An Outback Road Trip Around Matilda Country

It’s been 120 years since Australia’s unofficial anthem, “Waltzing Matilda”, was performed for the first time in a little town called Winton in Outback Queensland. Banjo Paterson’s infamous bush ballad even inspired its own museum in the town and a festival that celebrates its significance every year on April 6.

The outback is a bloody big place with a lot of heart and bucket loads of history. The Central West region of this sunburnt country (aka ‘Matilda Country’) includes the towns of Longreach, Blackall, Barcaldine, Aramac, Muttaburra and Winton.

Instagrammer Lauren Bath went a-waltzing… erm we mean took a road trip out that way recently. This is what she captured:

Sheepish

This little sheep was hanging out at the Blackall Woolscour. This is the last remaining steam-operated wool washing plant in Australia.

Lone trees in epic landscapes

Country cows

The locals

A welcomed sight

Cooling tanks

The water in Winton comes from the Artesian Basin 4,000 feet underground and comes out of the tap at 86°C. For safety reasons, it is then pumped into these ‘cooling tanks’ to cool to 50°C before becoming town water.

Ex-dinosaur country

The earth around Winton is rich with dinosaurs! Hence, a stop at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History is a must – it’s home to the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.

A Winton sunrise

A Winton sunset

And this is the end of this road trip

But there will be plenty more.