Travel Australia Podcast by The Feel Good Family

Discovering Winton: Treasures, Adventures, and Family Fun in Outback Queensland

• Paul & Katie Guerin • Season 9 • Episode 4

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What if you could stumble upon treasures worth hundreds of dollars while enjoying a family adventure? Join us as we recount our incredible journey through Winton, the heart of Outback Queensland, where we explore a blend of natural wonders, historic charm, and unforgettable family moments. From Jasper's birthday celebrations to the thrilling tales of dinosaur discoveries, our love for Winton grows with each visit, and we're excited to share our top 10 must-see attractions with you. You'll hear about the joys and challenges of parenting on the road, and why safety, including car seat checks, remains a priority on our travels.

Our adventure kicks off with a breathtaking sunset tour of the Rangelands cattle station, guided by the charming Vicky. Experience the tranquility of the outback landscape, enriched with stories and delightful refreshments that make Winton's hospitality genuinely special. Relive the unique spirit of Winton through its historic pubs and vibrant social scene — we promise you'll want to join us in planning a pub crawl of your own. Whether it's the vibrant performances of the Crackup Sisters or the welcoming atmosphere of Tattersall's Caravan Park, Winton's community vibe is something you won't want to miss.

As we journey through the lesser-traveled roads, we uncover the unique charm that makes Winton a standout destination. From opal fossicking at Opalton to capturing the perfect selfie at Winton's iconic signs, the town is filled with delightful surprises. Join us as we explore the interactive art of the musical fence, and get ready for our upcoming opal hunting adventure. Remember, happiness is not just a destination — it's a way of travel, and we encourage everyone to dream big, cherish their loved ones, and embrace the joy in every journey.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Season 9, Episode 4 of the Family Travel Australia podcast. We are Paul, Katie and Jasper from the Feel Good Family. Join us as we explore this great country, Australia, its people, places and cultures.

Speaker 2:

And coaches. Yes, welcome to the Family Travel Podcast, where we share the latest in RV industry news road trip travel, caravanning and camping, product reviews, where to go, what to do, and so much more. Thanks for joining us.

Speaker 1:

This week we share our top 10 things to do in Winton. From dinosaurs to opal hunters and Australia's unofficial national anthem, winton needs to be on top of your list for an Outback adventure like no other.

Speaker 2:

Oh, winton, we just love you. This really is the jewel in the crown of Outback Queensland. And look, you are not going to find a better town with so much to do than what there is out here in Winton.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, look, this is our third trip to Winton and I hope we've got many more in the years to come. Our first trip was actually four years ago and Jasper celebrated his fourth birthday. Little tacker, he just celebrated his eighth birthday out. Little tacker, he just celebrated his eighth birthday out there. How cool is that.

Speaker 2:

It is very cool. I love that it's. One of the coolest parts, I think, for him about traveling full-time around this country is that when we think back to all of his birthday celebrations and where have we been, it conjures up all of these incredible memories from different locations all around the country and it's just a very, very cool thing. I mean, who knows where he's going to spend the next 5, 10, 15 birthdays of his life. It's just awesome.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know. Look, we were talking about this and Katie said she never wants to let him leave. She's going to basically chain him to the van.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think so. Is that like a little bit over the top parenting, or any other parents out there agree with me? Particularly? I think too, when you've got an only child and the thought of him flying the coop at some point, leaving us empty nesters People go to jail for that sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

You've got to let him go, us empty nesters People go to jail for that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

You've got to let them go. Look, I'm hoping by that stage he'll be in the front of the Land Cruiser and you and I will be in the back, baby, and he'll just be touring us around the country Like an Uber. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Speaker 1:

Oh, yeah, bring it on.

Speaker 2:

We might upgrade from the Trusty 79, though we might need a bit more comfort in a few years' time.

Speaker 1:

It is a little rough in the back, especially when we're under tow. And I've got the airbags up a little more and he says nothing. He hasn't complained. But I think he must think that it's just always a bit rough ride.

