Day 88: Fri 22 Jul - Hughenden to Winton

Day 88: Fri 22 Jul - Hughenden to Winton

Towed 215km

6 (felt like 0.4) to 24 deg. Didn't feel like it was going to be so fresh last night, but wow...this morning was the coldest since we left Canberra. Another enjoyable, but very bracing pre-dawn walk through town. We packed and left our 6th free camp in 6 days, heading south along the Kennedy Development Road by 08:30am. The first 50 km was quite ordinary, very bumpy, and rutted from heat and water damage, but thankfully there was no traffic - it was very quiet. It was nice and warm in the car with the sun beaming in through the windows driving along while it was so fresh outside. By the time we stopped for our morning coffee at the Corfield Pub, we had covered 130km and it had warmed to a balmy 16deg.  There is nothing to see or do here, so we were quickly on our way again arriving at the Winton Roadhouse Caravan Park shortly before 12:00pm. We checked in but the site we were allocated was far too small for our van. A bit of shuffling around, and we were soon parked on a more appropriately sized site, quickly setup and drove the short 2km distance into town to farewell Greg and Wendy who were waiting for us. They are going on to  a free camp tonight then on to Longreach tomorrow, and we will see them again on Monday for one more night before we part ways for the rest of this trip. Noeleene and I made our way to the Waltzing Matilda Museum where we had a lovely light lunch, then after paying our admission fee, ventured inside one of the three must see attractions in Winton.  The Waltzing Matilda Centre tells the story of the song Waltzing Matilda, Australia's unofficial anthem and the first museum in the world dedicated to a song. The state of the art centre replaced the original centre which was destroyed by a fire in 2015. It contains an amazing collection of all things related to Waltzing Matilda and the legend, but also the Qantas origins, Aboriginal cultural history, opal mining, the Dinosaur Trail and events such as the Shearers’ Strike. Overall it was a very worthwhile experience. Afterwards, Noel and I stopped at the supermarket for a few supplies, then returned to the van. I went for a short ride around town, while Noel did some washing, then we had dinner and a quiet night indoors.  

Pre-Dawn walk - The Entertainment Centre

Pre-Dawn walk - The Main Street

Pre-Dawn walk - The Federation Rotunda

Pre-Dawn walk - Fossil Street Art 

Pre-Dawn walk - Old Post Office 

Pre-Dawn walk - Fossil Street Art 

A beautiful memorial dedicated to Dogs of War on the riverside 

Morning coffee stop at Corfield - the annual Corfield Cup will be run at the nearby racecourse next Saturday and the locals are excited.

Brazen little minors feasting on my muffin crumbs.  

Corfield Pub - comes alive once a year for the annual Corfield Races - next weekend.

The Waltzing Matilda Centre

Statue of Banjo Paterson

Waltzing Matilda

Copy of the Original Handwritten Manuscript 

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre
 - tribute to QANTAS

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History


Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History


Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History - Wool bale stencils

Inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre - wonderful Australian History


Winton - Birthplace of QANTAS in 1920





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