Day 130 Mathilda and Ollie

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Bush Camp at Age of Dinosaurs - Winton 37km

Glad to report that we didn't get eaten by some resurrected Australovenetor Wintonensis overnight who would have been trampling around here some 95 million years ago (no, that's not a typo!). Almost at the same time as the first caravans are heading up the Jump Up (also not a typo) mountain for the Age of the Dinosaur museum, we are hitting the road as well, 10km to meet Mathilda and Ollie.

On the way up there I am having similar feelings as prior to the Stockman's Hall of Fame visit. I am not quite sure what to expect and kind of wish I could have a quick live line to our nephew Eddie, who at some point in his young life was the number one expert on all things dinosaur I know. But then I remember our friend Juliette's enthusiasm about this place and how much she enjoyed it. And given that we pretty much like everything Juliette reads, watches and shares with us, I am hopeful this will be a good day. So we shift into a low gear to conquer Jump Up mountain and enjoy the amazing view across the plains while pushing towards the dinos.

Jump Up mountain 


View towards Winton

We arrive to an already pretty packed carpark which is more a caravan park. It would be fair to say that probably half of the vehicles here have passed us at some point on the way out West. We park our bikes in safe distance from the Australovenetor Wintonensis greeting every visitor and smile at this sign:

Funny, didn't feel moderate to me!

Don't eat our bicycles!

And as in Longreach, the visit to this Natural History museum exceeds expectations.  We take a guided tour of the 'March of the Titanosaurs', which is a 95 million year old fossilised mud flat showing the footprints of a range of dinosaurs, from the chicken sized Skartopus, to the 20 tonne Sauropod, and some crocodiles (of course). We are kind of gobsmacked. Looking at things this old and learning about the efforts made to preserve them is beyond my capacity of imagination. I mean, I hardly remember anything from when I went to grade two and Louise asked me today what year we got married..?! But we are having a grand time, walking between the bronze statues of various dinosaurs, which are stunning and life-sized. Of course we get a selfie with Mathilda

Selfie with Mathilda 

Mathilda and her offspring Ollie are the main attraction and look kind of lovingly approachable in this setting. Apparently they hardly had any predators, would defend themselves with their tail and when life came to an end, elderly and frail, they would often die of starvation.

Mathilda and Ollie

We stroll along the walkway through the Canyon of Dinosaurs and look at various other examples of all sizes of these anachronistic animals, some of them looking so real, you think they are going to jump on you any second.

We leave the site with the satisfying feeling to have seen something truly unique and a significant chapter in Australia's quite extraordinary natural history. Plus the downhill ride from the Jump Up mountain adds to the thrill factor. 

Winton is a fabulous little town. The main street is vibrant and there is a healthy mix of local and visiting energy about the place. We imagine this would be quite different in the height of summer. I first heard about Winton through the ABC TV series Total Control, where one of the leading characters, played by the outstanding Deborah Mailman, is from Winton. Maybe it's because I liked the show a lot or because we got here by bicycle, but we think this is a good place to recharge our good intentions and call for a change of direction. 

Tomorrow we are heading North-North-East. Hoping to reach the town of Hughenden by Monday night. It could become a bit silent on this channel until then. So bear with us, or in the absence of bears, sauropodus with us.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Location: Winton QLD 4735, Australia

Comments

  1. FrancieJune 18, 2022 at 4:50 PM

    Louise and Kerstin Marry in Switzerland 29 July, 2010
    and in Australia in the Clare Valley 3 November, 2018! That's pretty cool. Love the Dinosaurs
    Two 5-hour-day rides coming up to Hughenden. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JulietteJune 24, 2022 at 1:57 PM

    I am so glad you made it to the dinosaurs! It is a very special part of Australian evolvement/history and not easily accessible to all Aussies due to distance & millions of flies, Don't kill any flies because a million more come to their funeral

    ReplyDelete

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