Speaker 2:

Well, look, to be fair, he is sitting in the deluxe version, as he says, of the car seat that he's currently in, and so he's got bloody airbags everywhere. He's fully cushioned under his tushy. He asked me to sit in the back with him a couple of weeks ago because he wasn't feeling overly great and he just felt like he needed a little bit of company in the back, and I reckon I would have lasted maybe about oh, I don't know 20 kilometers max. And then I said to him mate, I've got to go in the front. I'm so sorry.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, he's doing well and he definitely does have a good gig, doesn't he?

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, he's got it sweet. We should really get back onto our show notes, because this podcast is not about that.

Speaker 1:

No, that's right. We did have a question come in about Jasper's car seat actually a number of times and there are plenty of people out there who have an opinion Some of them seem to be like an expert opinion, Katie about Jasper's car seat. Yes, and look, if you're out there and you're listening and you're wondering, you know, is he too big for that seat? He's actually got about another inch in that seat before his shoulders would hit the mark for a changeover. So it's, yeah, I think he can use it, you know, really up until he grows to that height. So it's probably the safest position for him is in that seat.

Speaker 2:

Oh, most certainly. And look, this is honestly where we stand on this subject and, obviously, understanding, everybody has their own opinions and you do what's right for your family and really that's all you need to worry about, isn't? It is what's going on in your own family.

Speaker 1:

This one really irked, Katie. It got under your skin. Babe, Not many things get under your skin.

Speaker 2:

No, look honestly, for me it is all about safety. We live our life on the road. We're not just doing a couple of you know kilometres every week, travelling to and from town, you know, doing the grocery run. Our life is on the road and plenty of these roads are, you know, not the safe streets that many other people around this country travel on a day-to-day basis to and from work or to and from school pick-ups. So for us, safety is paramount, particularly after, you know, we had our rollover accident there a couple of years ago. We understand how quickly things can change. Jasper, being in this seat in his three-point harness seatbelt is the safest option for him and we will keep him in that until he is physically too big to actually sit in that seat, and I mean the time is coming. This seat is slated through to eight-year-olds. He's just turned eight, so I know that. You know he's growing a centimetre a month. Paul, in a minute he's going to be out of this seat.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, look, people say, oh, he's growing like a weed. He is absolutely shooting up at the moment like a beanstalk. All right, let's get on to Winton. That's what we're here to talk about. Stop your complaining, kate. All right, now the top 10. Okay, now there's actually top 20.

Speaker 2:

Oh, so much.

Speaker 1:

And there's plenty of new things in that four years as well. Talk about some incredible investment out here into the region. But they also have some incredible status across Australia you know the home of dinosaurs, the birthplace of Qantas and then plenty of other quirky verse as well. So let's start from our top 10. Now Australia has an unofficial anthem, of course, in Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Patterson and the museum out here. The Waltzing Matilda Centre, is our number one attraction, for good reason, and that is because it also houses the Visitor Information Centre, the VIC. So that's where you can get all your information before you actually go out and explore. But this centre, I can't remember the cost of it. Was it $50 million?

Speaker 2:

Oh look, I don't know. It wouldn't surprise me, it is truly exceptional.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it really is, and it's the only museum in the world that is dedicated entirely to a song. Remarkable.

Speaker 2:

It is Now. Look, if you've visited Winton many, many years ago in the past, you may have been to the original Waltzing Matilda Centre that very tragically burned down due to an electrical fire and then they rebuilt in its place this incredible facility. The building itself is a reason to come and visit. It is just a stunning piece of architecture. And then to see what they have on display here inside the Waltzing Matilda Centre Anything and everything to do with Waltzing Matilda is here on display. It's interactive Jasper. The first time we took him he was four and he loved this experience, learning the lyrics to that famous song, that famous poem Off by Heart. And there is so much here. Give yourself a good few hours, because outside there is also the Quantilda Museum. It houses an incredible collection of old machinery, vehicles, relics. So much interesting stuff here to look at, on top of what is housed inside the collection.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, look, there's been an incredible amount of time and community support in really curating this museum outside the Contilda Museum, as you said. Also inside there, you know I believe there's over 600 versions of Waltzing Matilda that have been released across the world, so it's not just you know Australia's unofficial national anthem. It has been famed across decades by many artists, so you can even hear a lot of these different songs, as you said, Katie, incredibly interactive when you're coming back in after you've spent. Now you would have been at least two to three hours by the time you've got through the main museum and then the Quantilda Museum. Outside there's a theatreette which showcases really the history of the building pre and now, when it was burnt down and then through to this time, delivered by a visual presence of the jolly swagmen delivering the history and talking through the song. I really love that part of it.

