Destinations

Winton.

Winton was first established as a settlement in 1875 and was known as Pelican Waterhole. After continuous flooding the town moved to its present position and was renamed. In September 1894, a group of striking shearers attacked the shearing shed at Dagworth Station, Winton. The strike of 1894 had begun on 2 July in Winton and spread throughout the eastern states of Australia. In 1985, Banjo Paterson visited Dagworth and heard a tune being played by Christina Macpherson, the sister of the co-owners of the station.

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He liked the tune and proceeded to write the words which are now immortalised in Australian History.The shearers and their strike had now been recorded in prose for all time.The following April saw the first public performance of the song 'Waltzing Matilda' at The North Gregory Hotel in the presence of Hugh Muir Nelson, The Premier of Queensland. The legend lives on, and many of us believe the song should be our National Anthem. The Matilda Centre was opened in 1988 as a tribute to the song and the character.

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Attractions.

Pastoralists and Paleontologists.

Belmont Station owner David Elliot started a stampede of a different kind in 1995 when he discovered pre-historic Sauropod bones on his property 1 hours drive from Winton. Since that early find, no less than 30 sites on the property have unearthed bones up to 2 metres in length. Paleontologists from all parts of the world have been visiting the area to try to uncover the mysteries of The Australian Dinosaurs. These giant Herbivores roamed Queensland's Outback when 95,000,000 years ago the land was a far different cry from the desolate wastelands of the present. Immense woodland areas fed by the deltas of a huge inland sea were the support structure for these 30 metre long giants. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History is the only museum of its kind in Australia, and with all the discoveries taking place will probably be one of the largest and most frequently visited Museum of its kind in the world. Durassic Park pales into insignificance.This is Winton, this is reality.

The Winton Club was the venue for the first board meeting of Qantas way back in 1921. The first commercial flight by the company took off from Longreach and landed at Winton that same year. The Historic Royal Theatre and Museum is situated in Elderslie Street , and is one of the oldest remaining outdoor theatres in Australia. There is a gift and gem shop with an Opal Walk inside.

The Waltzing Matilda Centre is also in the same street along with The Corfield and Fitzmaurice Building.This Heritage Building houses one of Australia's finest Dinosaur Fossel Displays. In the past it was the local General Store.Driving approximately 40 klms. south through Bladensburg National Park you will come to Skull Hole which has Aboriginal Paintings and Bora Ceremonial Grounds. Further south is Opalton and the remains of the Historic Town, and working gemfields close by