Best Walks in Dubbo: River Trails, Cycleways and Lookouts

A flat, shaded path along both banks of the Macquarie River, linking the city's parks and bridges into an easy loop — the best walk or ride in town, and ideal for families. It is sealed the whole way, gently graded, and threads past riverside playgrounds and barbecue spots, so it doubles as the place to let restless kids burn off energy between bigger attractions.

What makes it special is how completely it suits everyone. Prams roll easily, kids on their first bikes have a safe flat surface, grandparents can wander a short section and turn back whenever they like, and there is shade for most of the length. Walk it in the cool of the early morning for the prettiest light and the most birdlife — herons, ducks and the occasional pelican on the water — and you have the single most pleasant, lowest-effort outing in Dubbo, entirely free.

Beyond a conventional walk, the open-range zoo loop doubles as the best "trail" in Dubbo — kilometres of sealed paths winding past free-ranging giraffes, rhinos and zebras. You can hire bikes for the full eight-kilometre circuit or walk a section, and either way it turns exercise into an experience you simply cannot get anywhere else.

The paths are flat and family-friendly, with child bike seats and trailers for hire, so even young children can join. The one caveat is that this trail sits inside the zoo and requires entry — but if you are already spending the day there (and most Dubbo visitors are), it is comfortably the most memorable walk or ride you will do. Just plan it for the cool of the morning, as the route is exposed and Dubbo gets hot.

A bush reserve on the edge of town with short walking trails and a lookout over Dubbo and the surrounding plains — the closest thing to a hill walk in the area, and the pick for anyone wanting a little more effort and a proper view. The trails are short but the ground is natural and gently undulating rather than the sealed flat of the river, so it suits older children and reasonably mobile walkers more than prams.

It is the place to come for a sense of the country Dubbo sits in: native bush, birdlife, and a lookout that frames the city against the wide western plains. Early morning or late afternoon are best — cooler, with better light over the plains, and the chance of kangaroos in the reserve. Keep it short, carry water, and treat it as a half-hour to hour escape into a bit of bush rather than a serious hike.

About 45 minutes south of Dubbo, the Wellington Caves reserve pairs short surface walks with the guided cave tours and the dramatic old phosphate mine — a good leg-stretch on a hot or wet day when the river and reserve trails lose their appeal. The above-ground walks are gentle and family-friendly, and the underground tours give children and adults a genuinely different kind of "walk".

It earns its place here as the weather and heat backup: the caves stay cool year-round, so a scorching afternoon or a rainy morning that would ruin a river walk becomes the perfect time to head south. Treat it as a half-day outing best kept for a third day in Dubbo or a weather contingency, rather than something to squeeze into an already-full two-day trip. The drive itself is an easy run through Central West country.