View source for Dunedoo

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
<!-- BEGIN Suburb infobox (scroll down to edit main article text) -->
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                     = town
| name                     = Dunedoo
| state                    = nsw
| image                    = Dunedoo Bolaro Street 002.JPG
| caption                  = Bolaro Street ([[Castlereagh Highway]]), the main street of Dunedoo, 2017
| image_alt                = 
| relief                   = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|32|01|0|S|149|24|0|E|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map_caption      = 
| pushpin_label_position   = 
| map_alt                  = 
| pop                      = 1,021
| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}}
| pop_footnotes            = <ref name=Census>{{Census 2021 AUS|id=UCL121033|name=Dunedoo (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=5 January 2019|quick=on}}[[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>
| poprank                  = 
| density                  = 
| density_footnotes        = 
| established              = 1840s
| established_footnotes    = 
| abolished                = 
| gazetted                 = 
| postcode                 = 2844
| elevation                = 399
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| area                     = 
| area_footnotes           = 
| timezone                 = 
| utc                      = 
| timezone-dst             = 
| utc-dst                  = 
| dist1                    = 90
| dir1                     = 
| location1                = [[Mudgee]]
| dist2                    = 100
| dir2                     = 
| location2                = [[Dubbo]]
| lga                      = Warrumbungle Shire
| seat                     = 
| region                   = 
| county                   = [[Bligh County, New South Wales|Bligh]]
| division                 = 
| stategov                 = [[Electoral district of Upper Hunter|Upper Hunter]]
| fedgov                   = [[Division of Parkes|Parkes]]
| visitation_num           = 
| visitation_year          = 
| visitation_footnotes     = 
| managing_authorities     = 
| url                      = 
| maxtemp                  = 23.8
| maxtemp_footnotes        = 
| mintemp                  = 9.5
| mintemp_footnotes        = 
| rainfall                 = 614.2
| rainfall_footnotes       = 
| near-n                   = 
| near-ne                  = 
| near-e                   = 
| near-se                  = 
| near-s                   = 
| near-sw                  = 
| near-w                   = 
| near-nw                  = 
| near                     = 
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Dunedoo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ʌ|n|i|d|uː}} {{respell|DUN|ee-doo}}) is a village of 1,021 inhabitants<ref name=Census/> situated within the [[Warrumbungle Shire]] of central western [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name (''[[Dunny]]'' is a colloquial Australian word for a toilet). The name is actually derived from a local Aboriginal word meaning "swan",<ref>{{NSW GNR|id = JPlpjzZTJP|title = Dunedoo|accessdate = 5 August 2013}}</ref> which are commonly found in the area's lagoons.
The local tip is free of charge residents are able to dump rubbish for free in the designated areas.

The town is located on the north-western edges of the [[Sydney basin]].<ref>http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/96847/20758.gif {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917080323/http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/96847/20758.gif |date=17 September 2011 }} {{Bare URL image|date=March 2022}}</ref>

==Geography and features==
Dunedoo is located {{convert|399|m}} above sea-level on the southern bank of the [[Talbragar River]] at the intersection of the [[Golden Highway|Golden]] and [[Castlereagh Highway]]s. It is a relatively isolated township with the two nearest rural centres of [[Mudgee]] and [[Dubbo]] situated approximately {{convert|90|km}} to the south and {{convert|100|km}} west respectively. It is due to this isolation that Dunedoo has many facilities not usually found in villages of this size. Dunedoo largely functions as a service centre to the surrounding district which focuses on the production of wheat, cattle, mixed farming, timber, lambs and wool. As with many wheat-growing centres of western New South Wales the village's skyline is dominated by a large silo. The Dunedoo silo has [[Winx (horse)|Winx]] on it. Dunedoo also features a hospital (Dunedoo War Memorial Hospital), two schools (a government administered combined primary and high school and a catholic primary school), a licensed hotel, a small commercial area, a small freight railway station as well as sporting and special event facilities. Dunedoo also features [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Anglican]] and [[Presbyterian]] churches.

