Cobar
Cobar is a town in Far West (New South Wales).
Get in
If you're coming from the NSW seaboard, the most direct way of getting to Cobar is via Dubbo, Nyngan, and the Barrier Highway. The Kidman Way passes through the town north-to-south, and can be used if you're coming from Queensland (via Bourke) or Victoria (via Griffith).
The Broken Hill coach service meets the Dubbo XPT and stops at Cobar.
Since Regional Express suspended flights from Sydney and Dubbo in 2017, there are no scheduled services. The airport is around 10km out of the town centre, so you'll need a taxi or hire car into town. However, if you do feel like walking or cycling, there is an off-road path that takes you to the airport, so you don't need to be on the road.
The closest airport would be Dubbo, from where rental cars are available.
Get around
It's hard to get lost in a town as small as Cobar, and you can see most of it in a couple of hours - at most - of walking. There is a taxi service (02 6836 2684), if you need it.
See
The town has an interesting mining museum on the highway at the eastern end of town. It covers much of the history of the town and its people, and will give you an idea of how hard life was when the first settlers arrived in the 19th century.
The Cobar Meteorological Office is open to visitors most days, and if you arrive at around 10AM, you'll see the daily release of a weather balloon. The staff are friendly and happy to talk about their work.
The local tourist office supplies a free walking tour map.
Cobar is home to the "Big Beer Can", which sits above the entrance to the Grand Hotel.
Do
Buy
Eat
- Bob and Elaine's Bakery, just off the main road, opposite the park. The cream buns are recommended.
Bowling Club (a few blocks south of the highway, towards the western edge of town.). It has a Chinese restaurant which does take-aways. If you're lucky, there may be live music as well.
Drink
Sleep
Go next
Head to the outback - you're nearly there.