Saturday 29 July - Winton

Left this morning and drove through to Winton.  We were back on the highway today and had more traffic in today's two hour drive than the three previous days driving on the development road.  Set up and walked down the information centre.  Collected a map of the town with the points of interest listed.  Lunched back at the van whilst checking out the information.   We thought we would only need one night here but have found we haven't enough time to do the Age of Dinosaurs Museum as the tour is three hours and as we have to drive back through Winton on our way home we will do that museum then.  First stop after lunch was the Musical Fence.  This is a wire fence that can be played as a musical instrument, although my attempt was terrible.  There are also different percussion instruments made out of bits and pieces.  The drum kit's cymbals we made from tin garbage can lids.  We tried out each instruments but still didn't manage to put a tune together.   Down the road to Arno's Wall.  The wall is two metres tall and extends for over seventy metres.  It is constructed of concrete and rock from Arno's opal mine with old lawnmower parts, boat propellers, old machinery, typewriters, a couple of old motorbikes and a sewing machine.  And also the kitchen sink.  Next stop the Jolly Swagman Statue, sculptured in 1959 to commemorate Waltzing Matilda and is dedicated to poet Banjo Paterson and the many swagmen who lie in unmarked graves throughout the country.  Finally we went on the opal walk and open air theatre.  The opal walk was just a corridor of rocks and some opal jewellery and you ended up at the theatre which was built in 1918 and is home to the world's largest deck chair.  It has a screen like the old drive in's and you sit in rows of canvas deck chairs which are in need of some TLC.  I had suggested when we return this way we make it a Wednesday night when the theatre show old time slides and black and white films but after sitting on one of the canvas chairs quickly changed my mind.  A plane seat is twice the width of these and there are five seats all joined together.  Was actually disappointed with the theatre, was not what I was anticipating.  Luckily the lady didn't charge us to go in.  There are chook races on at the pub this afternoon but think we will give them a miss.  Also managed to find some time to do the normal thing when caravanning, talked to both sets of neighbours.