Winton

Winton sits on Koa Country in the Channel Country of central-west Queensland, about 177 km north-west of Longreach and 1,153 km from Brisbane. The landscape is archetypal outback - vast Mitchell grass downs broken by low jump-up ranges, dry creek beds ribboned with gums, and skies that seem to belong to no one in particular. The town itself is a classic Queensland outback settlement, its broad main street, Elderslie Street, lined with verandahed shopfronts and the occasional pub where cold beer is taken seriously as a civic virtue.\n\nThe Waltzing Matilda Centre on Elderslie Street is the cultural anchor of any visit. Rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2015 and reopened in April 2018, it tells the layered story of Australia's unofficial national anthem with genuine depth - from the 1895 shearers' strike at nearby Dagworth Station that inspired Banjo Paterson, to the original handwritten manuscript now on display. Entry costs $32 for adults. A few doors down, the Royal Open-Air Theatre, built in 1918, is one of only two open-air cinemas still operating in Australia, screening films under an outback sky from April to mid-October - a simple pleasure that stays with visitors long after they have headed home.\n\nWinton's dinosaur credentials are extraordinary. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum sits atop a mesa 24 km east of town and holds the world's largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils, with ongoing preparation work visitors can watch through glass. Then there is Lark Quarry Conservation Park, 110 km south-west on partly unsealed roads, where roughly 3,300 fossilised footprints record the moment a large predatory dinosaur triggered a stampede of around 150 smaller animals approximately 95 to 98 million years ago. Access to the trackways is by guided tour only. A combined VIP pass covering both the Age of Dinosaurs and Lark Quarry costs $100 for adults, $60 for children.\n\nWinton carries an outsized place in aviation history as the birthplace of Qantas. On 16 November 1920, Hudson Fysh, Paul McGinness and Fergus McMaster registered Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited here, holding their first board meeting at the Winton Club in February 1921. The airline moved to Longreach in 1921, but Winton still wears the title proudly. Nearby, the boulder opal fields around Opalton - Queensland's oldest opal field, first worked in 1888 - offer a chance to fossick for gem-quality stones in the ironstone ridges. Winton township also has locally-run opal retail stores where fine specimens can be inspected and purchased.\n\nTravelling to Winton rewards patience and preparation. The Landsborough Highway connects it to the east, and most roads into town are sealed; however excursions to Lark Quarry involve 65 km of unsealed track that becomes impassable after rain. Fuel, food and accommodation are all available in town. The Winton Visitor Information Centre is wheelchair accessible, and the Australian Age of Dinosaurs has ramped access, accessible toilets and braille guides at its Reception Centre. The Outback Festival, held biennially in odd-numbered years, brings live music, poetry, bush competitions and thousands of visitors to Elderslie Street - check dates before planning travel.