Old Dubbo Gaol

The Old Dubbo Gaol is a small, compact gaol located within the central business district of Dubbo.

The enclosing wall is extensive and high. It is built of Dubbo red-brown bricks in English bond, with piers, laid in lime mortar. Above the north-eastern corner of the wall is a watchtower having a wide eaved roof of corrugated iron.. When closed, the Government of New South Wales planned its demolition and replacement with a multi-storey office block.

Protests led by the then Dubbo City Council and local historical society led to the plans being dropped. In 1973 the building was transferred from the NSW Department for Corrections to the city council, with the intention of restoration and creation of a tourist attraction.

The Dubbo Gaol was erected on the site of the original courthouse. It is believed to have been officially opened in 1887. Many of the buildings however were already in existence by this time. Many changes and new buildings followed. The surrounding wall also changed shape. Closed as a gaol in 1966, the complex re-opened as a tourist attraction in 1974.