The New Dubbo
(presented to the LGA conference by the Dubbo Mayor)
First I’d like to acknowledge our cities in country Wiradjuri
They’re an integral part of our overall menagerie
You may not recognise Dubbo, it has a new look and feel
My excitement is obvious and impossible to conceal
I am sure you’ve heard of our zoo it’s just turned thirty five
With its new entrance and new animals it really has come alive
You can explore penal history at the Old Dubbo Gaol
Eight ghosts are said to wander but I think that’s an old wives tale
Our sports fields are second to none with a carnival every week
But that is not what makes our beautiful city unique
Three highways join at Dubbo making us the gateway to the west
And our new LEP will allow developers to invest
With schools and TAFE and universities, we have an educational theme
The influx of students has certainly helped our Rugby team
Most people assume regionals focus solely on agriculture
But we’ve discovered something new, and we call it culture
Just to prove a point we built the aptly named cultural centre
With its gallery and museum you will be amazed when you enter
We have a new five hundred seat theatre ”“ of course the seats are tiered
And the acoustics are spot-on as it was perfectly engineered
And we have our Shoyoen Japanese and Sensory Gardens
We believe they’re the best in the state with no beg your pardons
Ride your bike along our river cycleway – forget your automobile
Squeeze into your lycra and show off your buns of steel
But what is unique and will amaze beyond your wildest dreams
Is how friendly everyone is, we take it to extremes
A compliment here, a wave over there, nothing is too much trouble
Our smile is so wide you can see it from … telescope Hubble
It’s because we have something that can’t be bought ”“ we call it time
Our lifestyle is grand – it is great ”“ I normally just call it sublime
You can see we have much more to offer than just our world class zoo
And to top it all off, we have a mayor,
who thinks he’s a poet too.