Sydney to Cobar road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Attractions between Sydney and Cobar: Mudgee to Dubbo

It’s another 126km from Mudgee to Dubbo, with a few more wineries to sample on the way – including Ernest Schuetz Estate Wines and Gooree Park.

The drive goes past southern end of the Dapper Nature Reserve, where you’ll find plenty of kangaroos and birdlife.

Fine things to do in Dubbo include stargazing at the Dubbo Observatory and taking a safari-style trip to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

Dubbo accommodation picks

Australia specialist booking site Wotif offers Dubbo accommodation for from $80 a night. To search through the options, visit the top deals page.

However, the following well-reviewed Dubbo accommodation options are particularly worth considering.

For families: Discovery Parks Dubbo holiday park.
For business travellers and anyone who wants a bit more space: The Quest apartments.
For good value in a central location: Surestay Hotel.
For a high quality motel with indoor AND outdoor pools: Cattlemans Country Motor Inn.

Sydney to Cobar drive: Dubbo to Cobar

It’s another 754km from Dubbo to Cobar, mostly through the New South Wales outback.

From Dubbo to Nyngan you’ll pass through Narromine, home of the Narromine Aviation Museum and Tom Perry Park. The latter hosts a statue of Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, Narromine’s famous cricketing son.

Just after Narromine is Trangie, where the Wungunja Cultural Centre showcases local Aboriginal art and culture.

The Mitchell Highway meets the Barrier Highway in Nyngan, however. Here, the Nyngan Museum looks at local history. The best photo stop, though, is the Big Bogan statue – one of the silliest Australian roadside Big Things.

Nyngan accommodation options include the half-decent Alamo Motor Inn and the more impressive Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park.

Once on the Barrier Highway, you quickly enter the true outback. There’s not much to see on the leg from Nyngan to Cobar, although you can have a look at the former Mount Boppy Gold Mine in Canbelego.

Things to do in Cobar include learning about the copper mining heritage in the Great Cobar Museum and enjoying the delightfully weird Cobar Sound Chapel art installation.

Just outside of Cobar, Mount Grenfell National Park has a wealth of Aboriginal rock art.