Where in the World is Dubbo, NSW?
We Traveled Farther West than We Have Been!
Dubbo, NSW
Hello Elementary Friends,
As I shared in the last blog, over the past weekend we traveled west from Sydney about 5.5 hours. It was intriguing to watch the topography change as we ventured over the Blue Mountains and into the Orana Region of New South Wales.
Dubbo is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population hub in the Orana region, with an estimated population of around 40,000.
It is located at the intersection of the Mitchell, Newell and Golden highways. The nearest city, Orange, is approximately 144 km (89 mi) away. Dubbo is located approximately 275 m (902 ft) above sea level, 400 km (249 mi) northwest of Sydney and is a major road and rail freight hub to other parts of New South Wales. It is linked by national highways north to Brisbane, south to Melbourne, east to Sydney and Newcastle, and west to Broken Hill and Adelaide.
A bit of history of Dubbo reveals evidence of habitation by Indigenous Australians dating back approximately 40,000 years. The first permanent European settler in the area was English born Robert Dulhunty, who was described as one of the wealthiest citizens in the Australian colony at the time. There are records of squatters being given permission to set up large sheep and cattle stations throughout the area, and consequently, Dulhunty occupied a property, known as Dubbo station established in 1823. With the passing of the Squatting Act in 1836 he took out a licence on the property.
Dulhunty showed an affinity with Indigenous Australians, his party included some 40 Aborigines, and he favored using Aboriginal names for properties, including Dubbo. Dubbo is now thought to be a mispronunciation of the local Wiradjuri word "Thubbo" but because of a lack of precise records from Dulhunty at the time and an incomplete knowledge of the Wiradjuri language today there is some conjecture over the word's meaning. A popular current theory is the word means "red earth", consistent with the local landscape. It is also possible that Thubbo or Tubbo is Wiradjuri for "head covering," a theory put forward to support this name is that the shape of Dulhunty's house may have looked like a hat to the local people.
It is amazing to me to think that there is evidence of human life in Australia dating back over 40,000 years! I know that humans are thought to have inhabited Africa and Asia for much longer than that, but according to what I can find, the Native Americans have a short 14,000 year history on our North American terrain! Do you ever walk somewhere and think, "How long ago were feet walking on the path that I am on now?"
Well - back to Dubbo! The primary economy of the area is agriculture. It is interesting that people here do not really use the term "rancher." If you grow crops, you are a farmer. If you raise cattle, you are a farmer. If you raise sheep, you are a farmer on a sheep farm. If you raise A LOT of sheep on a very large area of land, you are a farmer on a sheep station. Mitch has said that some of our Texas rancher friends might take offense to being called a farmer, but that is just how it is!
I spent the weekend trying to decide which town in Texas or Colorado would most resemble Dubbo. Here are a few photos of the town and the area surrounding it.
OK - West Texas Friends - can you guess which town I picked as the one? Without the river, it looks a lot like Plainview - about 45 minutes north of Lubbock!
I was eager to go to Dubbo to see the schools that would naturally have a different demographic of students than the urban school that I am placed in a northern suburb of Sydney. What I found is that yes, the students are different in some ways, but just as capable, and they are enjoying a quality education provided to them by the amazing teachers at the two schools I visited! I started the day as a guest of my exchange teacher friend, Susy Yaghjian, at her school - Dubbo College - South Campus. Typically in New South Wales, the "high school" is years 7-12. When two or more schools merge they are called a "college" with different campuses. There are 2 campuses of years 7-10, and then one campus with years 11-12. The Dubbo South Campus has a very nice facility with a very large agriculture "farm." Students were busy in agriculture classes tending to the animals (sheep) and to the crops. I attended three science classes with Susy - in one we were pretending to solve a murder with forensic clues, in another we went outside and threw balls of various sizes and weights to see which ones would go the farthest and why, and finally in the year ten class we discussed stem cell research! Wow - I had not had that much science in one morning in a long time. In the Year Ten class the discussion took a turn into organ donation, and I was able to share my story about my father, George Babcock receiving a heart transplant in 1991. We discussed the benefits of being an organ donor, and I shared we will never know, but that my dad might have lived if he had not had to wait so long for his transplant. The students listened attentively, and asked Mrs. Yaghjian how they could volunteer to be an organ donor. I don't know about you, but I feel good about the future of our world with kids like these who are committed to helping their fellow human beings!
I think I have told you that it is customary that school pauses each day for Morning Tea around 11:00. No different at Dubbo College! Fridays are treat day in the staff room, so Susy urged me in line where I promptly received a "raffle ticket!" We then shared food and conversation with her school family. They were very welcoming to me and positive about their work. One teacher handed out awards for work efforts for the week, another drew raffle numbers out for a few donated prizes, and a third went around with a basket filled with little inspirational quotes for a Happy Friday! Mine says, "You can't live a positive life with a negative mind." I plan to keep my quote in my wallet at least until I get home to remind me that most of the Aussies I have met are people that I would want to surround myself with back home - people who love life and who are doing their best to live that positive life that we all desire!
