Road Trip With Avan Aliner.  Trip one

Rockhampton, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Hughenden, Porcupine Gorge, Undara Lava Tubes, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Dinosaur trail

 

Blog 2, Winton Part 1 of 2

9 May 2023, Day 5, Tuesday, Longreach to Winton

Broke camp at Muddy Duck, Longreach.  Drove towards Winton town.  Stopped at truck siding to check engine at operating temperature – no water leaks spotted. Drove at 85 to 90 km/h to Winton.  One stop for roadside toilet and photo of Mesa (a raised hill with flat top).  Arrive Winton 2:00pm and drove around for a few minutes looking for the Roadhouse caravan park – I actually drove past it entering Winton.  The Roadhouse Service Station is a large tin shed and does not have the commercial signage that we see in the city.  Checked in, $41.00 per night – park your van anywhere you like in park.  Later, went into the tourist information” in the Waltzing Matilda centre building.  Got information about Lark Quarry footprints and a few other things. Coffee machine broken down at coffee shop, in Waltzing Matilda Centre, so had an ice coffee and caramel slice (Slim Dusty “Pub With No Beer”, this is “Coffee Shop With No Coffee”). 

Enter Waltzing Matilda Museum display – Winton

Figure 1, Statue of Banjo Patterson

$35.00 to enter the Waltzing Matilda Museum; it is one of two museums in the world dedicated to a song.  Has 2 inch plastic tubes, that go from ceiling to floor, in side-by-side fashion, in a figure of eight, in the centre of the large room, and you can walk inside the area they take.  These tubes were lighted up in a blue-style colour.  Every fifteen minutes or so the pipes become a picture scene, sometimes moving pictures, and a voice with a strong and serious Australian accent tells a little story over loud speakers`:  One for Budgeree galahs, one about the forming of opal, and one about water availability in the Winton area.  There are Banjo Patterson displays and information near the entry.  Then some history of the Winton area with displays, such as –

• Gang chain which 10 chains square equals one acre;
• Wool bail templates for painting on side of wool bails;
• Aboriginal artefacts ( hook boomerang used to disarm someone, spear thrower which does not look like a typical woomera, a round wooden club with a small head/face carved on it, a more normal looking boomerang with one arm shorter than the other, one or two other objects which I cannot recollect);
• A moving picture display projected on a wall of opal forming - One centimetre of opal formation takes five million years to deposit, some of the opal in the area represents ninety million years of formation, some physical displays of opals;
• A display of historical house-hold goods – China porcelain (bowls, figurine), wash stand, jug, two pistols (fire arms) in poor condition, wall behind this had display of rifles (fire arms);
• A display of wool history – stencils used for painting information on wool bails, wool samples/examples, cannot recollect remainder of this display;
• A display of entertainment industry movies made in Winton and/or surrounding district – Mystery Road (2013), Goldstone (2016) which was the next Mystery Road movie, The Proposition – had very large posters of these films and also some props and costumes from The Proposition movie (2005), which was a 1800s period film;
• Framed pictures on wall of the legends of the district, some of them First Nation (these pictures toward end of displays, near the exit door).

 The Museum, whilst a learning experience, does not have a lot of artefacts and the historical shop in Winton main street, Corfield & Fitzmaurice Store, is just as good with historical information and artefacts; entry to this shop only a gold coin donation as it is volunteer operated.  In Mackay City’s art gallery they had aboriginal objects for sale (which were expensive) that were much the same as the artefacts on display at Waltzing Matilda museum.  Note that the Waltzing Matilda Museum almost completely burned down about ten years ago (2011) and they lost a lot of their stuff.

After exiting the Waltzing Matilda Museum, there was an art gallery and gift shop in the foyer.  The art gallery was closed at this time for a change-over of display.  I purchased a few souvenirs.  I walked about the town’s main street.  There was a very interesting outfitter shop; I purchased a few souvenirs and a general purpose shirt from this shop.  Continued my walk, stopped at historical shop, Corfield & Fitzmaurice Store, volunteer run for tourism; the shop has a museum, local craft (for sale), and gift shop.  The volunteer shop keeper said to come to the historical movies shown at historical movie theatre that night. (I visited the museum here two days later, see below.)

