Cobar is making strides as a pioneer in architectural design in remote Australia. The town was recently featured in the Architecture AU magazine as a pacemaker for how to fan the social flame in small towns with innovative architectural design.

The Cobar Shire Council started working closely with the Sydney-based architecture firm Dunn Hillam in 2018. 

Co-founder of Dunn Hillam Ashley Dunn said that the work his architecture firm has done in Cobar was only possible through successful collaboration with the council and residents. 

"We asked the locals to help us understand what the existing community networks are which areas might need some help, and what’s missing. 

"It doesn't cost any more money to listen carefully to what the community needs."

Mr Dunn said that in the past 25 years around half of their work has been in regional areas, such as Gilgandra, Gunnedah, and national parks in the Northern Territory.

Mr Dunn said high-class, innovative projects are not reserved for metropolitan areas. 

"People in the city seem to think that everything good happens in the city and that's not true."

 The revitalisation of the Great Cobar Museum won architectural and heritage awards, including the 2022 National Trust NSW Heritage award. 

"It shows that you can build high-quality projects in the regions," Mr Dunn said.

"We were able to open and make the whole building accessible which has also been a great success out there with the young contingent." 

Dunn Hillam also recently completed a childcare centre for council which gives the community access to 85 childcare spots. 

 The Early Learning Centre in Cobar offers residents over 80 childcare spots.

The architecture firm is currently working on a coach house for the museum to sort parts of their larger collection such as vehicles and mining equipment.

"There's plenty of work out here but the result of the childcare places is that the money actually stays in the community and doesn't disappear." 

The architecture firm is working on projects in Bourke and Lightning Ridge at the moment, helping design a healthcare centre for the Bourke Aboriginal Corporation Health Service (BACHS) and an underground opal museum in Lightning Ridge. 

Mr Dunn said they plan on staying out in Cobar as long as they keep getting jobs that help the community.