knowledge, to an immigrant who was a single mum when she moved to Dubbo for the community. These stories are just a few of those that make up the Dubbo Region.
The success of the initial launch of Region on the Rise has now seen businesses and industries, such as medical and health, approach Council to be part of the continuing campaign. They have seen the success and want to be part of the region’ s story by joining the campaign and encouraging skilled workers and specialists to move to the region.
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT – WHY IT WORKED The Region on the Rise campaign worked because the stories already existed, they just needed to be told. By featuring real people with genuine experiences, the message became more powerful and relatable.
While Councils and businesses often rely on polished messaging and buzzwords, hearing directly from residents who live and work in the region adds authenticity and credibility.
Dubbo has faced challenges such as drought, mice plagues, and crime, that shaped public perception through negative headlines. But the resilience and recovery of the community often go untold.
These issues aren’ t unique to Dubbo, yet they dominate the narrative. The campaign aimed to shift that focus by sharing deeper stories through case studies, testimonials, and lived experiences from locals driving the region’ s growth.
By highlighting what makes Dubbo truly special, the campaign showed that the region is far more than the media’ s portrayal because positivity rarely makes the news, but it’ s what builds a future.
A VARIETY OF CHOICE When choosing the talent for the campaign we were spoilt with a variety of stories, and lucky that so many people trusted our team’ s vision and commitment to the project to jump on board.
Our project team met and produced key areas we wanted the first campaign to focus on, so we could showcase a diverse selection of businesses to start sharing the Dubbo region.
CEO and Vertiia inventor Andrew Moore with AMSL AERO Chairperson Chris Smallhorn and AMSL AERO COO Siobhan Lyndon.
We started with one of our most exciting hidden gems, where one of our regional airports has become an outdoor testing site for advanced technology for driverless cars and flightless aircraft.
One exciting project is the use of the Dubbo region as an outdoor laboratory. In the region we have the space for testing driverless cars and flightless aircraft, and we wanted to speak to someone who was doing just that.
The campaign featured AMSL Aero, who are using the Bodangora Airstrip at Wellington as an outdoor laboratory for their testing of a long-range zero emission Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft.
Co-founder Andrew Moore spoke on video about his rural upbringing and aviation background that led to him putting together a team to design an aircraft that will bypass the need for traditional airstrips. The aircraft has already gained interest and support from defence, healthcare, and firefighting organisations, highlighting its wide-reaching potential.
Our hidden gems are not just limited to businesses, with resident stories being just as pivotal in telling our region ' s story.
The health sector is a not only a key employer, but a key player in the education of our future doctors with the University of Sydney, School of Rural Health Campus, Dubbo Base Hospital and the Royal Flying Doctor Service collectively offering students and doctors unbeatable experiences.
Dr Paul Lunney, who now works as a senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney’ s School of Rural Health Dubbo Campus and as a GP with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, embraced the opportunity to do a one-year rural placement( you can now complete all four years) in Dubbo.
With a completed degree Paul and his wife returned to the region to continue their medical work within the local community, the RFDS and embrace the opportunity to lecture at their old campus.
The importance of the community and the care and friendship you want when moving to a new place were highlighted in our interview with Gargi Ganguly, the community-minded single mum who has helped cultivate a thriving, diverse migrant community in Dubbo, with the goal of fostering understanding and respect among cultures.
Dubbo has faced challenges such as drought, mice plagues, and crime, that shaped public perception through negative headlines. But the resilience and recovery of the community often go untold.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 18 NO 3 2025 19