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Dapto, NSW

Dapto is only a 15 minute drive south from Wollongong. The village of Dapto was once a mining, timber cutting and farming community, and today is a large town with many shops, schools and beautiful parks.

Dapto’s rural history is linked to a number of tourist attractions in the area. These include the Yallah Woolshed a popular music and line dancing centre, Logbridge Farm, the Four Seasons Riding Academy, Kanahooka Point Indoor Equestrian Centre, Koonawarra Lakeview Lodge Stud and Kembla Grange Racecourse. The Sunday trash and treasure markets are also popular with locals.

Lake Illawarra is used for a variety of water sports, including sailing, canoeing, water skiing and fishing. It also offers opportunities for picnics, walks and cycling. Dapto is ideally located on its western shore allowing residents to take advantage of these opportunities.

Dapto is also well known for its greyhound racing a popular weekly activity. The Dapto show is an annual event which reflects the suburb’s agricultural heritage.

One of the first references to the name Dapto was in instructions issued to Surveyor Knapp on 10 April 1829. Knapp was instructed “to survey ten 100 acre lots for veterans on Dapto Creek”. In 1833 George Brown received a grant of 300 acres south of Mullet Creek. George Brown transferred the Ship Inn from Wollongong to Mullet Creek Farm in 1834 and thereby established the nucleus of Dapto.

With the coming of the railway in 1887, however, the centre of the township was moved south and the original Dapto, where the inn was located, later became known as Brownsville. A new town began to grow up around the station attracting businesses and services from Brownsville and other nearby settlements. The name Dapto is said to be an aboriginal word either from “Dabpeto” meaning “water plenty”, or from “tap-toe” which described the way a lame aboriginal chief walked. The aborigines called the area “Mookoonburro” meaning “grub”.

Nearest Airport: Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, Mascot

Where to stay?

About Dapto

  • Locality: Suburb
  • Dapto Postcode: 2530
  • State: New South Wales
  • Region: South Coast
  • Latitude: -34.494
  • Longitude: 150.79301
  • Elevation: 18m
  • Population: 10730
  • Median Income: $28964
  • Area (Sq/km): 7.373
  • Timezone: Australia/Sydney

Accommodation In Dapto

Discover some of the accommodation in and around Dapto

Explore The Outback

Australia has a vast remote interior, much of it largely untouched. By night, the outback is deathly quiet, with the only light provided by the stars and the moon - a perfect oportunity for stargazing. Explore the isolated heart of the country, meet and connect with Aboriginal people and experience one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Go ‘walk-about’ and immerse yourself with Australia’s endless outback horizons.

Outback Experiences

Luxe Accommodation

Enjoy a distinctly Australian luxury experience, such as the unforgettable reefs, islands, beaches and coast; rugged mountain ranges, rainforests and vast national parks; and the many vibrant food and wine regions. Take a once in a lifetime adventure and discover the sheer indulgence of experiencing the wonders of Australia in style and stay in total luxury.

Australia has wide variety of accommodation options to suit most budgets and travelling preferences. Choose from luxury lodges, boutique hotels, serviced apartments, motels, bed and breakfasts, caravan parks as well as youth and backpacker hostels.

Accommodation

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The Glasshouse Mountains in the hinterland of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast are actually the cores of 20 million year old volcanoes. The sides of the volcanoes have eroded away leaving only the hardened rock spiremountain cores we see today. Learn more about this awe-inspiring landscape.

Glasshouse Mountains