Winton is home to stunningly diverse landscapes with rolling Mitchell grass downs, mesa formations, starkly beautiful red earth, spinifex country and channel country. Undulating plains stretch as far as the eye can see with a myriad of dry channels, waiting for the wet season.
Some of Winton’s biggest attractions are so old they’re positively prehistoric. Dinosaurs and opals come from a similar time frame – around 100 million years ago – and both hail from this region! Winton, long known as part of Queensland’s boulder opal country, now claims the title of the Dinosaur Capital of Australia.
Dinosaurs are big here. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, 24 km east of Winton on the Longreach road, has the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils and some of those bones belonged to absolute giants! From bones to footprints, you can also visit the world’s only recorded evidence of a dinosaur stampede at the unique national monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park 110 km southwest of Winton.
Start your sightseeing from the visitor centre with the Royal Open Air Theatre and Opal Walk Tour (there’s a nominal fee). The opal walk gives a brief introduction to the gemstone of the area and the Royal is an icon of the town. In fact, it’s one of only two original open-air theatres still operating in Australia. Renovations to restore the theatre to its natural beauty are continuing with its canvas seating and the addition of the Royal Theatre Museum adjacent.
Experience some of Winton’s free attractions. Play a tune on the Musical Fence and get percussive with the junkyard band instruments. Then marvel at the eccentric Arno’s Wall, a modern wonder of architecture and art that plays homage to recycling. Arno’s Wall is a 70 metre long and 2 metre high fence constructed from concrete and rock with a collection of found objects and “junk” being the quirky feature. The fence is located along the side boundary of Arno’s house and Arno’s park in Vindex Street.
Heritage Listed and therefore historic in its own right, the Corfield and Fitzmaurice building is a keeper of all kinds of history. The Combo Crafts section of the building has free entry and features crafts from all over Australia. It’s a good spot to browse among opal jewellery, silver jewellery, handcrafts and book.
Don’t miss the Winton Opal Festival, where a variety of opal products, from raw natural stones to carefully polished gems and intricately crafted jewellery are showcased. The Queen of Gems Design Awards, a highlight of the festival, celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship in handling Boulder Opal. The festival will be held 11-12 July 2025.
Australia’a quirkiest event, the Outback Festival, from 23-27 September 2025, is a celebration of all things outback. The signature event, the dunny derby, draws international competitors, while others can test their skills in the Century Cycle Challenge and the Outback ironman and ironwoman events. There’s also a swag of novelty events plus roving artists and live bands, making this an event to put on your list.
More recent history tells a story dear to the hearts of Australia. The legend of Waltzing Matilda began when A. B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson penned the ballad at nearby Dagworth Station in 1895. The first public performance of Australia’s national song was at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton in the same year.
The award-winning Waltzing Matilda Centre, which opened in April 2018, continues to attract visitors from all over the world. The museum is the first museum in the world dedicated to the memory of a song. Here you can learn about Winton’s contribution to WW1, and interactive displays tell the stories of life in Winton in days gone by. Take a walk through the art gallery and enjoy a coffee and a delicious meal at the Tuckerbox Cafe. The Centre is open seven days a week 9am to 5pm, and 9am to 3pm on public holidays.
Drive your own natural adventures in Winton Shire at Bladensburg National Park, located only 7km from Winton, where you can view spectacular flat topped mesas, plateaus and sandstone ranges. This former grazing and sheep station was designated as a National Park in 1994. A feature is the Route of the River Gum, a 51.4km loop drive which enables the visitor to explore the history of the park, experience the diverse landscape, craggy gorges, birdlife, claypans and mixes of grasses, vegetation and tree species.
The former Bladensburg Homestead and its collection of white corrugated iron buildings house the National Park Information Centre and homestead history.
A Shearer’s Strike Memorial marks the location where 500 shearers camped during the strike of 1891 and 1894 and was the foundation of the Australian Labor Party.
Camping is available at Bough Shed Waterhole, which forms part of the Surprise Creek water system and is great for bushwalks and swimming. Permits must be pre-purchased from the National Park website.
Don’t forget to stop off at Middleton Hotel, 170km west of Winton, once one of nine changing stations on a Cobb and Co route and now the only one still standing. While you’re there, take a photo of Lester and Val Cain’s prized possessions—the Cobb and Co coach. Have a meal and a welcome cold drink. The pub offers lunch and dinner seven days a week during the tourist season. Book into a room at the hotel or if you’re a bit more self sufficient there’s an area where you can camp overnight for free.
The Lilleyvale Hills are set on the edge of Winton Shire and Boulia Shire on the Kennedy Developmental Road. The Cawnpore Lookout is approximately 51 kilometres west of Middleton. Spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding Hills can be seen from here. The scenic drive towards the lookout winds through Jump Up and Channel Country.
July 10-11 — Winton Opal Festival
Winton Visitor Information Centre
Phone (within Australia) 07 4657 1466
