After considerable planning and preparation, a site on the outskirts of Dubbo in central West New South Wales was chosen.

Formerly an army camp during World War Two, the site was transformed into a 300 hectare zoo of woodland and irrigated grasslands.

The zoo is an open-range design, with walls and fences replaced by concealed moats which divide the animals from the visitors.

[2] In 1994 Western Plains Zoo was awarded as the Best Major Tourist Attraction, the highest honour in Australian Tourism.

On 26 September 2006, The Daily Liberal published an article announcing British comedian John Cleese was visiting the zoo "in order to raise money for a new Greater One-Horned rhino exhibit".