==History==
Before European settlement Dunedoo and the surrounding area was occupied by the [[Gamilaroi]] and [[Wiradjuri]] peoples. 
[[Allan Cunningham (botanist)|Allan Cunningham]] was the first British explorer to discover the area in 1823 while travelling [[Pandoras Pass, New South Wales|Pandoras Pass]] over the [[Warrumbungles|Warrumbungle]] ranges to the Liverpool Plains. Surveyors studied the area in 1832 followed by squatters who settled the region.<ref>{{cite web | title=Dunedoo Tourism | work=Coolah District Telecentre | url=http://www.coolahddg.com.au/dunedoo.htm | access-date=2006-04-24 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311034012/http://www.coolahddg.com.au/dunedoo.htm | archive-date=2005-03-11 }}</ref> The town was founded somewhere in the 1840s and was originally known as Bolaro and later as Redbank. Dunedoo remained a small village throughout the 19th century and the nearby town of [[Cobbora]] was considered to be the regional centre for many years. However, Dunedoo's population grew substantially after the construction of the [[Gwabegar railway line]] and the opening of passenger services in 1910.<ref>{{cite web | title=Dunedoo Railway Station| work=NSWRail.net | url=http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?state=NSW&location=dunedoo | access-date=2006-04-24}}</ref>
''Bolaro'' Post Office opened on 1 November 1876 and was renamed ''Dunedoo'' in 1909.<ref name = "Post Office">{{Cite web  | last = Phoenix Auctions History  | title = Post Office List  | publisher = Phoenixl Auctions  | url = http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&filter=*Dunedoo*  | access-date = 8 February 2021}}</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Dunedoo-Bolaro St.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Bolaro St The main street of Dunedoo<ref>{{cite web|title=Dunedoo|work=Australian Towns, Cities & Highways|url=http://www.hotkey.net.au/~krool/photos/index.htm|access-date=2006-04-24}}</ref>]] -->
The first half of the 20th century saw many of Dunedoo's residents fighting in both the [[World War I|first]] and [[World War II|second world wars]], documented by the war memorial currently found in the town's park. The gradual loss of railway services in western NSW affected Dunedoo in the 1960s with the loss of passenger railway services, however freight trains still commonly use the line. Other services, such as the village's cinema, have also been lost over time.

In 2002, Dunedoo appeared in an [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] documentary entitled "A Loo with a View".<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s647044.htm A Loo with a View] documentary page at the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]</ref> Dunedoo is currently{{when|date=June 2018}} suffering the fate of many small regional towns of NSW in that its population is gradually decreasing. Many locals fear that the town will eventually be deserted and thus many creative ideas have been floated as possible methods of reversing the current trend. The Dunedoo District Development Group had proposed to build "The Big Dunny" in the hope of attracting tourists, as the [[Big Banana]] does for [[Coffs Harbour]] and [[Australia's Big Things|big things]] in other parts of Australia.  The documentary centred on "The Big Dunny" proposal, it was to have been a three-storey high building featuring five-star toilets, visitor centre, viewing platform, and even a radio station.  Local shire councillor and farmer Frank Gaden was against it, reckoning it would be an embarrassment.  Feasibility consultant Ian Farlow concluded it would, unfortunately, attract only 30 visitors a day which would not be enough to make it worthwhile, and proposed instead an environmentally friendly self-composting toilet block.  The council decided against the latter and in the end nothing was built.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/06/1028157932078.html |title=Big Dunny plans go down the toilet |work=[[The Age]] |date=8 August 2002 |format=Film review }}</ref>

2005 saw the town incorporated into the newly created Warrumbungle Shire, formed from the previous [[Coolah Shire|Coolah]] and [[Coonabarabran Shire]]s. The town was briefly divided over the prospect of joining [[Coonabarabran Shire]] with many preferring the town be incorporated into the Mudgee-based [[Mid-Western Regional Council]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Dunedoo divided over council merger| work=ABC News Online | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nsw/neweng/200408/s1172854.htm| access-date=2006-04-24}}</ref>

==Heritage listings==
Dunedoo has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Wallerawang-Gwabegar railway: [[Dunedoo railway station]]<ref name=nswshr-1134>{{cite NSW SHR|5012001|Dunedoo Railway Station and yard group|hr=01134|accessdate=18 May 2018}}</ref>

==Population==
In the 2016 Census, there were 747 people in Dunedoo. 84.8% of people were born in Australia and 91.0% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Anglican 38.1%, Catholic 24.8%, No Religion 18.2%.<ref name=Census/>

==Climate==
Dunedoo's climate is on the drier end of a [[subtropical climate]] (''Cfa''), with a large difference between summer and winter.