Speaker 1:

But as you come back into the main area you're then able to go and take some time in the Banjo Patterson reading room a beautiful piece of architecture in there as well with windows to the outside that have old bottles and relics in between the window and the outside world, and then you can enter into the Outback Art Gallery which over time has different travelling exhibits and at the moment it's a national portrait sort of gallery and very interesting.

Speaker 2:

It is. It is fantastic, and we would say make this your first stop when you are in Winton, not only because it houses the Vic and you'll catch up with all of the great staff in there, who'll give you all the information on what to do, what tours to book, where to go, you know how to spend your time in town but also, too, because this really does set the standard for the experience that you'll have in town.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. There is also a really fabulous cafe there oh yes, the Tuckbox yeah, great name, isn't it? And, of course, a souvenir shop where you can pick up all your mementos and gifts for family and friends. All right, let's move on to number two. It is Rangeland Riffs and Sunset Tour. This was our favourite experience as adults and, whether you've got kids, it was still a family-friendly experience, but, yeah, definitely one for the adults.

Speaker 2:

I love so many things about this experience. Number one you can only access this area called the Rangeland Rifts on a tour with Vicky and the team from Red Dirt Tours. Now, last time we were out here in Winton, we jumped aboard Vicky's four-wheel drive bus and had the awesome trip the few hundred kilometres out on the dirt and back to the Lark Quarry, the Dinosaur Stampede, and that was just a fantastic day. So this time around we thought what else can we do with Vicky? So we booked onto this sunset tour and it truly is a beautiful way to spend an afternoon here in Winton, to take advantage of that incredible outback sunset, but also to have access to this private property. Now, rangelands is a private cattle station located just outside the town limits of Winton. Again, you can only get access to the rangelands two ways One if you're on a tour with Vicky, or two if you're staying at the new luxury accommodation that has recently opened here at rangelands.

Speaker 1:

Gee, I'd love to book in there. I need a few extra dollars though.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and a babysitter, because this accommodation is adults only. But on this tour we got picked up from our accommodation and they pick you up no matter where you're staying in town. They'll pick you up on the bus, take you out to the rangelands and this landscape. I don't know, it's ancient and it's completely unique. And of course, winton is famous for the jump-ups or the messes. You know these land masses that rise up out of the ground and you know you can get up atop some of them and look out over the landscape below and it's almost like the Savannah Plains.

Speaker 2:

And we did learn from our guide on this tour that you know many of the species of bush and tree that grow out on these plains. You know hail from Africa and that's clearly what you can picture when you're standing up here. And also the thing for me is picturing the dinosaurs roaming, you know, millions of years ago, hundreds of millions of years ago, as they did out here on this landscape, and then the rifts are the edges of the mess. Are that over again? Who knows? Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of years eroded away due to the elements, the wind, the water, the rain, and they've created this incredible environment that you can feel like a tiny little ant environment that you can feel like a tiny little ant hey, paul and walk down between the crevices of these rifts that are towering giants overhead.

Speaker 1:

Look, I love this and what you said there about you're standing up there and looking out across the plains and you can picture the dinosaurs roaming. Do you know whether it's built or natural here in Winton and anywhere really across Outback Queensland. It is like you're in a movie set and you can see why people come out here and film from all around the world major productions, you know, student productions. They have their annual Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival out here, for good reason. So you've got this sense of like epic adventure when you're standing out there, like you say, and ancient, you know I love that. And then, to finish it off, you're back into the bus. You're up on top of the rangelands now watching the sunset. What would you like to drink?

