A beautiful moderate-sized Australian country town with a typically wide main street. Situated in a valley surrounded by rolling hills adjacent to the Williams River, it is the centre of a sound dairying and cattle-raising district. Dungog is rich in natural assets, including mountain ranges, freshwater streams, clean air and magnificent rural vistas.

Where is it?: Hunter Valley. Dungog is 71 km north of Newcastle; 228 km north of Sydney.

Events: popular events include the Dungog Film Festival hosted at the James Theatre; the Dungog Agricultural Show; the Dungog Rodeo; the Thunderbolt Rally. Fosterton Loop is a 22 km stretch of road, used in the annual Pedalfest.

Lookout: Apex Lookout, located at the western edge of town. From this position it is clear that the town is nestled in a valley literally surrounded by mountains. The Knob (750 metres), on forest reserve (27km on Main Creek Road) is known for fine panoramic views.

Things to see and do

At the north-eastern corner of Brown St and Dowling St is the Dungog Information Centre, Ph: (02) 4992 2212. The staff know the area well and can give you directions, pamphlets on the town and district.

Heritage features: Court House 1838; St Josephs School (established 1888); St Mary's Catholic Church; Courthouse Hotel (1868); former CBC Bank (1874); Coolalie (1895); Post Office (1880); Anglican Christ Church (1849-58); Masonic lodge (1894); Cangon Homestead (1866)

Surrounding area


Chichester Dam: built between 1916 and 1923 when supplies from the Walka Waterworks near Maitland proved inadequate. 23 km north of Dungog, it has a capacity of 22 750 megalitres, a maximum depth of 37 m and it covers 184 ha. The flooded area was once a decent-sized goldmining town named Wangat.


Barrington Tops: carved out of an ancient volcano, Barrington Tops rises from near sea level to over 1500m. In the lower valleys, there are World Heritage-listed subtropical rainforests. Up on the plateau, the sub-alpine woodland regularly sees snow in winter. Most of the area is declared wilderness, and it's a well-known destination for bushwalkers, however the park is accessible even to those with limited mobility.