Around Oz the First Time - Chapter 9 - A Day in Winton

We had planned a day in Winton, not just because it was 2.000 kilometres into the trip but there is lots to see here. Its was Friday night when we arrived, jokingly suggested, Friday night fight night. I have been struggling with a sore throat for a couple of days. I wake this morning with a full blown cold. A summer cold, nothing worse.

The morning is very pleasant. None of the crisp cold mornings now in the trip. Board shorts and tee shorts are easily adorned. Need to find something for breakfast. There is a bakery just past the pub where we had dinner last night. In Barcaldine I had a very good pie, albeit I wore most of the pastry cover, I decided to give the local fare a go. What I find, was a shop, with a decidedly Asian employment and management. The pie was delectable along with the hot chocolate I ordered with it. I was surprised after last night at a decidedly Australian Pub (having said that one of the barmaids was American). I need to get over my apparent prejudice of all things “Australian”. Further to my amazement was a sign suggesting the establishment would take Bitcoin as payment.

With a full belly I decide to hit the local hardware store in search of a solution to a burst water pump issue in the van. All I need is a hose clip. They have it and I am off. Next door is a pharmacy. Why not seek the advice of the pharmacist about the cold. She arms me with enough medication to alleviate the symptoms, but at the end of the day I will need to let it run its course. Let’s hope the air-conditioning will not store the bugs and Robyn gets it. She has had the cold previously and took forever to get over it.

Today is all about dinosaurs. Winton has some amazing archaeological digs. It also has the Australian Dinosaur Museum which is our target. Forbsy packs everyone in his car. No travelling for our car today other than to fill it up ready for tomorrow. It has taken some time to get going this morning as during the night the local mob of galahs that roost in the trees in the caravan park decide to go berko about 3.00am. The noise continues until after dawn.

We finally head out to the museum. We see more Brolgas on the way, aiming to take pictures of them on the return, as well as marvelling at what seems like sinkholes along the way. We turn off and note there are 11 kilometres to travel. Will the escarpment we are travelling towards be 11 kilometres away or are we looking at getting to the other side. All of a sudden, we turn along the escarpment and I joke with Forbsy the 11 kilometres are the end of the hill.

Finally, the road heads up the hill. The views are spectacular, and I snap as quickly as I could. Finally, we reach the museum. The day is filled with three separate tours, some walking, some riding in a road train type vehicle. The information we have imparted keeps us interested and more interested all day. It’s hot but not oppressive. We are able to walk as we like, taking our time to conserve energy, sipping eater as we need. From session to session we see bones being cleaned with meticulous precision as well as discussing the jigsaw puzzle if trying to put a bag of fossilised bones back together.

The afternoon tour takes us to a gorge made up to resemble some of the times of the cretaceous period. On the way home we stop several times to take “view” shots. I clamber onto rocks to get the best shots, well as much as I can without forcing the edge of my vertigo envelope. The views are spectacular, and the camera does not do them justice. The depth just isn’t there.

The vistas from here remind me of the great water colours of Namatjira. In fact the view from the reception area could so easily be straight out of one of his paintings, ghost gum and all such is the majesty of the scene. It’s a vast land here, we are told you can see upwards of 42 kilometres from the escarpment on a clear day and today is one of those days. It looks lifeless in its serenity but as we return from the afternoon tour a bulldozer disturbs a sleeping kangaroo. They are there you just can’t see them, and who would be out in this heat anyway, only dogs and nomads.

One of the displays was a circulating panorama of wildlife. Yes, there were lizards and geckos but there were also many marsupials and other mammals in the display along with the birds, particularly the brown falcon we see hovering and attacking the carrion. Funnily enough there are no pictures of the galahs which terrorise the night’s sleep.

 On our return we decide to have a look at the Matilda Centre, a tribute to Banjo Patterson and the song which was penned not far from Winton. After seeing the dinosaurs, the Matilda Centre is a bit of a letdown.

The day was fulfilling. Our return to Winton sees me looking to ensure our barbeque now works correctly. It does and we have chicken breast and chips for dinner, meeting a couple from Canberra, heading the opposite direction to us.

Sitting in the Forbsy “beer garden” we watch the moon rose and retire early as tomorrow we are back on the road early and looking at lots of distance to travel.

As the night settles the galahs are back. One youngster in particular, will not shut up. Its parents need to feed it or we won’t be getting any great sleep tonight.