Toowoomba to Dubbo road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Toowoomba to Dubbo drive: Narrabri to Coonabarabran

The Narrabri to Dubbo leg of the Toowoomba to Dubbo drive is a lot longer, taking about three hours and six minutes. The bulk of this time is spent passing through the Pillaga Forests, an enormous swathe of woodland that covers a largely uninhabited chunk of New South Wales.

The Timmallallie National Park lies within the Pillaga Forests. There’s plenty of wildlife to be seen her, plus a couple of campgrounds and walking tracks.

At the other end of the Pillaga Forests, you reach Coonabarabran. This country NSW town is known for its stargazing. You can have a go yourself at the Siding Spring Observatory or Milroy Observatory. During the day, you can opt to go hiking in Warrumbungle National Park. You can also take a tour of Australia’s largest telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory.

The stargazing makes Coonabarabran arguably the best overnight stop on the Moree to Dubbo leg of the drive.

The Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Toowoomba to Dubbo road trip: Entering Dubbo

From Coonabarabran to Dubbo, it’s slightly quicker to branch off the Newell Highway, skipping Gilgandra. Drive instead down Mendooran Road through Wattle Springs and Yarragrin. The drive passes mainly through the Goonoo State Conservation Area, which really isn’t set up for tourism.

Dubbo has a surprisingly strong hand when it comes to attractions. Top of the list are the Dubbo Observatory and Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Book tickets for the latter online to skip the queue.

Other things to do in Dubbo include spooky ghost tours at the Old Dubbo Gaol.