EXPLORE OUTBACK
OPINION: FELLOW Queenslanders, don’t waste your money on a plane trip down south.
Queensland has so much to offer and it’s much cheaper.
To go out west to the Outback is an opportunity to learn about Australia’s past such as discovering the history and lifestyle of the stockmen or unearth our dinosaur heritage.
A good place to start is Townsville where you can head out west and visit Charters Towers.
Be sure to bring a camera to take some amazing pictures of the main street which is full of heritage architecture, colour, locals and tourists.
Soon after Charters Towers, you will come across Hughenden, a small town with many attractions and a dinosaur museum.
The Flinders Discovery centre has old artefacts and displays to inform and educate.
This wonderful town puts on sheep shearing shows to showcase the work the shearers do.
Porcupine Gorge is another wonderful place to visit.
One hour west of Hughenden is Richmond, popular for its marine dinosaurs.
About 800 people call Richmond their home. The town has a beautiful lake with a water park on its shores for families to enjoy.
Lake Fred Tritton is man- made and strangely enough has an unknown grave directly in the middle of it.
There is also a museum called Kronosaurus Korner.
The museum’s Penny is a nearly complete fossilised plesiosaurus.
Just outside the town there is a fossicking site where you can try your hand at digging up a fossil.
Be sure to bring a shovel and be ready to dig!
If you’ve still got the dinosaur fever, be sure to check out Winton. STUDENTS, EMAIL YOUR LETTERS TO
In Winton there is the Australian Age of Dinosaurs which offers a number of tours to experience.
Inside the building there are the skeletal remains of a theropod ( a two- legged carnivore), Banjo and a sauropod ( fourlegged herbivore), Matilda.
Another must see is Lark Quarry, a scenic 75 minute drive out of Winton.
This site has the footprints of a stampede that took place 95 million years ago.
The newly rebuilt Waltzing Matilda Centre is a fantastic museum about the region including the story behind Australia’s all- time favourite song.
Longreach is a two- hour drive from Winton.
The Stockman’s Hall of Fame is another tourist attraction you won’t want to miss because of its outstanding displays and historical artefacts.
The night time show includes dinner as well as an entertaining horseback show.
Across the road from the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, there is also the fascinating Qantas Museum.
In the museum you can learn about the history of the world’s most trusted airline as you watch film clips and explore the museum’s many exhibitions.
Longreach is another fantastic outback town to visit.
My Queenslander friends, I know what you’re thinking. I know you’re excited for that holiday to the southern capital cities and states of Australia, but stay here in your own “backyard” and see some places which are much more exciting and memorable.