Speaker 1:

Sparkling wine your choice red, white variants, beautiful food offering. It was just so classy and so well done. There's even some little seating, some bench seating, that you can sit down if you like, or you can wander and do your own thing, and this takes on probably the last 45 minutes to an hour of the tour before you're back on the bus and you're heading in. We loved it.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely A really beautiful experience. It didn't feel rushed, no, we had plenty of time and we would highly recommend you book on to Red Dirt Tours.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic Number three Winton's Historic Pubs. Now let's just go down the list. Okay, you've got the Winton yes, back off the main street. All right, let's just say you were going to do a pub crawl. I don't know why someone in town hasn't jumped on this as a tour product. I know If I lived in Winton, this is what I'd run Yep, the Outback Pub Crawl. And this is a quintessential, authentic. Meet the characters behind the bar and become part of the fabric of the Outback.

Speaker 2:

That's right, and what's so bloody amazing about this is that you can literally walk between the pubs, so you don't have to worry about driving, you don't have to worry about drinking.

Speaker 1:

I call them a pub walk, katie. I call them a pub walk for good reason. So the Winton, I go there first. Okay, beautiful historic pub, and then I'd head over to Tattersall's.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

Yep, great, a great pub. You love the interior and exterior of this pub. By the way, we stayed straight across the road at the Tattersall's Caravan Park and that meant that we barely drove anywhere. And then when you get on tours and someone else is driving, it's even better. So Tattersalls would be our hot tip, especially if you want just you know beautiful, clean amenities, green grass Very rare out here in these parts yes, and you just walk across the road and you're at Tattersalls Fantastic, okay, great meals there. And then you walk down and you're into the Australian yes, okay which unfortunately was closed this time while we're there, but it's on the market.

Speaker 1:

It'll be snapped up in a matter of months.

Speaker 2:

Oh look, I know For sure. I think if we were looking for a little something-something on the side not that we are, but this would be an amazing venue.

Speaker 1:

I never am looking for a little something, something on the side babe.

Speaker 2:

A little project, a little fixer-upper, this would be an amazing venue to own.

Speaker 1:

And we have been to the Australian on previous visits to Winton. I think it may be close, because last time we were there we were met by a fairly inebriated publican who shouted the first round, and I thought that's his seventh round for sure. Bless him. He's had a few under his belt.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, bless him, but that was entertaining. It was entertaining and this is a great pub. And if you're looking for a project and you think owning a pub called the Australian in Winton, in one of the best towns in outback Queensland, sounds like a bloody good idea, we're up there with you.

Speaker 1:

Yes, okay, and then you'd cross the road. Yes, there's a crossing, so you'll feel safe no matter what state you're in by now. And head to the North, gregory.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yes, and this I mean step inside the movie set. Why don't you? That's what it's like. This Inside the movie set, why don't you? That's what it's like? This is absolutely stunning. I mean, in fact, the entire main street of Winton is like you are on a movie set. It doesn't matter which way you look, in what direction.

Speaker 1:

There is definitely a feel about it, and then, to finish off, at the North Gregory, and with a little bit of luck, gregory North is making an appearance. That really is his name. You know, the Australian champion poet and bush poet is his name. You know, the Australian champion poet and bush poet, and he delivers the history complete of Banjo Patterson, the famous Watson, matilda, through his characterization of the history and everything that you'd want to know. You can order a beautiful pub meal there. The drinks are flying, the beer's cold, the people are friendly.

Speaker 2:

It's super family friendly as well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

We were those people with the crazy kids that ran around and were loud and, you know, played on the grass and probably upset all the other patrons, and that was us.

Speaker 1:

Yes, look, he settled down over time, isn't he? Okay, and that would wrap up your pub crawl and then you'd just be back to your van for a nightcap. Awesome, love it All. Right. Now let's move on to number four, the Opal Miner. This guy is the real Opal Hunter. Yes, like literally, he's in the show. Okay, and we're talking about Joe Taranto and his beautiful wife Tash.

