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DUBBO , an Aboriginal word meaning "red earth", is a self-styled "Wild West" country city on the banks of the Macquarie River, 420km northwest of Sydney and about 200km from Bathurst. The regional capital for the west of the state, it supports many agricultural industries and is located at a vital crossroads where the Melbourne-Brisbane Newell Highway meets the Mitchell Highway and routes west to Bourke or Broken Hill.

As such, it's well used to people passing through, but not staying long. If you do stop, drop by the Western Plains Zoo on Obley Road, 5km south of town off the Newell Highway (daily 9am-4pm; $18; keeper talks Sat, Sun & school holidays at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2pm & 3pm; 2hr zoo walks for an additional $3 Sat & Sun at 6.45am; www.zoo.nsw.gov.au ). The vast, open-range zoo features expansive landscaped habitats, through which many Australian animals are free to roam; other animals from five continents are kept in natural surroundings, separated from the public by moats or creeks rather than fences wherever possible. The zoo is crisscrossed by walking and cycling paths: especially during the hot months, the best idea is to get up early in the morning and set off early - by noon, the temperatures can become unbearable and the animals sometimes slink off out of sight into the shade. There is no public transport to the zoo, so cycling there, and around the zoo itself, is a good option: Wheeler Cycles, 193 Brisbane St (tel 02/6882 9899), rents out bikes; electronic carts and bikes can also be rented at the zoo itself ($11 for 4hr bike hire). If you prefer to walk, there's a pleasant cycle track following the river which takes around an hour on foot from the city centre. Otherwise, Langley's Dubbo Day Tours do pricey escorted bus tours (call tel 02/6884 5333 for times and prices) or you can take a taxi (Radio Cabs tel 13 1008).

The state's largest Livestock Market , 3km north out of town on the Newell Highway, auctions sheep and cattle every Monday, Thursday and Friday (unloading from 8.30am). It's worth a visit just to see the local farmers decked out authentically in their Akubra hats and Drizabone coats, and to get the authentic smell of country life. The YHA gives lifts to the market to its guests on request.

If you have another hour to spare, head for the Old Dubbo Gaol on Macquarie Street in the centre of town (daily 9am-4.30pm; $7). A hundred years ago, this fortress-style building housed some of the most notorious criminals of the west, and today it glories in the details of nineteenth-century prison life, with loving attention to the macabre: the gallows, the hangman's kit and the careers of some of those who were executed here. In the cells, life-size (and convincingly lifelike) animatronic models of convicted criminals tell the stories of their lives and condemned futures.

The Dubbo Museum at 234 Macquarie St (daily noon-4.30pm; $5.50) has an extensive and somewhat chequered collection of items of regional history. There are agricultural and transport exhibits, a colonial kitchen, musical instruments, a dentist's surgery and the re-creation of a village square complete with drapery store, bootmaker, barber and blacksmith. Also worth a look-in is the National Trust property Dundullimal Homestead (daily 9am-5pm), 2km past the zoo on Obley Road. An 1840s slab house with stone stables, it now houses a craft shop and mini farm, and you can sometimes see the odd jackeroo riding oxen rodeo-style. A visit here is best combined with a "hayride" on a truck and cruise on the Macquarie River, stopping in at the property for afternoon teas. Tours cost from $16, bookable on 02/6884 9984 or through the visitors centre.

The Dubbo Regional Gallery at 165 Darling St (Tues-Sun 11am-4.30pm) has a kitsch collection of animals represented in art, including, surprisingly, an exceptional painting of a fox by the noted Australian artist Arthur Boyd. They also have a rotating cultural programme, including indigenous works at times.