselves to a box of ice creams too! There’s also a skate park over the road for older kids and the swimming pool is just round the corner.
Another favourite was Elston Park – it has a great playpark, flying fox and water splash area for hot days. There are also toilets, BBQs and big grassy spaces.
Dubbo Aquatic Leisure Centre
Two words – water slides! We could see them when we were playing at Livvis Place and be boys asked every day when we were going! There is also a great kids’ splash pool and lovely swimming pool. Slide opening hours are limited so check before you go – you can find their website here.
Animals on Bikes
This isn’t an odd new exhibit at the zoo – don’t worry! It’s a super fun drive to do with the kids when you leave Dubbo. It spans 120km between Molong and Dubbo via Yeoval and Cumnock – beautiful little towns along the way and is described as a paddock Art sculpture trail. You can pick up a free map from the tourist information or download one online – and you spot them out of the window as you drive along. There are some fantastic and hilarious creations! They also update the sculptures every couple of years so you can come back again and again! Check out their website for more info.
Where we stayed
There’s an amazing free camp at Terramungamine with toilets (no showers but we braved the free cold showers at the Sandy Beach Park day use area). It’s also an incredibly significant historic site – with rock grooves down by the river which are thousands of years old – and a great opportunity to teach the kids about the indigenous history of the area. You can read more info on the grooves here – the free camp is clearly signposted in the car park.
We hope this list helps you plan your next family trip or day out in Dubbo – let us know in the comments if we’ve missed anything!
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