The most wanted man in the country, former Dubbo abattoir worker Malcolm Naden, was arrested by police in rugged bushland near Gloucester in March 2012.

After seven years on the run, Naden admitted he killed his cousin Lateesha Nolan and and Kristy Scholes in 2005. Naden was convicted of the brutal murders and the indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl.

In June 2013, NSW Supreme Court Justice Derek Price sentenced Naden to life behind bars.

One of the police officers recognised for his role in bringing Naden to justice was former Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna who is now the boss of the Orana Mid-Western Police District.

With a resounding amount of community support, same-sex marriage became legal in Australia in December 2017 and long-term partners Kris Stevens and Bizzi Mason were the first-newly eligible Dubbo couple to tie the knot.

Community spirit levels in Dubbo were off the dial in October 2018 when Prince Harry and wife Meghan touched down in the city.

School kids, farmers and even the mayor were completely captivated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

"We really want to see Harry because he is a sexy ranga," Dubbo mum Tara Fisher told the Daily Liberal as she joined thousands of admirers at Victoria Park for a picnic event.

The tragic death of 20-year-old Jake Walton in February 2018 saddened thousands of Daily Liberal readers.

Known as a fit, hard-worker who went above and beyond to help people in need, the young man's death left a void in the hearts of many Dubbo residents.

A NSW government decision to merge Dubbo and Wellington councils sparked outrage across the two communities in May 2016.

Existing councils were sacked and an administrator was appointed before residents elected a new Dubbo Regional Council in September 2017.

Most of NSW was in drought at the start of 2010 but by the end of the year, the heavens had well and truly opened.

A 140-year-old rainfall record was broken in December 2010 after 70mm of rain fell in Dubbo in the first two days of the month.

The city went under again in July 2016, with another flood which caused traffic chaos.

The decade ended with the Dubbo region in drought again, with Burrendong Dam at two per cent capacity and no decent rainfall on the horizon.

The Wambelong fire which swept through the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran in January 2013 was one of the region's most devastating blazes. Fifty-three homes were destroyed and 55,000 hectares burnt.

A similar amount of land was burnt in February 2017 during the Sir Ivan bushfire which destroyed dozens of homes and killed thousands of animals in the Dunedoo, Coolah and Cassilis districts.

After eight years on the run, Gino and Mark Stocco were finally caught hiding out at an Elong Elong property in October 2015.

Police found the body of farm caretaker Rosario Cimone in scrub land near where the father and son were arrested.

In March 2017 the pair were each handed a 40-year jail term for murder.

Allan Smith's reign as Dubbo mayor came to an end in September 2011 when businessman Mathew Dickerson was elevated to the top job by most of his fellow councillors.

Mr Dickerson remained as mayor until the NSW government sacked the council as part of a forced merger with Wellington in 2016.

Councillor Ben Shields got the mayor's job after the September 2017 Dubbo Regional Council election and is still in the role.

Following years of neglect and delays, Dubbo Hospital finally got a $91.3 million upgrade. Stages one and two of the long awaited hospital development were opened in January 2016.

Work is now under way on stages and three four of the redevelopment.

In 2015 thousands of Dubbo residents signed a petition which urged the NSW government to fund a drug rehab centre in the city.

At the end of the decade the region was still without a facility despite years of inquiries recommending it, soaring ice use and crime rates above the NSW average.

Dunedoo residents were reeling after the NSW government stepped away from developing a proposed job-creating coal mine at Cobbora in July 2013.

The former Labor government acquired about 90 properties so it could build a state-owned mine in the area, but when the Coalition won office it said taxpayers would suffer greatly if the unviable project went ahead.

The government sold the land again and dedicated 30 per cent of the money towards building regional NSW infrastructure projects.

Dubbo voters fell back in love with the National Party at a state level in March 2011, when they elected Troy Grant to represent them in state parliament in March 2011. Independent candidates Dawn Fardell and Tony McGrane held the seat from 1999 to 2011 but the Nationals have retained their grip on it despite anger over amalgamation and a now reversed greyhound racing ban.