Winton is a town in Central Queensland which we passed through on our way to Longreach where we would later spend Christmas. There’s some interesting history around Winton, including being one of the founding towns of Qantas. It was also involved in the development of Waltzing Matilda. It was in the North Gregory Hotel in Winton where Waltzing Matilda was first played in 1895. Of course we stopped at the North Gregory Hotel for a historic beer. The pub has burnt down several times since the Waltzing Matlida days so it’s not the original pub. Still it’s got the same name and is in about the same spot. There’s a museum in Winton dedicated to Waltzing Matilda. Also in the Winton area there has been many significant dinosaur fossil discoveries, making it the dinosaur capital of Australia. There’s museums and attractions related to dinosaurs, but they were closed for the Christmas break.

The town is very neat and clean and the historic pubs and buildings are well maintained. Looks like there is some pride and effort put into keeping the town attractive. There’s a tourist attraction called the musical fence. It consists of a wire fence that can be plucked like a huge string instrument, as well as other things to hit with a stick to make percussion. There’s free camping behind the North Gregory Hotel, where Arno’s Wall is located. There’s also a large undercover parking area for tourists to park. So along with the museums and pubs there’s a few other attractions and facilities for tourists. Nice town, worth a visit.