{{Weather box
|location = Dunedoo (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1965–present)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 44.8
|Feb record high C = 45.4	
|Mar record high C = 39.8	
|Apr record high C = 34.1	
|May record high C = 28.6		
|Jun record high C = 24.5	
|Jul record high C = 24.0
|Aug record high C = 28.8	
|Sep record high C = 34.4	
|Oct record high C = 37.1	
|Nov record high C = 43.7	
|Dec record high C = 43.8	
|year record high C = 45.4
|Jan high C = 33.1
|Feb high C = 31.7	
|Mar high C = 28.7	
|Apr high C = 24.9	
|May high C = 20.1		
|Jun high C = 16.4		
|Jul high C = 15.8		
|Aug high C = 17.9		
|Sep high C = 21.7	
|Oct high C = 25.5	
|Nov high C = 28.7	
|Dec high C = 31.3		
|year high C = 24.7		
|Jan low C = 18.0
|Feb low C = 17.5
|Mar low C = 14.6	
|Apr low C = 10.4
|May low C = 6.3	
|Jun low C = 4.0	
|Jul low C = 2.5	
|Aug low C = 2.9	
|Sep low C = 6.0	
|Oct low C = 9.5	
|Nov low C = 13.3	
|Dec low C = 15.7
|year low C = 10.1	
|Jan record low C = 5.2		
|Feb record low C = 7.0		
|Mar record low C = 1.1	
|Apr record low C = -2.2	
|May record low C = -5.1	
|Jun record low C = -6.7		
|Jul record low C = -8.3		
|Aug record low C = -6.7
|Sep record low C = -3.3
|Oct record low C = -1.7
|Nov record low C = 0.5
|Dec record low C = 1.2
|year record low C = -8.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 69.6	
|Feb precipitation mm = 64.3	
|Mar precipitation mm = 52.6		
|Apr precipitation mm = 41.5
|May precipitation mm = 44.4		
|Jun precipitation mm = 44.5	
|Jul precipitation mm = 46.9		
|Aug precipitation mm = 40.8		
|Sep precipitation mm = 42.5		
|Oct precipitation mm = 52.6	
|Nov precipitation mm = 54.7	
|Dec precipitation mm = 62.7		
|year precipitation mm = 617.2	
|Jan precipitation days = 6.2	
|Feb precipitation days = 5.7	
|Mar precipitation days = 5.0
|Apr precipitation days = 4.6	
|May precipitation days = 6.3	
|Jun precipitation days = 7.3	
|Jul precipitation days = 7.9	
|Aug precipitation days = 7.2	
|Sep precipitation days = 6.7	
|Oct precipitation days = 7.0
|Nov precipitation days = 6.7		
|Dec precipitation days = 6.6
|year precipitation days = 77.2		
|source 1 = <ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_064009_All.shtml|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations
|date=July 2011}}</ref>
}}

==Sport and culture==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Hotel Dunedoo.jpg|right|thumb|400px|'''Hotel Dunedoo''' (also known as The Top Pub) is one of two licensed hotels in Dunedoo]] -->Dunedoo features many sporting facilities including Robertson Oval (used for [[rugby league]] and [[netball]]). The Dunedoo Sports club has a 9-hole [[golf]] course and four grass [[tennis]] courts, as well as two [[squash (sport)|squash]] courts. [[touch football (rugby league)|Touch football]] is also played there during the summer months on part of the golf course close to the club building. Dunedoo also has a [[Bowls|lawn bowls]] club. Competitions are held regularly in each of these sports within the town.

Dunedoo Swans [[rugby league]] team play in the [[Castlereagh Cup]] rugby league and produced former [[St. George Dragons|St George]] and NSW centre [[Brian Johnston]]. Their uniform features the colours green and white.

Between 1957 and 1959, the Dunedoo Car Club held four motor racing meetings on a course located on the "Wargundy" property approximately 10 kilometres south-east of the town.<ref name="Walker">{{cite book|last1=Walker|first1=Terry|title=Fast Tracks - Australia's Motor Racing Tracks: 1904-1995|date=1995|publisher=Turton & Armstrong|location=Wahroonga, NSW|isbn=0908031556|page=138}}</ref> The circuit was less than a mile in length, and originally was dirt with oil bonded into the surface, although later the Club paved several corners, with the intention of paving the whole circuit in the future.<ref name="Galpin">{{cite web|last1=Galpin|first1=Darren|title=Pound Hill|url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/poundhil.html|website=GEL Motorsport Information Page|access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref> Unfortunately for the Club, as the circuit was in private property, it was not covered by any lease, and existed purely on the goodwill of the owner of "Wargundy".<ref name="Walker" /> The owner withdrew the goodwill in 1959, and the circuit closed down.<ref name="Galpin" />

Dunedoo is host to many festivals including the Dunedoo Bush Poetry Festival held annually in April by the Dunedoo District Development Group. The Dunedoo Show is held each February featuring carnival rides and several [[rodeo]]-themed events including whip-cracking and bull riding. The town also holds annual [[ANZAC Day]] marches and [[Christmas]] parades in the main street.

Dunedoo has a community radio station, Three Rivers Radio. It broadcasts continuously on a frequency of 96.1&nbsp;MHz. Programs include Sport, Good Music Cafe, Jazz, Great Musicals, Hymns, Chatter Box (Dunedoo Central School on air each week), St Michaels School alternate weeks, Good music all the time including Frank Bourke's old time orchestra each week.

==See also==
* [[Denison Town, New South Wales|Denison Town]], nearby ghost town

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Dunedoo}}

{{Towns and Villages in Warrumbungle Shire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Central West (New South Wales)]]
[[Category:Dunedoo, New South Wales| ]]
[[Category:Warrumbungle Shire]]