11/01/2012 to 14/01/2012 Dubbo

We have spent the previous 3 weeks or so visiting family and friends, travelling from Bairnsdale to Pakenham and Berwick and then travelled to Temora via Wangaratta and then on to Cessnock via Moss Vale. Whilst at Cessnock we travelled to Taree to see Gaila's brother and the back to Sydney and back to Cessnock.

I suppose that this is now the start of our travels. We left Cessnock for the trip to Dubbo, a trip of about 350ks. A bad day to head west towing a caravan, headwinds all the way. Almost three quarters of a tank of fuel, that's a dam lot. The Patrol has a 85 / 90 litre tank.
Gaila and I hadn't been to Dubbo since we returned from Malaysia in December 1981, so we wanted to visit Western Plains Zoo. Although the animals were magnificent and the enclosures were large they just didn't look as grand as they do in the wild.

 

Dubbo gaol is a well presented attraction, with the usual displays. There were a few single prisoner breakouts, however at the time of the breakouts the prison only had a 3 foot tall picket fence, so I suppose they were only lucky that there were only a few breakouts.
However there was a couple of dodgy looking people that they thought they would keep for a while.
There are numerous stories of prisoners that were released who would immediately re-offend. Life was much easier in prison with 3 meals a day and a bed and a roof over your head than trying to survive on the "outside".

The Western Plains Cultural Centre had a number a displays, one of which was called "The Spirit of Australia"

This 10 foot by 8 foot  mural is made of Australian postage stamps.






The Royal Flying Doctor Service operates 2 aircraft from the Dubbo base for emergency medical work, they are about to receive a third aircraft so they can commence regular clinic visits to out lying areas.

Tomorrow (14/1) we head off for Temora, travelling via Parkes.