Cinema – open air picture theatre - Winton

That night, we were shown through the movie theatre museum by this volunteer.  The whole theatre is volunteer run for the last five years – previously it was a commercial operation started in the 1930s or 1920s.  A shop next to the theatre is the theatre’s museum:

• The museum had old projectors amongst other objects.  Noteworthy was the carbide projector that operated without electricity.  There was also a carbon-arc projector (like to stick welding rods and electricity jumps between rods for the light). 
• Display of the old glass type slides.  Of interest was the Federal Member, politician Bob Katter, father’s advertising slide.  Katter, senior, was also a politician in the area.  He purchased the Cloncurry picture theatre shortly after returning from World War 2. He took down the barrier railing that separated Aborigines from whites. 
• There was also a booking multi-pidgeon-hole type box which was used to book seats – if you did not pay and collect your ticket by 7:00pm your ticket could be sold.
• Also there was some photos, objects and a talk on the history of the town.  Note that the electricity generators were at first 36volt (?) and later 240volt - people in town were under verbal agreement that they would only have fridge and lighting (cooking was by wood fire stove).  The wool scour in town took most of the electricity and there was an agreement that the scour would stop at 7:00pm so enough power for the theatre.  Also of historical interest was that the Winton area was an American air base during World War II; we were told some stories about their stay in Winton.

 

Entered the open-air theatre (no roof or walls).  The floor was paved with recovered bricks and not very good looking.  At the front of the theatre’s seating area was a small cement-floor roller-skate rink – they, the volunteers, intend to bring skating back to the theatre – skate by day and movies at night (note that theatre could not darken for movies during daytime as it was open-air theatre).  They only sold soft drinks made in Toowoomba, so I had a double sars.  The movies started with a historical slide show, mostly from the post World War II era.  Then there was a Tweetie Bird and Cat cartoon – the cat wears the scalp off a neighbour’s dog and fools Tweetie’s dog to gain entry to the house, gives the dog many bones, one at a time, to bury in the back yard while he tries to eat Tweetie.  Then there was a short film about the fashion models and mannequins and the tailor which was a bit of a slap-stick comedy.  Then there was a comedy film about annoying habits of people.  All films were old and in black and white. The session finished by 8:30pm.

Return to van.  I had not put the stabiliser legs down as I did not have time since arriving in Winton.  Later in the trip I realised that the stabiliser legs are un-necessary with one person and did not bother with them at all.  Also, the awning on side of van takes valuable time when you arrive at a new place and I also did not bother with it later in the trip.

10 May 2023, Day 6, Wednesday, Winton

Lark Quarry – 110 kilometres south-west of Winton

Woke at 7:15am and planned to be on the road to Lark Quarry by 7:00am!?

Figure 2, Road toward Lark Quarry footprints

Road out of Winton to Lark Quarry is first bitumen and a bit rugged with many bends (curves).  Little did I know that this was the ‘good’ bit of the road!?  Soon the gravel sections were reached.  The road was badly corrugated and what I call rough.  I pulled over and lowered tyre pressure to 27psi.  I had to balance between bumps pinching the tyre on the rim and increasing suspension with low tyre pressure.  On unsealed roads, I drove at about 40 kilometres per hour maximum and slower over the rougher parts and cattle grids.  The road went between bitumen, where I speed up, and gravel, where I progressed slowly.  I did 110km distance in two and a half hours.  It really made my Toyota Camry (a road car) shake.  Beginning to wish I took the bus for $150.00 including pass into the display area.  When I arrived at the Lark Quarry display centre I was the only road (street) car there, all other cars were high-clearance 4WD.

Went into shop and booked myself on the 11:00am tour.  I purchased the Ancient Queensland book for $50.00 and have started reading it on my return – fascinating.  Also purchased the Age of Dinosaur Journal which gave me a year membership of the Age of Dinosaur Museum and therefore a 10% discount on the book and other items purchased from its shop.  Also purchased picture postcard and fridge magnet (note that I think my personal photo of the footprints is better and I used it for social media). 

Figure 3, Lark Quarry Discovery Centre

Tour Lark Quarry foot prints

Tour began with a CGI movie of dinosaurs which went in two or so minute bursts between the guides descriptive talk along with projected photographs.  Brief summary (to best of my recollection):