Speaker 2:

Oh look, you can't go past this shop front here. It is on the main street, almost directly opposite the Tattersall's Hotel, and if you are looking for an authentic Opal experience, then this is the place to stick your head into. And you will be overwhelmed with the incredible beauty that they have on display here in the shop. And you'll be overwhelmed to know that everything they have on display in the shop has been min. Be overwhelmed to know that everything they have on display in the shop has been mined by Joe and Tash from their private claim out at Opalton. These guys are incredible. They are just beautiful people. They will give you all of the time of day to talk to you about their passion for Winton, for Opalton, for Queensland's Boulder Opal. They are just I don't know, they're just awesome people. Over the years we've formed a great relationship with these guys and we love stopping in and seeing them every time we're back in Winton and look, you'll learn lots.

Speaker 1:

Look, they're the real deal. Yeah, I think Now there is the Opal Walk inside their store. So you have all the beautiful jewelry on display which, again, is very unique for these guys, because they mine it, they cut it, they make it into jewelry, so they kind of do it all yes, all right, and then they have a jeweler that finishes everything off. So it is beautiful, professional, you know, unique. Every piece is unique. Yeah, and it's Australia's national gemstone, Katie.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it is, and look when you do stick your head in here. We would definitely recommend that you ask Joe his story, because it is fascinating, heartwarming to think that somebody who was so far removed from this opal industry made a change in his life and decided to come out and give it a crack, and then to hear of his story over the years, it's amazing.

Speaker 1:

It is amazing and I mean, they've been out here for over 30 years he's been doing this Interestingly the first time that they actually struck some colour, as he calls it, and he got the bug, or the bug got him. There was five years of opal flowing oh can you imagine Followed by seven years of nothing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the drought.

Speaker 1:

You've just got to think about that. It's like imagine going to work for seven years and not getting paid a cent. You just keep coming back. How do you get out of bed? How do you re-motivate yourself to keep going?

Speaker 2:

I think it's the call of the colour, though, paul, you know, like we know just from our little fossicking around and I mean we head out to Opalton and we'll talk about that in an upcoming podcast. But it's that call of. I've just got to keep looking. It's just going to be here somewhere.

Speaker 1:

Look, I've just got to keep looking. It's just going to be here somewhere. Look, I've got that little treasure hunter. You know, back when I was eight, you know, and that's still in me, yes, and it is in most people once you let it out. Now, besides the open walk and the history of the mining in the region that you can do, behind the main front of the store there is also a wonderful area for fossicking for kids, where Joe regularly brings in a big wheelbarrow full of rocks dirty rocks really, but in there some spray bottles, and he lets the kids go through and try and find their little treasure. But I tell you what they've had some kids find opal worth $600 to $700. So they're very generous.

Speaker 2:

They are they actually?

Speaker 1:

In what they really are giving yes To travellers and people who have the interest in wanting to learn more. They're so giving of their time.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you took the words out of my mouth, Paul. They are incredible people.

Speaker 1:

All right, and there is a great interview that we do that covers off their story with both of them together, this time on our YouTube channel, and just go to our website, thefeelgoodfamilycom, to find out more information about these guys. All right, number five, built in 1918, the Heritage Building out here, the Royal Open Air Theatre. Step back in time, katie.

Speaker 2:

Oh look, this is such a beautiful building and it's so lovely to stick your head into and have a look around all of the historic artefacts that they've been able to bring back to life, and you can watch a movie any night of the week during the high season here at the Open Air Theatre.

Speaker 1:

Yes, everything from John Wayne bit of a spaghetti western all the way through to nostalgia, the history of theatre in Australia and around the world and, yes, some other kids' activities and happen during school holidays as well in this space during the day. And of course, that wonderful annual event of the Vision Splendour Awesome Happens here as well. Yeah, okay, let's move on. Number six need a laugh? The Crackup Sisters.

