The Adventuring Pals: Wicked Winton
Sheep shearing relics, dinos, BIG machines, opals and more. Here’s why Winton rocks!
Words & Photos Elvin & Eshlyn Pal
I’m sure most of us associate Winton, in outback Queensland, with all things Dinosaurs. After all, it’s home to the Winton Age of Dinosaurs museum and is an iconic part of Queensland’s famed Dinosaur Trail. But on a recent visit, we found out that there is actually a lot more to Winton than just Dinos.
Where We Camped
We based ourselves at the Winton Wanderers Caravan Park and it proved to be a great place to explore the local area. It had plenty of tidy drive-through sites, providing easy parking and plenty of space for the kids to play around in. The amenities were new and clean giving us a comfortable few nights stay here.
Age of Dinosaurs
On our first day in Winton, we visited the famous Age of Dinosaurs Museum. We had booked ourselves in for an Ultimate Dinosaur tour which included guided tours of the Fossil Preparation Laboratory, the Collection Room and Dinosaur Canyon Tour. We found this package was worth the $210 per family price as it gave us a real informative and up close and personal experience with the facility and its collection. Definitely a must do for Dino lovers. We learnt so much from the tour guides who are very passionate about what they do and what is happening in Winton.
Big Machines
In the afternoon, we visited the Musical Fence where the kids let out their musical talents and created some interesting albeit loud tunes. Right next door to the Musical fence was a Qantas monument, marking it as the birthplace of Qantas! Winton used to be the location for the first commercial aviation industry in Australia. Down the road was the Winton Diamantina Heritage Truck and Machinery Museum. This was a very cool place for the bigger kids and the little ones alike. Checking out some awesome machines from years gone past and learning a bit about their history and how they serviced these remote communities.
Explore a Sheep Station
The next day we went exploring off the blacktop and into the nearby Bladensburg National Park. Although it was all on unsealed roads, they were certainly not a challenge for any standard 4WD to undertake. These roads do get closed after heavy rain so it pays to check before heading in. There was some recent rain before we came, but the tracks had reopened by then and we certainly didn’t have any trouble. We were treated to lush greenery, wild flowers and full waterholes. The water holes looked so inviting in the heat of the day that we indulged ourselves with a long swim and a picnic. It was bliss! The kids had endless fun playing in the rock pools, chasing tadpoles and finding crabs, of all things! We were only over 1000 kms from the ocean!
The now national park was once a working sheep station and there are still plenty of buildings from its past in which you can explore and see what life was like on a sheep station. We had fun exploring and walking through the shearers’ shed. There are of course plenty of natural wonders to check out too such as gorges and plateaus and waterholes.
Arno’s Wall
Back in town, and we checked out Arno’s Wall which can be described as a modern work of art and architecture. Made with rocks from Arno’s opal mine in Opalton as well as old lawnmower parts, boat propellers, old machinery from businesses in Winton, vintage typewriters, even a couple of complete motorbikes. It was constructed by Arno Grotjahn who started building the wall when he purchased the house in 1960 after finding and selling some opal from his mine.
Waltzing Matilda Centre
Did you know that Winton was the place where Banjo Paterson came up with the famous tune Waltzing Matilda? We visited the Waltzing Matilda Centre where they tell the story behind the famous poem and song, and how it has shaped over the years to be a national treasure. The centre also is a great display of Winton and the outback.
We ended our last light with some spectacular outback sunsets and got plenty of pictures at the town signs to remember our wonderful time here. We also left a few things to do for our next visit including Lark Quarry where you can see first-hand the site of the world famous Dinosaur Stampede.
Thanks for a great stay, Winton. See you again soon.
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