Region becomes tourist hotspot
DUBBO proved a popular choice among out-of-towners during the school holiday period, giving the region a much-needed boost.
Local moteliers, eateries and tourist attractions experienced a positive spike in visitation numbers, a welcome change after the severe impact of COVID-19 on tourism.
Dubbo’s newest attraction, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Visitor Experience, had 3,005 people through their doors in 16 days.
John Larkin, head of tourism for RFDS South Eastern Section, described it as “absolutely unbelievable,” with most guests coming from major metro areas.
“There were lots of families and kids, many from Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley were the biggest post codes,” he told
“The overall consensus was people just wanted to get out of Sydney and they felt safe in Dubbo and the feedback was extraordinary. On Tripadvisor we are the number one attraction, so it was a great success, it just shows you what you can do in a regional area.”
Countryman Motor Inn owner, Rick Lindner, loved seeing his 22room motel booked out.
“We were fully booked for the three weeks and at the restaurant we did up to three seatings a night, so all in all it was a really good result,” Mr Lindner told
“Everyone said the reason they came out this way was because they can’t travel anywhere else which is to our benefit really.”
The NRMA Dubbo City Holiday Park also had no vacancy, welcoming people from all walks of life over the two-week period, all of whom followed COVID Safe guidelines.
“It’s reassuring to see people are looking to regional centres like Dubbo as a school holiday destination,” manager Shaunie Bruce said.
“But it wasn’t just families who were keen for a getaway, we had couples, groups of friends and grey nomads all staying with us.
“We have strict social distancing rules in place plus contactless check-in, sterilisation of rooms and common areas as well as a log of everyone who enters the park so if there is ever a time when contact tracing needs to occur, we are ready.”
Short Street Store owner Krysten Hedger said her team was run off their feet, experiencing their busiest school holidays in history.
“We had record weeks, and a lot of the other businesses I’ve spoken to also had record weeks too, which is great.”
Meanwhile, Taronga Western Plains Zoo had more than 25,000 people through the gates during holiday period, while the Old Dubbo Gaol had 7,913.
COUNTRY Women’s Association of NSW has partnered with Workcover to help promote safety on farms.
The Alive and Well Farm Safety Campaign tells farmers stories with the aim of “shining a light” on some of the most common causes of injury and illness. Farmers are encouraged to visit the website, listen to other farmers’ stories and share their own views on why farm safety is so important.
In the last three years, almost 5500 NSW farmers have been injured at work and had to claim workers compensation.
www.aliveandwell.net.au