Speaker 2:

Oh look, watching the journey of the Crackup Sisters. We met these gals on our first visit and got to spend some time with them and they gave us their vision. You know, we're going to do this and we're going to do that, and we're going to build a house and we're going to have this massive area where people can come and watch our show and I mean, this is not just for the kids, you know, anybody of any age will absolutely love the heartwarming comedy show that the Crackup Sisters put on. And to come back to Winton four years later and to see what they have accomplished and that they have in fact done all the things that they told us they were dreaming of creating here in Winton Just awesome.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and just good people. I love the way you said gals, gals, the gals. Do you know what it reminds me of olden day slapstick collides with outback characters. You know that? Authentic Aussie larrikins.

Speaker 2:

Yes, isn't it? Yeah, it's a whole bunch of good fun, and if you need a little pick-me-up or you just feel like you need a good giggle, you know there's not a chance you can walk away from the Crackup Sisters without feeling good.

Speaker 1:

No, and look, their house now is an Airbnb. So if you're self-driver, you want to-.

Speaker 2:

You can sleep over, though, with the girls.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, that sounds all right. A quirky night out of the van, that'd be the stay. And of course they do yard tours and lots of interactive fun for the kids, for the whole family, during school holidays. And they have that well advertised through their website so you can check them out or find them on Facebook. Awesome, all right. Number seven the famous Winton signs. There's a few to choose from. We love doing the rounds and at different times of the day you'll have a different experience. To get the perfect selfie, or if you want to get a few shots to send back to the family so that they can go wow, you really are in the middle of the outback. These are the signs for you Send me a sign.

Speaker 1:

Here's three.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, look, have you really been to Winton If you haven't got a selfie in front of the Winton signs? Number one, the Way Out West sign. Now, this is just on the very edge of town, not far from the Tattersalls Caravan Park. You can actually drive your vehicle right up onto the mound. We time it perfectly for that awesome sunset shot and it is a great selfie to send back to your friends and family.

Speaker 1:

Yes, you've got the absolutely large signage. It's like Hollywood but it says Winton. Obviously I wouldn't say Hollywood, but you can pull your rig right in there as well, on the way out or the way in, or like we did, we just took the 79 over and got some magical sunset shots, with the sun bouncing along the top of each letter, as the drone panned around and Jasper kicked up the dirt.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was, epic, looked like a movie.

Speaker 1:

You know scene, didn't it Katie?

Speaker 2:

It was awesome. And then the third sign that we would say you definitely need to get a photo with is the Home of Qantas sign, which is out near the very quirky musical fence, which is our number eight.

Speaker 1:

And look, this is a quirky art installation with a difference, a real chance for the kids to absolutely burn the energy and bang out of this old machinery and tin and metal. And they've got their whacking sticks with the PVC piping. They can basically just let loose, go wild in the wild. We love it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Recycling at its best really, it's reusing all the old junk to make it an awesome space for kids and big kids to. Yeah, let some steam off.

Speaker 1:

Look, another family favourite of ours is number nine, the Winton Pool and Aquatic Centre. We had Jasper's fourth birthday there as a pool party and now we enjoyed his eighth birthday there as a pool party as well. An incredible amount of infrastructure. Yes, you know the money that's been spent on this place for a $2 entry is remarkable. Yeah, there's slides and a splash area and then there's a main Olympic pool and then there's a toddler pool, some covered areas. So they've done it very well. We always enjoy our time here. It is open in the later parts of the day and early in the morning to beat the heat of, you know, the sun. Here the temperatures can get pretty high, but a great place to cool off and again burn off some energy. Love it All right. Number 10, the last one, of course, you can't come out here to Winton without seeing the dinosaurs. The home of the dinosaurs is, of course, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs.

Speaker 2:

Oh, this and again.

Speaker 2:

This is a world-class museum facility with a whole range of different tours on offer, so we would definitely recommend jump onto their website, have a look at the tours that will suit you and your travelling entourage, whether you're, you know, a couple travelling or a family together.

