Winton, so much more than dinosaurs…

Ahh Winton, absolutely our most favourite of towns during this outback adventure.

Sure the water is a bit smelly, and the rats a bit too friendly, but other than that, this town is the best!

Winton is best known for its Dinosaurs.however it is so much more than this.

We stayed at the free camp which is just a hop skip and a jump from the main township. Mistake Creek was the name of the free camp however there is another one right around the corner.

we loved the little museum located to the side of the craft shop, it is only a gold coin donation, it is a fantastic little museum with a great display…. such a hidden gem in my opinion. The kids enjoyed having a photo on the dirt bike.

During our stay in Winton we saw the new Planet of the Apes movie in the Open air cinema, a sensational experience and such a treat for the family, as we rarely go to the movies at all, let alone one out in the open air. There was so much excitement, the kids were dancing around at the beginning before the picture started.

The open air cinema, you can check out their Facebook page to see what is showing, prices are similar to a standard cinema.

We went to the library, including the First 5 program which was on a Friday. This is the first time I have ever had a “smoko” at a preschooler event, it was great! Cheese and Vegemite sandwiches, singing, stories, craft and even a cupcake what more could you want!.

The girls helped Micah do his kangaroo craft, before having “smoko” which was a first for me, at a preschool activity, but is the term used a lot in the outback, I found.

The girls and Micah loved it. Maddie was a fantastic assistance for Amanda, the librarian. As she drove the “bus” for the “wheels on the bus” song and Hannah even helped out with story time. I am so grateful that they are able to watch Micah at all these toddler activities. They really are getting to enjoy him as much as I do, because they get to join in all the fun activities with him. Normally they would be at school, but that has been the blessing of homeschooling, because they get to spend so much time with him. He absolutely adores them as well.

Micah has such a special bond with his sisters, because he gets to spend everyday with them. a lot more than if the girls were at school.

Ari and Brad went to the Truck museum instead and had a fab time. Ari was buzzing for days afterwards. This one comes highly recommended for any vehicle enthusiast. Winton is the road train capital of Australia so it is great to go and appreciate this display, while in Winton.

As well as dinosaurs, Winton is also famous for its unique opals. We were so blessed to have one of the opal shop ladies explain the difference between all the opals found in Australia. Hannah and I found it fascinating. Especially since Hannah is well and truely in a rock/gem/fossiking phase at the moment.

there is even an opportunity to do a little bit of fossiking for opal offcuts just outside the opal shop in the Main Street.

Both pubs have entertainment for the visitors around Happy Hour. North Gregory Hotel has professional poet @Gregory North with his poetry reading and story telling sessions. The pub across the road, I saw has a sheep dog show. We didn’t get to this one unfortunately.

Gregory North was a professional poet. He gave us a unique and entertaining performance, and we learnt so much about Australian literature and the famous poems from AB Patterson. He said he travels to Winton, and performs every night at the North Gregory Hotel during the winter months.

There is also the Waltzing Matilda centre in Winton, which is attached to the Information museum and art gallery. While it looks amazing, it was just a bit out of our price range and we felt that we were spoiled by Gregory North and the information he shared about Waltzing Matilda that we didn’t really need to add it to our itinerary.

we enjoyed a cold drink and a snack whilst we listen to Gregory North’s poetry reading performance, at the North Gregory Hotel..

The art gallery was free to enter and had a visiting display during the time we were there, the potraits prize winners. We had seen this display in the national portrait gallery during our time in Canberra so it was great to revisit these art pieces again.

Unexpectedly I also enjoyed the reading room in the centre also. I am a sucker for learning about people being these towns we are visiting and their unique stories. In the reading room there were folders and folders of information, including historical news articles and even obituary. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you are like me, you might like to have a look through.

The library, although it wasn’t a huge space, was a great library, with the most friendly staff and locals, there were lots of toys (dinosaur toys were popular with my crew) and the usual preschool programs. plus it had a huge TV for the kids to watch as well.

I will do a seperate post on our dinosaur adventures because it is a huge topic and a big part of our adventures and so far too much to cover here.

I hope I have convinced you to check out this amazing little outback town. I haven’t touched on the Crack-Up sisters, only because we saw them in Boulia, so didn’t have time to check out their house (much to our kids disappointment) but if we had a bit more time (and spare $$) this would have been next on our list of things to do, they are hilarious.

there are a lot of photo opportunities in winton. This one is near the musical fence. Arno’s wall is also an interesting place to visit and is right across from the Gregory Hotel.