Ahhh Dubbo, everyone’s favourite little elephant with overly large ears. Dubbo’s ears are so big that he’s often mistaken for a regional city on the banks of the Macquarie River in New South Wales!
I’m just going to land this Dubbo/Dumbo hilarious wordplay here for now, as it may get confusing when I recommend visiting the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. So many elephants! Much animals! So fun! No, really – check it out, the zoo’s great and you can drive right up to the animals! Take that, human legs!
There is plenty to see and do in Dubbo – even if you’re not overly fixated on elephants. You can visit the Old Dubbo Gaol and explore the 19th century prison – learn about the brutality of prison life and daring escapes (fun for the whole family!), via daily theatrical displays and guided talks. Maybe you prefer a less brutal walk through 5 distinctive gardens at the Dubbo Regional Botanic Gardens; or an alien hunt, viewing the stars, planets, and galaxies through telescopes at the Dubbo Observatory.
Whatever you choose to do in Dubbo, you’ll need a comfortable place to stay. In this post we recommend checking out the Bluegum Dubbo Motel!
Check in is friendly, warm and welcoming at the Bluegum Dubbo Motel. Reception will provide you with a digital guest directory and wifi password, sent to your phone for easy access. If you have any questions though, the staff are on-site and ready to help.
Parking is unallocated but there are more spots available than rooms, so you’ll never have an issue finding an off-street secure park. You can even gaze down at your vehicle during the day from the balcony if you choose (and are not pretending to be an olde worlde convict at the gaol).
We stayed in an upstairs unit this trip, in an Executive King room. Being upstairs was a good chance to test out our revolutionary ‘small bag’ packing system! Instead of packing one large suitcase filled with books and electronics chargers – why not pack 10 small bags! This ‘small bag’ system allows for a multitude of lighter bags, which lower the chance of toppling you over the staircase rail AND the system still allows for a period of mild irritation at all the bags you have to carry up and down the stairs! Perfect! Anyway, I digress.
The unit is very well appointed with a modern feel. As you first walk in, the kitchenette is to your right and sports a coffee machine with 2 free pods, and other hot drink making facilities & sachets. Grab yourself a biscuit from the complimentary stash, while you gaze adoringly at the microwave. No hot chocolate sachets, but plenty of mini bar delights if you need a sweet treat.
The shower and toilet are to your left (depending on which direction you’re facing now), all clean and tidy with blue shower gel / shampoo + conditioner provided for your hydro basics. If you look closely in the bathroom, you’ll spot Toilet who seems to have won a competition and is wearing a sash for everybody’s comfort.
Down the short hall to your right (or left. Stop turning around), is a cupboard where you can store your broomstick or play with the yoga mat. There’s a ‘business area’ under the TV where you can write your mystery novel – “Bective the Beef Detective” – it will be a smash hit! The desk has a nicer office chair than the one I use at home (the back of my work chair is held on by hopes, dreams and a hair tie that fell in it).
The unit has the capacity to be almost as cool as you, with air-con ready and waiting. Because I’m apparently a time-traveller from the 1930s, I thought the air-con remote was a phone at first, it’s so fancy. It has a little dock, and I half-thought it was a TV remote as I was turning the air on. It might still be. Also I’m assuming that everyone shouts “Air-on Targaryen!” (Game of Thrones) when they turn the air conditioning on. Yeah, me too.
There’s a bag stand to hold your 10 small suitcases if you don’t want your bags touching Dubbo carpet (you should be so lucky). A table with 2 chairs is available for you and your sweetheart to sit at (or put more bags on). When you’re done staring into each others eyes over an apple turnover and decaf afternoon tea – you can retire to the ‘lounge area’ which is another 2 comfortable arm chairs and a little table for your after-turnover treat.
By now you’ve circled around to the bed – how clever of you, Moriarty! It’s a king bed and very comfy. The bed is nice and high and made me think of that princess and the pea story. I did refrain from putting a pea under the mattress. You’re welcome, Dubbo.
There is a pool in the complex that looked good. If we were swimmers we’d definitely have taken a splash in there. When you’re done ‘taking laps’ or ‘moving through pool’ – head over the road to the bakery to replenish some of your essential pastry energy!
We had a really comfortable overnight stay at the Bluegum Dubbo Motel, and would definitely recommend to friends and family looking for a central and safe place to stay in Dubbo.
We enjoyed having the second sink in the kitchenette, so you don’t have to fill your kettle up in the toilet. Not that I use toilet water – but does anyone know how bathrooms work? No.
The shower was lovely and hot and I was very grateful for it after a long day of driving. I would have liked a bit more water pressure – but that’s a long-standing feud between me and waterfall showers.
Two small crickets came to wish us a happy morning. I decanted one outside, and then found another in my suitcase, who obviously was part travel bug. We left him behind too, but suggested he go check out the Botanic Gardens.
We really enjoyed our night at the Bluegum Dubbo Motel, and think you will too. Relaxing surrounds, friendly staff and plenty to see and do in Dubbo.
We encourage you to always source books from your local independent bookshop or library – however, we understand this is sometimes not practical based on location or budget.
Therefore, this part of the post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the book from that link, I get a few dollars at no extra cost to you! This way we can both stock up on holiday reads! 😀
The books we bought at the Book Connection Dubbo included:
