We are up early and enjoy walking around the town, looking at points of interest. Winton is known as Matilda Country, a rich combination of outback life, Landscape & legend.
Winton was first settled by Europeans in 1873. In 1876 the first town settler was Robert Allen, who established a hotel/store. Winton was originally know as pelican Waterhole, Robert changed the town name to Winton, a suburb of his home town in England. Shearers strikes took place in 1891 & 1894, the town was under martial law.
In 1895 A.B. 'Banjo' Patterson visited friends at Dagworth station, His friends sister Christina Macpherson played a tune for Banjo, the result was 'Waltzing Matilda'. Legend has it the song was first performed on the 6th April 1895 at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton.
Winton is also famous for its water supply, four artesian bores all around 1.2kilometres deep, emerging at a temperature of 83 degrees C, cooled to 44 before being reticulated into the town supply. Apparently rich in minerals & hydrogen sulphide gas, it stinks like rotten eggs and makes you gag when you shower!!
A bronze statue of a Jolly Swagman.
Me on an old Cob & Co Cart.
Steve with a statue of "Banjo" Patterson.
Waltzing Matilda Music.
The statue in the main street.
An old wooden fence I liked.
Arno's Gate.
Arno's wall - full of house hold items. (junk to some, art to others).
Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre, which was very interesting.
Steve as a Swagman.
Steve in a rail carriage at the Matilda Centre.
Me in the North Gregory Hotel, where Waltzing Matilda was first performed.
Lizard Lisa at Pelican Waterhole, the original name of Winton.
Steve playing the musical fence.
Steve on the musical drums.
Australian Age of Dinosaurs.
This is a museum focused on Australia's evolutionary history. This is a working Museum. It has the worlds largest collection of Dinosaur fossils, most productive fossil preparation lab in the Southern Hemisphere, staff & volunteers working on 95 million year old dinosaur bone fossil found in Winton area. This was incredible and I am not into Dinosaurs, however I was absolutely blown away by this place!! To be able to touch dinosaur bones which are over 95 million years old...... speechless. The whole story of the place, the founder a sheep farmer, how they were given the land to have a home for the museum, you can pay and go on a working holiday here and they teach you what to do. They have at least another 60 sites to dig yet, around Winton and they have ten years work on the shelves in storage. They did for only three weeks a year and the rest is digging the bones from the rock.
Matilda & Banjo are the only two of their kind in the world. Banjo will be about 70% complete & Matilda 60% complete. Sooooooooo exciting!!
The view from site of the Age of Dinosaurs.
Steve with the bronze replica of Banjo.
Dinosaur bones we touched.
The store room of Dinosaur bones to be excavated. (10years work).
our tour guide showing us how to work on the rock that surrounds the bones.
Banjo's bones.
What Banjo would look like.
Banjo's bones.
Matilda's bones. (Massive).
What Matilda would look like.
The view from the jump up at age of Dinosaurs.
Longreach.
Dee at Cobb & Co.
Cobb & Co. Rear of shop.
An old car at the rear of the shop.
The stage coaches that take you out, if you visit between April & October.
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