• They told and showed visiting Queensland Museum scientists, in year 1971, the foot prints, when said scientists were in Winton seeking other paleontology zoology (I think historical marsupial).  They, the scientists, spent only a day looking at the area.  They were apparently not further interested because it was not their field of expertise or what they had come out this area to investigate (I get the impression there were no dinosaur experts in QM at that time).  (Note that only a few footprints were exposed at that time in 1971.);
• In 1979, after an almost ten year absence from scientific study, work was undertaken to expose the footprints we see today.  It was thought that the original footprints discovered would also be at a nearby mesa (raised area) as it was the same level.  A female Queensland Museum scientist led the uncovering and researched the footprints (she continued to research the footprints for many years until her death).  Then the footprints, after first being uncovered, were left in the open, exposed to the elements, for one or two years.
• The area is isolated and unpopulated.  After some instances of abuse to the footprints, a caretaker lived at the site sometime in the 1980s (unsure if it was a paid caretaker).  Note that one instance of abuse was a visiting artist taking a plaster-cast of one footprint which was showed to us with the plaster still in the print – they/them were discovered in the act by a ranger who was at the site for another purpose (before a caretaker).
• The footprints was covered with black plastic (presume this is the same black plastic that concreters use), after the two years since being exposed, and a layer of hay (dried grass stalks) was put over the top for temperature insulation.  Around this time they started work on a metal roof/awning to cover the footprints. (A construction in the same fashion as a car port however covering a much larger area.) 
• Footprints were then covered, and had some protection, by a roof/awning.  This was a flat iron awning (like a car port) open at the sides.  During construction of the metal roof/awning, a welding fire broke out on the hay covering the black-plastic.  The black plastic melted in a few spots on the footprints.
• Roof covering the footprints was unfenced and had open sides.  The shade that the roof provided created a lovely place for animals, particularly kangaroo, to shelter from the hot sun.  The kangaroos’ did their toiletry and lay on the footprints.  The open sides also meant that the footprints were still open to the elements and the large temperature variation between day and night. There were also no walkways for the visitors and therefore human visitors walked over the footprints during their visits investigating/observing. 
• The covered area was later fenced with weldmesh type grid and walkways created. It was, however, still open to the elements and wide temperature variations between day and night.
• Building work then began in year 2001 to provide an insulated enclosure around the footprints.  This building opened in year 2002.  This building had insulated walls made of rammed earth.  One of the rammed earth walls, soon after building opening, collapsed inward.  The wall mainly collapsed on the walkway with little damage to the footprints.
• Since year 2002 the dinosaur prints seem to have been protected from the elements, wide temperature variations, and damage by visitors. 

Figure 4, Section of the Lark Quarry footprints

About the Dinosaur Prints

• The prints are reckoned at 95 million years old; 
• There are three different types of dinosaur prints one from chicken-size dinosaur, one from emu-size, and one much larger known as the theropod “Banjo”;
• There has been recent study of Banjo (Banjo is the common name) at the Age of Dinosaur Museum where they think it weighed about 600 kilograms – much lighter than the size of the footprints suggest.  The previous thoughts were a print that size came from a 2 tonne dinosaur (note that Banjo has a very large foot for the size of dinosaur);
• They think the prints represent a stampede scenario where the large dinosaur has preyed on the smaller dinosaurs and the smaller ones have run for cover.  It is, however, impossible to know for sure; 
• The topology of the footprints, I think, was a mud-flat on the edge of a lake back ninety five million years ago.  Note that there is no surface water at the location today; the lake was present when Australia was still attached to Gwandana Land.

The footprints are fascinating to see and worth the extra effort to travel and view. 

Note that I was working in Barcaldine in 2001 when the site was closed for the new building then under construction.  When still at Barcaldine, the building opened but I did not take my opportunity before the wall collapsed.  In 2011 I was traveling back from Kununurra, Western Australia, and came to Winton.  It was drizzling rain and I did not investigate going to Lark Quarry; I fuelled and kept going on my journey.  It has therefore been over twenty years since my first interest in visiting.  It was worthwhile keeping this intention when I finally viewed them in May 2023.

At Lark Quarry, there are walks around the discovery centre; I took one of the shorter walks and photographed the surrounds.  The area is totally unsuitable for any type of grazing or other farming.  The ground is open dirt, rocky, with tufts of spinifex grass and a good amount of acacia plants; it is very dry climate in this area. The return trip to Winton, driving my car, took nearly three hours.

Figure 5, Walking track at Lark Quarry

Winton does not have Optus phone coverage.  I contacted mother using a Telstra public phone which are now free to call anywhere in Australia.  I visited the Post Office (Australia Post) and purchased and posted some picture post cards.  I then visited one of the two grocery stores.  These grocery stores are small compared to what we have in Rockhampton City.  They are not outwardly commercial.  One is a SPAR franchise and one does not have a franchise name.  Winton has a population of about 800 souls.  Water in town is artesian bore water and has a tainted taste. 

The cold-snap of the last few days has eased and temperature at night warmer.  We have had cold wind and very cool nights the recent few days.  I am visiting the Age of Dinosaur Museum fossil centre tomorrow.  After visiting it, I found it is almost an experience like the Jurassic Park movie.

 

End of Blog Post 2.