Dine And Discover Locally In The Central West Various animals at Taronga Western Plains Zoo,Dubbo NSW August 2020/Photograph by Rick Stevens

Is your Dine and Discover NSW vouchers burning a hole through your virtual pocket but you aren’t sure where to go?

Sydney may be off the cards for the near future, and there are loads of attractions to explore in our own beautiful region.

There are two adults in our household (my husband and myself) so we received $200 worth of vouchers, which we have recently used up within the Central West, shared below. But these are only a couple of suggestions on how we used ours. To find places locally near you, follow the link and type in your location to find a participating business here.

Extended Family Meal  (1 x Dine voucher)

If you have a large family and are missing a family get together (of more than 5 people) book a meal at one of the many COVID safe venues in town.

We celebrated Mother’s Day at the lovely Duntryleague with extended family, which we would not be able to do today with current visitor restrictions under anybody’s roof. We were still able to enjoy quality family time and there is the bonus of not cooking or cleaning up after so many people.

Day trip to Dubbo Zoo (2 x Discover and 1 x Dine voucher)

My husband and I took Miss 4 and Mr 2 for a day trip to Dubbo. I am yet to meet a child (or adult for that matter) who did not have a great experience at Dubbo Zoo. Personally, I think now is a great time for a weekend day trip with cooler, comfortable Dubbo weather and school holidays finished which makes for lesser crowds so you can walk, bike or drive around the circuit comfortably and take in the wonder of it all. We lined up our day so we were at the zoo cafe around lunch time and were able to use a Dine voucher.

A morning in Bathurst

Bathurst Rail Museum (1 x Discover voucher for family pass)

Bathurst Fossil and Mineral Museum (1 x Discover voucher for family pass)

Beekeepers Inn for lunch (1 x Dine voucher)

Husband and Mr 2 are big dinosaur fans, so the Bathurst Fossil Museum was an obvious choice when we were trying to use our vouchers, but on recommendation from a work colleague who lives in Bathurst we were told we should also stop by the Bathurst Rail Museum and I am glad we did. Now when you have a two year old and a four year old the thought of going to a museum made me a little bit nervous, however both places were great for the kids and I am so glad we went for the drive.

We stopped at the Fossil and Mineral Museum first when it opened, and admittedly the kids did race to the main event, being Australia’s most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. But there was a range of other interesting fossils and minerals which kept the kids engaged.

Next stop was the Rail Museum and for someone who is not a train enthusiast, unless we are watching Thomas the Tank with the children, I was impressed. It houses Australia’s largest public model railway which depicts the railway from Tarana to Bathurst during the 1950s to 60s in addition to a number of historical artefacts. But the most impressive feature as a parent was the dedicated kids space where the little people can construct their own model railway which had its own coffee shop attached to the play area…Bliss.

We finished our morning by stopping in at the Beekeepers Inn for lunch on the way back to Orange using up one of the Dine vouchers. Yum.

Milkshakes at Cook Park, Orange

The last Dine voucher I used with the kids during the school holidays. We stopped in at Anything Grows for milkshakes, coffee and cookies, and took our goodies across the road to Cook Park. You will not go wrong with milkshakes and the duck pond at Cook Park.

It is a tricky and anxious time for everybody, but where possible we should be supporting our local businesses who will be missing the extra visitors from Sydney during this period, and if you are unsure about travelling too far we truly have some amazing venues at our door step. So get out there before the 31st August and spend those vouchers!

Note: Before heading out, check local restrictions and contact participating business as some places do require pre-booking.

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Natalie Davis

I moved to Orange in 2006 from Sydney, and have called it home ever since. I have a four year old daughter and two year old son with my husband who I met shortly after moving here. I studied Public Relations and Business Studies at CSU Bathurst and now currently work for a not-for-profit.

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