Winton is an little dynamo of a destination that has worked out how to milk every ounce of it's history and heritage.
There's the Waltzing Matilda Centre, the only attraction in the world dedicated to a song - and one that quite successfully demonstrates why that song has indeed become our unoffocial national anthem. The link? It was written and first performed in Winton by Banjo Patterson.
There's the Dinosaur Fossil Displays, which enlighten us to the fact that over a third of Australia's prehistoric fossils have come from the Winton area... including those of the mighty "Elliot", the largest dinosaur ever discovered in our country. There's the Royal Open Air Theatre Museum, which still plays Movietone news and silent features weekly, and has its own entry in the "Australia's largest.... Family": this time a giant deckchair. Most fun of all, there's Arno's Wall and the Musical Fence - two junk yard contraptions that are warmly embraced by the Bihary scavenger children. With the faint strains of Waltzing Matilda ringing in our ears, and the proud realisation that we can now, all of us, sing each and every verse, we head off to continue our journey through outback Queensland.
 |
| Arno's Wall is made from rock from Opalton and studded with a whole mixture of objects sourced from the local tip by its eccentric creator, including sewing machine, bicycles, cash register, car engines... and ofcourse, the kitchen sink! |
 |
| The bins dotting the main street in Winton are giant dinosaur feet. No Kidding. |
 |
| Singing a few bars of Waltzing Matilda outside the museum. |
 |
| Alongside the world's first musical fence is a playground of instruments that Oscar the Grouch would be proud of. The Musical Fence is itself a wire fence that is tuned to key and can be plucked, strung or bowed. |
 |
| In the shadows of the great dane of deckchairs. |
 |
| Elliot Herschberg, we still miss you!! |