Speaker 2:

They do great stuff here, and this is a working laboratory as well, and you can do a lab tour and see the staff and the incredible volunteers who come out here every single year and, you know, spend endless hours chipping millimetres away from fossilised dinosaur bones that have been found here in Winton. I mean, for me, when we first visited the Australian Age of Dinosaurs. You know, we all know dinosaurs as kids, we read the books, we watch the cartoons on TV, but they also kind of become like this mythical creature. You know it's hard to really get in your head that these actually were living creatures on our planet. And then you come out here and you see, seriously, the floor to ceiling shelving of fossils that have been dug up from the earth out here and you see the volunteers working on them and you see them on display and all of a sudden it just boom, it's real, like it makes these creatures real. Well, it certainly did for me.

Speaker 1:

We love it and they have added to the experiences out here at the Age of Dinosaurs. They also co-manage the Luck Quarry.

Speaker 2:

Yes, the D stampede, and we would recommend get yourself on to a tour again with Vicky from Red Dirt and get out there and see this incredible footprint phenomenon out here. It is quite far out from Winton Town itself, hence why jumping on Vicky's four-wheel drive bus is a good idea.

Speaker 1:

Excellent. What did you say? It's a foot phenomenon.

Speaker 2:

A footprint phenomenon.

Speaker 1:

I love that, Katie. I don't think they're going to use it in their marketing, but it's an interesting way to put it, it is a footprint phenomenon.

Speaker 2:

There's like over 3,000 footprints of different dinosaurs here. You can actually in your mind's eye, see the chaos that is going on and you can understand what's happening, with all of the little baby dinosaur footprints getting scattered as the big predator dinosaur comes in hungry for lunch.

Speaker 1:

I do love your natural enthusiasm, Katie. It is infectious. Thanks, Tom. A little odd at times, but it is infectious.

Speaker 2:

You know I have to say, I know you're winding me up and we've banged on long enough about dinosaurs, but I do have to say we thought Light Quarry and the Dinosaur Stampede was amazing, when you really, really understand what it is.

Speaker 1:

And we've met other people that have gone.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it is okay. I don't know if I'd tell anybody else to go out there and look at it.

Speaker 1:

Discover footprints mate.

Speaker 2:

Well, it's 3,000 footprints in the ground that you can see, every single one of of dinosaurs that we hear.

Speaker 1:

Righto, so take. You know you got to take or leave it, but we definitely took it. We loved our experience out there. Now the other thing that is brand new and exciting out here is the Gondwana Dark Sky Observatory. Bookings are essential, so you'll have to get onto the website to check that out. But that does wrap up our top 10 things to do when you come out to Winton.

Speaker 2:

Oh, so awesome. And obviously on top of this list there is so many other things that you can do and see while you are and from Winton is so awesome, like there is so much to see and do along the way. That's right, and you can actually get to Winton on the bitumen. You don't have to go, the way we did, across the Plenty Highway and on the dirt. You can reach Winton fully on the bitumen.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and that's really what I wanted to share. Was that, because people say fully on the bitumen, absolutely, and that's really what I wanted to share was that people say, oh you know, is it all off road? And no, it is questionable road at times.

Speaker 2:

Sometimes the dirt is better than the bitumen. We won't lie.

Speaker 1:

That's true. That's true it needs some work, but it's safe, okay, and we haven't seen a lot of wildlife along the fringes this journey. You know, the emus were very apparent when you get close to Longreach, which we will do next week, but at the moment quiet along the wildlife, so it's very safe driving conditions. Now, this does give me a very good segue into our takeaway for this week, which is remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I love that. That's great. That needs to be a bumper sticker. It does.

Speaker 1:

We'll put it on our website. Katie, I'm going to get some stickers. Mate, done All right. Well, look, that wraps up for this week. Next week, we head, even more remote, out to Opalton. Oh, what an experience, a first for the feel-good. Yes, you're going to love that let's go. Opal hunting baby. All right, I think for now we'll say dream big, look after yourself and look after your family. And happy trails. Happy trails, feel the journey, feel the love, feel good family.

People on this episode

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Katie Guerin

Host
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Paul Guerin

Host