Within eight weeks of opening its doors in early January, the 14-room stage one of Macquarie Home Stay was achieving "very solid" bookings.
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That's despite not everyone in the region knowing of its existence including people who were "sleeping in their cars" before being referred to the facility by Dubbo Hospital staff.
Six months of trading has confirmed the critical need for the regional patient and family accommodation facility which has a looming deadline.
Managing director Rod Crowfoot wants to be able to offer cancer patients a bed by the time the Western Cancer Centre opens on the Dubbo Hospital campus in 2021.
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Funding is needed to build stage three of Macquarie Home Stay, earmarked for use by cancer patients.
Mr Crowfoot said stage three could be built before stage two.
Construction of both would cost "north of $7 million", he said.
"That would make a massive difference to the region," the managing director said.
In the interim Mr Crowfoot is advising people needing treatment at the hospital to book into Macquarie Home Stay without delay.
"On average we're looking at three nights a week where we're full with a waiting list," Mr Crowfoot said.
"A quiet night will still mean at least 10 rooms occupied."
Guests stay from a few days to three months.
They are coming to Dubbo from a huge geographical area.
"The boundary areas so far have been Broken Hill, Cunnamulla, Gooniwindi, Moree, Narrabri, Tamworth, through the Warrumbungles, across to Rylstone Kandos, Mudgee and back to Dubbo," Mr Crowfoot said.
"All the hospitals throughout the rural areas are referring people left right and centre for plenty of different reasons."
Mr Crowfoot has been collecting data for use in seeking support for further development of the facility.
"For example, we can say that 34 per cent of our guests are here for maternity purposes, and 20 per cent of our guests are from the Walgett Shire and 20 per cent from the Cobar Shire," he said.
The managing director of Macquarie Home Stay said it was able to bulk bill the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme on behalf of three-quarters of guests, who also made a co-payment.
The facility, which operates around the clock, can be contacted on 6885 4663.
