We first thought that a trip to the Outback should be part of our return to Sydney, but when we considered the 2000+ kilometer round-trip to Broken Hill (“The Gateway to the Outback”) we changed our minds. We decided to go as far west as Dubbo, home of the famous Western Plains Zoo. It would still mean several days of driving (since doing more than 4 or 5 hours a day for our family is pushing the limit).
The road to Dubbo saw several changes in climate. Armindale, about 100 K in from the coast was very cold – maybe 50 degrees F and rainy. By the time we got to Tamworth we were at a much lower elevation and the temperature was much more pleasant.
It seems that every town in Australia has some claim to fame: Tamworth, for example, is the “Country Music Capital of Australia”
We arrived there on Christmas Day and had dinner at an Indian Restaurant (thankfully multiculturalism in Australia means that some restaurants are open on Christmas Day).
The next day was 400 K of driving to Dubbo. We passed through Coonabarabran (“Astronomy Capital of Australia”) and Gunnedah (“Koala Capital of the World”). We took several family portraits on the way:
Although the signs warn of kangaroos (that can cause severe damage to your car) they only come out at dusk and we made sure to drive during the day. The Koalas are another matter. The sign in the picture was taken just past Gunnedah – with its boast of Koala premiership we figured we should keep an eye out for the little critters. In reality the likelihood of spotting a koala was rather slim: Most Aussies have never seen a koala in the wild and cruising along at 100 Kph during the day is not considered ideal for spotting them. They tend to stick to trees back in the bush and sit very still during the day. Nonetheless we kept staring off at trees like the one below, hoping to spot a Koala in the wild:
Wait a second. If you click on that picture it will give you a larger version. Perhaps you can spot the Koala family in that tree? Having trouble? Look straight up from Meta’s head in this one – towards the top of the tree is a mother and baby Koala!
Still not seeing it? How about this closer view (if you go to this large version you can even see the koala’s face):
And don’t forget Papa Bear:
That’s right, we spotted a whole family of Koala Bears in this lone tree right next to the highway. We pulled off the road and got photos from various angles. There is a video of the tree as well.
They barely woke up long enough to look down on us – they quickly realized we were tourists and did not want to encourage us. It was thrilling to see this rare and reclusive animal in the wild.