Dubbo

In 1824 two squatters were given permission to set up large sheep and cattle propeties adjacent the Macquarie River. The first permanent settler was Robert Dulhunty. He choosing grazing land which he named 'Dubbo' just to the south of the present townsite. It is certain he took the word from the local Aborigines but its meaning is entirely unclear.

In 1839 Dulhunty may have established some kind of roadside inn and he certainly built a homestead at Dubbo in 1840 but he remained an absentee landlord until 1847 when his family finally moved from Emu plains to Dubbo. The first school in the district was a slab hut built on the Dubbo property in the 1840s.

In 1846 the government decided to establish law enforcement institutions at Dubbo. A crude slab police residence and lock-up became the first buildings on the furture townsite in1847. An equally rough courthouse was completed in early 1848 and a post office opened within the courthouse that same year.