A Week in Winton

Winton is part of the Cretaceous ‘golden triangle’ in outback Queensland, the other two being Hughenden and Richmond. All three were once submerged in the ancient Eromanga Sea. What was the Eromanga Sea? A body of water. But that’s not important right now. First priority was to find a place to set up for a few days. One place I wanted to visit was over 100klm’s away, and I wasn’t going to be towin’ the van everywhere. The Long Waterhole was only about 5klm out of town, a free piece of ground for the self-sufficient.

Even though the temperatures were dropping, everyone sought shelter under the trees. Apart from the usual suspects there were some unexpected interlopers. A pair of roosters would wander around the waterhole before dawn, alerting different caravans that the sun would be up shortly, and we shouldn’t miss it. Some vans were also lucky to have their own ‘cowcierge’ on standby, should any request need attending to.

With those two-legged alarm clocks killing the sleep-in vibe, I got up early one morning and headed for Lark Quarry Conservation Park, home to the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument. It’s 110klms south from Winton along an alternate tar and dirt road. I arrived well before the first ‘show’ and noticed a couple of scenic walks on offer. An opportunity to get some context on what I was about to discover.

The Centre is built into a small ridge and, once the tour started, it became clear why this exact location. Set in a temperature and weather controlled hangar, is a story of a lakeside stampede set in the mud of an ancient shoreline. It’s only a fraction of what still lays hidden beneath layers of rock. What’s even more impressive is how paleontologists can flesh out this moment in time, using science to determine the species, the direction, the speed and the urgency simply by examining a thousand footprints.

This is the only record of a dinosaur stampede in the world and, how is so often the case, discovered by accident (someone looking for opal) and a long time to ascertain it’s true significance. Speaking of opal, there’s lots of it out this way. There’s even a town called Opalton, and there area few opal shops and displays back in Winton. Now I wasn’t going to go looking myself, but as luck would have it, the star of Outback Opal Hunters, Joseph Taranto and his wife Natasha run The Opal Miner in Winton. Part shop, part museum, Natasha trusted me enough to pull some nice pieces out from under the glass for some of you to drool over.

Bladensburg National Park was just a few k past my digs and after five days, it was time for a change of scenery. Unfortunately less than 2klm’s in, corrugations not experienced since Kakadu appeared. It was not an experience I wished to re-live in what was essentially, scrub country. Beating an orderly retreat, I was still hopeful of finding somewhere else to spend a night. And then, a little bit of history remembered in a solitary monument and a pause to reflect on the long and unending struggle for justice and equity.

I did eventually find a spot next to the road, but the next morning I jumped up early and decided to make a run to Longreach.

There was one more stop on the way – the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. From the outside it looked impressive with several major displays spread over 50 acres, maybe more. But at nearly $80 admission and with a chip in the windscreen needing attention…… Living on the road full time is not an eternal sight seeing binge. Sometimes, frustrating decisions and little sacrifices have to be made. So, disappointed, but what a view from the ridge!!