Later in the afternoon I took a short walk with Susy down the street to the primary school - Dubbo South Public School. I visited a classroom on Years 3-4. It is called a composite class - back home it might be referred to as multi-age, multi-grade, or composition class. We have three composite classes at Beaumont Road, so I was eager to see it in action. The teacher served as a facilitator for the children's research on various topics about the Olympics. They each had an I-pad, and all were actively involved in higher order thinking and problem solving. I was impressed with the independence and self-regulation of the students especially on a Friday afternoon! Thank you Mrs. Farrell for inviting me into your class - I really appreciate it!
Friday evening we went to dinner with Susy, her husband, John, and his sister, Deb. We had a lovely Thai meal and wonderful conversation. We then "hit the hay" because tomorrow is ZOO DAY!
The next morning after a delicious breakfast and coffee prepared by John, we visited a farmers market in town prior to heading to the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo. We loaded up with some fruits and veges to take back to Sydney!
Last week I told you a bit about the Western Plains Zoo, but here is the information again in case you haven't had a chance to read last week's blog:
The Taronga Western Plains Zoo is located in Dubbo, in central west New South Wales. The Zoo is home to hundreds of animals from around the world and consists of free access Visitor Plaza and a 6km circuit that meanders through natural bushland and around large open style exhibits.
We had heard many good things about the Dubbo Zoo and how the free range exhibits mirror the natural habitat of many endangered animals from around the world. There was a news report a few weeks ago that two baby giraffes were born at the Dubbo Zoo!
Here is a link to the Taronga Western Plains Zoo website:
We had a perfect day seeing all of the animals - I especially loved the baby giraffes, baby zebras, and baby rhinoceros! IT is a great zoo and worth the drive from Sydney to Dubbo!
Of course, I also continue to love the marsupials! I guess it's because I know that I will be going home soon, and I won't be in a country where they are native anymore! We happened upon the koalas at a particularly active time. Usually when you see a koala, it will be sleeping high in the tree. These koalas were actually climbing around and eating for us!
Here is a link to a short video of one of the koalas munching on his eucalyptus!
Here are some photos of the koalas:
Finally - even though I have been in Australia for almost 8 months and I have seen many kangaroos and wallabies, I had yet to see a "joey in the mother's pouch!" I was elated when we looked closely at one of the wallabies - the pouch was moving! Could it be that a baby joey was in there? The answer? YES!
That night Susy and John had several of their friends over for a backyard dinner - yes you can have a backyard dinner in the middle of the winter here! It was great fun. We created our own individual pizzas and baked them in an outdoor pizza oven that was built for Susy and John by their exchange partner family last year! Mitch also cooked a gumbo, and it was quite a hit!
We had a delightful time with Susy and John over the weekend - thank you so much! We then headed home fairly early on Sunday morning to make the drive back to Sydney in order to get rested for week number four of term three at Beaumont Road!
A couple more bits of info for you before I close!
First - the Olympics are BIG here! It is all you hear on the news, and one station is airing nothing but the games for the next two weeks! Last week at school we held an opening ceremony and then our own BRPS Olympic Games! We had 62 multi-grade teams each led by a year 5 or 6 student and representing a different country. We actually have a family who has a connection to a person who carried the torch in the Sydney 2000 games. So, we were able to borrow the torch! Mitch brought the torch in first, and then it was handed to various teachers and students, and finally it was handed to the youngest child in the school who had the honor of lighting the Olympic Flame (a spotlight that was turned on just at the right moment)! Here is a short video of the beginning of our opening ceremony - the kids were so excited!
And now - this part is only for those of you who know my husband well. If you do, you know that he is deaf in his left ear. He was born that way, so he has never really known anything other than only hearing out of his right ear. Consequently, over the years that we have been together - 38 married on August 12, and three years before that in college, I have learned to always position myself on his right side. That is if I want him to hear what I am saying to him! It has been somewhat of a challenge in the car over here because he is driving on the right side of the car, and I am sitting on his left. It makes me being in charge of navigating a bit difficult when I must lean way over to the right and holler directions into his right ear while he is driving! Robyn, Andy, Mary Beth, and Kevin can all four attest to this humorous interaction that we have in the car going places!
Now - there is an upside to this story, and here it is. At home for all of these years Mitch always has trouble when driving through a drive-through - think about it - his left ear is out the window! So, he has been looking forward to driving through a drive-through here with his right ear out the window! He got to do it in Orange, NSW on our way home to Sydney from Dubbo on Sunday. Here is the happy camper ready to be able to hear the lady in the speaker at the drive-through at the "Macca's" (McDonald's).
Are you cracking up yet?
Welcome back to school teachers at home! Best wishes for a wonderful school year!
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