Winton Attractions

The outback town of Winton (pop. 1200) is well-known as the birthplace of the Australian national airline, Qantas, which established its headquarters here in 1920, later moving to Longreach, 180km south. It also has associations with 'Banjo' Paterson, who wrote his famous ballad Waltzing Matilda in 1895 at the Dagworth Station (100km northwest of Winton). The song, which has almost become Australia's national anthem, is believed to be based on an actual incident at the Combo waterhole in the Dagworth area.

Winton lies in an extensive sheep-farming area, and it was one of the scenes of the great sheep shearers' strike in 1891. The wool was formerly carried in ox carts to Winton for onward transport by rail; nowadays it is mainly cattle from the Channel Country and the Northern Territory that are brought to Winton by huge road trains for loading on to the railroad.

The town's water supply comes from deep artesian bores at a temperature of 70°C.

The town's main features of interest are the Quantilda Pioneer Museum (irregular opening hours) and the statue of a swagman near the swimming pool, commemorating the early settlers.