Our History: The evolution of Dubbo's court house from 1848-2022

Prior to 1846, law in the Dubbo area was administered from Wellington. Some of the main offences ranged from cattle theft and drunken brawling to the illegal manufacturing of spirits.

As the number of people settling in the district began to grow the the government decided to provide a police station, court house and lock-up.

In 1846 Dubbo was proclaimed a place where Courts of Petty Sessions would be held and a notice appeared in the Government Gazette to this effect on December 22, 1846.

The first bench of Magistrates appointed consisted of Robert Dulhunty, EB Cornish and John Maughan.

The constables residence was completed in 1847 and the first court house was completed the following year.

Both buildings were timber-slab constructions with shingles roofs, fronting Macquarie Street. The constable's residence and lock-up was on the site of the now Old Dubbo Gaol. The lock-up was a slab-hut connected to the court house comprising two cells and a guard room.

Although by 1851, Dubbo had a population of just 47 people, but the district began to grow rapidly. In December 1858 the town was proclaimed as a place where District Courts were to be held.

Judge Dowling presided at the first District Court on July 7, 1959 in the old timber court house.

During these years the status of Dubbo as a centre of legal administration continued to rise, despite all sittings in the old timber court which in 1861 was described as "one of those miserable log huts where the rain in any quantity makes its way through the shingles onto the vouchers".

In February 1862 a new court house was commissioned, and designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet.

The new stone courthouse was completed in 1863 and featured two wings, one of which was the new gaol.

The original timber court house was removed from the front of the new stone building, leaving a large area facing Macquarie Street.

This space, according to historical documents was used by architect Mr Barnet to alter and extend the court house forward. The old arched veranda was replaced with a skillion-roofed veranda, supported on posts and extended to screen the original wings.

However Dubbo's second court house was demolished in 1909 to make way for the Government Savings Bank - later the Rural Bank.

As the years went by the 1863 court house revealed its inadequacies for the growing town and district.

After much debate about the size required and where it was to be built a site was finally chosen facing Brisbane Street - where it stands today.

According to Historic buildings of Dubbo by Tonette Milling, legend has it that when decided to build a new court house in Dubbo, someone submitted plans meant for a much larger centre.

Thus when work was completed in 1887, Dubbo boasted a building which could have been considered comical for a town scarcely more than the size of a village.

Heavy iron gates flanked on either side by massive stone pillars , guard the walk which leads up a flight of stone steps onto the portico.

Corinthian columns rise proudly to meet the pediment, with the NSW coat of arms hanging against a white stucco background.

However, for journalists and reporters at the time the building's sound conditions were bad.

According to the Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate from April 19, 1911 a report noted while the court was architecturally an "ornament to the town" and well ventilated, they noted it was lacking in its acoustic conditions.

"The acoustic conditions are bad. Pressmen find it almost impossible to report evidence correctly," the report read.

"Jurymen and solicitors find it difficult to hear what timid witnesses have to day, and when men like Mr Jim Gannon are addressing the jury it is simply a chaos of sound.

This is a matter for which the remedy is simple, and the expense trifling. Mr T.A Nicholas, with his characteristic alertness is on the job. He is asking various civic bodies to make a united request to the Justice Department to have the necessary alterations made."

By 1976 an increased population and the importance of Dubbo as a regional centre determined the need for additional judicial facilities outside the confines of the existing building.

To minimise the impact of the historical precinct, an open area between the rear of the old court house and the Old Dubbo Gaol was selected as the site for the new court building.

Several old cottages and storage buildings were removed to provide a large open lawn or "Victorian greenwood" with the new building built on the back of the third court house overlooking the lawn and former caretaker's cottage.

The new court complex - which began construction in 1978 - features two new courtrooms one for local and district court matters.

Extensive office areas have been provided for the Clerk of Petty Sessions and Sherriff's offices. Located to the rear of the building are offices and chambers for the judiciary and legal profession whilst all public areas are linked by the large foyer overlooking the landscaped green and surrounding historic buildings.

In October 2020 the NSW government announced a new $3.6 million multi-purpose court room would be built at the complex.

This additional court room would later become the site of the the fourth drug court in NSW.

Expanding the NSW Drug Court program to Dubbo was one of 39 recommendations made by the Select Committee on the High Level of First Nations People in Custody and Oversight and Review of Deaths in Custody.

The same recommendation was been made in a 2018 inquiry into drug rehabilitation services in regional, remote and rural areas, as well as in the 2020 inquiry into the drug ice.

The specialist court puts drug-related offenders into treatment rather than sending them to prison, a move that has led to a 17 per cent lower rate of re-offending.

While the court was expected to open in June 2022, the Daily Liberal understands negotiations with various stakeholders are still under way.