Discover Winton: Song History, Museums and Art

Winton brings together song history, local history, art and a distinctive landscape. Historic machinery, buildings and public art are also among the town’s diverse cultural offerings. Winton is also shaped by vast black-soil plains.

Song History and Regional Themes

The Waltzing Matilda Centre is the world’s first museum dedicated to a song. It tells the story of “Waltzing Matilda” through interactive exhibitions and audiovisual presentations. Both the song itself and the various ways it is presented are at the centre of the museum. The Winton Visitor Information Centre is also located in the Waltzing Matilda Centre and provides maps, brochures and travel itineraries.

The Qantilda Museum presents stories about the Shearers’ Strike of 1891 and the early years of Qantas. These historical themes give the cultural offering a different focus from the story of “Waltzing Matilda”. If you would like to consider different aspects of the town’s history when planning your trip, both themes can add to your picture of Winton.

The Outback Regional Gallery showcases contemporary art through a varied exhibition programme. This makes the gallery another focal point alongside the historical museums and collections. If you are interested in contemporary art, it offers a distinct theme within Winton’s cultural scene.

Vehicles, Buildings and Public Art

The Diamantina Heritage Truck & Machinery Museum houses a growing collection of historic trucks and machinery. All the vehicles and machines in the collection are in working order. Its focus on technical and industrial exhibits sets it clearly apart from the song and art history presented by other institutions in Winton.

The Corfield & Fitzmaurice Heritage Listed Building was once Winton’s general store and is now one of Australia’s best-preserved historic general stores. The building combines its former use as a shop with its present significance as a well-preserved historic commercial building.

Arno’s Wall is two metres high and more than 70 metres long. These dimensions give this public artwork a clear spatial scale: its length is considerably greater than its height. The Royal Theatre offers a different focus. It is one of only two open-air theatres of this kind still operating in Australia.

The Musical Fence is a publicly accessible instrument that visitors can play. It is located behind the Diamantina Museum in Winton. Rather than a collection or exhibition, the focus here is on the opportunity to create sounds on an instrument yourself.

Landscape and Getting Around

The vast black-soil plains shape Winton’s landscape and add a distinct regional perspective to its cultural themes. The town can therefore be described not only through its museums, historic buildings and art: its landscape is also part of its character. When choosing between different destinations, it may be helpful to consider both their cultural highlights and this distinctive landscape.

For help getting around, the Winton Visitor Information Centre provides maps, brochures and travel itineraries. Since the centre is located in the Waltzing Matilda Centre, travel information and the story of the song come together under one roof. The different resources can help you find the topics that interest you most during a stay in Winton.

If you are looking for a hotel in Winton, these highlights can help you assess whether the destination suits your interests. Song history, the region’s past, contemporary art, historic machinery and the landscape offer different starting points for planning your trip, and none of these themes has to be equally important for every journey.

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