Dubbo will celebrate 60 years since it was proclaimed a city with a free community event at the Church Street Rotunda.
Locals and visitors are invited to enjoy live music by the Dubbo District Concert Band and cake as the community marks the milestone on 12 September 2026 at 10 am.
Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Josh Black said the 1966 proclamation was just one of the significant milestones our region has been through and an important one to celebrate.
“This anniversary marks 60 years since Dubbo became a city, but we also recognise our city has a history stretching back tens of thousands of years, and that’s a story worth telling alongside our own.”
“Since the proclamation, Dubbo has grown to become the major service centre for the western region, providing health, education, retail, transport and government services to the surrounding communities,” Clr Black said.
The city has seen significant investment in community facilities including libraries, sporting facilities, parks and gardens.
“Not only has our population grown but we have also grown in diversity, which has benefited our region through boosting our workforce and the businesses and services that call our region home,” Clr Black said.
“This celebration isn’t about Council marking its own history, rather it is about recognising the people who’ve built Dubbo into what it is. It’s about the families, the businesses and the volunteers who’ve stuck with this place through the good years and the hard ones.
“That’s worth a moment to stop and acknowledge,” Clr Black said.
Since 1966 the city’s population has grown from around 17,000 to more than 58,000 today, making Dubbo the major service centre for the western region.
Major additions over the past 60 years include Taronga Western Plains Zoo, the Western Plains Cultural Centre and Old Dubbo Gaol, now among the region’s leading tourist attractions.
Dubbo has also grown as an education hub, with Charles Sturt University and the University of Sydney’s School of Rural Health now based in the city.
The event will be held on Saturday 12 September 2026 from 10am to 11am.
