Winton to Cloncurry

Our Winton Neighbours




Thanks to the thousands of bush flies, The Great Australian Salute was in full force to welcome us to down town Winton. US translation - please refer to Shane.


Winton is home to The Waltzing Matilda Centre, a museum dedicated to the song penned by Banjo Paterson in 1895 while he was on holidays here. Cannot imagine this place being a top tourist spot in those days, so maybe an imaginative journalist is having a lend of us! What we do know is that the song has become the ordinary man's national anthem and Australias favourite ballad. I really like his poem Clancy of the Overflow which was also written in Winton. In 1995, the 100 year anniversary of the song was celebrated and artists were commissioned to provide a variety of statues and sculptures relating to the story which are set in the main street.

I haven't yet mentioned those dinosaurs and I suppose everyone is dying to know if we found any. Sorry folks they died millions of years ago! All that's left is some old bones! The largest dinosaur found in Australia was discovered here and has been named Elliott. He was a Sauropod and a herbifore. We drove up to the "jump-up" or mesa where he was found but couldn't do the tour as our timing was off. The only recorded evidence of a dinosaur stampede is found to the south at Lark Quarry Trackways.

The area is also famous for Boulder Opal which is mined to the north at Opalton and to far for us to travel this trip. We did get to see a lot in the displays in the gem shops and I was amazed at the predominately pink and blue stones as I have mostly seen milk and black opal. We bought "bonsai" opal tree from a delightful aboriginal lady who came around to the caravan park.

Monday onwards to Cloncurry, a big haul on the outback highway. The country is predominately flat with Mitchell and spinifex grasses and lots of those woolly sheep. Passed by the turn off to Julia Creek, the Gateway to the Gulf and a place called Kurumba noted for excellent fishing which explains why there are boats on trailers towed behind lots of vehicles.

Lunch at Kynuna, once a staging post for Cobb & Co, population 20 and home to the Blue Heeler Pub and guess what was on the menu, meat pie and a pot! Rocked up to the bar of the Blue Heeler with our two White Heelers in tow. The barman, Ade observed, had only one ear and Ade asked him if he would like a beer to which the barman replied "no thanks mate I've got one ear". Gave the Caravan Park a miss though - refer photo. Down the road was the town of McKinley famous for "The Walkabout Creek Hotel" from the Crocodile Dundee movie. 40 miles out from Cloncurry, the Williams River, dry as a bone!

Adrian and the two White Heelers

The Bartender in the Blue Heeler Pub

The 'Curry' as it is affectionately known, was predominately a grazing and mining area in the early days. It is home to the John Flynn Place Musuem, which celebrates the visionary bush clergyman who was the founder of The Royal Flying Doctor Service. Along with Hudson Fysh, the Qantas founder, his dream was realised in 1928 when the first flight took off with a doctor on board. Alfred Traegar's (the inventor) first pedal wireless is on display at the museum. Without electricity, this wireless communication was integral to the success of the service. The School of the Air which first started in 1950 also came about through the efforts of Flynn and Traegar.

We stayed at one of the friendliest parks so far and made new friends, Ian and Carol from the Sunshine Coast, who just happen to have a four legged fluffy bum, (at home with a babysitter this trip) and very willling 'dog sitters" for us one afternoon. It was like having a date getting out and about without Bere talking to us the whole time. Looking forward to catching up with these guys on our return.


A Saddleback hill near the Caravan Park Cloncurry

Ernest Henry discovered copper in this area in 1867 and today copper and gold is mined at the open cut mine bearing his name. There are smaller operations mining lead and zinc and in recent times a mineral called magnatite which is sold to the Chinese. We checked out the Cloncurry River and Lookout, Chinaman Creek Dam, where there are fresh water crocodiles, and Mt Leviathan. Mary Kathleen Park & Museum is located in town. It's trip down memory lane of the former uranium mining township which closed down when the mine shut down.

Thursday time to leave "the Curry" and head for "the Isa".