Longreach--Stockman's Hall of Fame

(Am catching up with a number of posts all at the same time beginning with "More Cairns.")

From Charters Towers, we traveled to Winton, which was a really fun town. However, shame on me, I failed to take any photographs. It is the town which gave birth to the song "Waltzing Matilda." There are several active dinosaur digs going on nearby. Winton is also the true home of the birth of Qantas Airlines. We stayed at the famous (at least for Australians) North Gregory Hotel, where LBJ once stayed! Click here and here for more information.

The next day, we went on to Longreach. The weather in this region (Charters Towers, Winton, and Longreach) was really hot--43º Celsius most of the time. There has been a drought in this region too, and recently locusts/grasshoppers have descended. Nevertheless, we found the area fascinating in its stark contrast to the coastal areas and with regard to its historical significance in ranching and other areas. Ranches out here are called stations, and both cattle and sheep stations are all around. Unlike the desert areas around Uluru where lots of interesting scrub trees and shrubs grow, here there is vast, flat grazing land for the most part.

There were two museums we wanted to visit in Longreach, the first being the Stockman's Hall of Fame.

Inside were exhibits devoted to the pioneering spirit of those who came to these spaces (called downs here) and opened up significant stock operations as well as mining operations.

Part of the exhibit described the kinds of peddlers who provided access to required goods. Also, different kinds of conveyances for transporting settlers and their personal holdings were shown. I came away finding many similarities to stories about the settling of the west in the U.S.

Along many of the walls were plaques highlighting the biographies of individuals who played significant roles in establishing the stations and cities, thus the hall of fame designation. This one described the woman who was the inspiration for "Waltzing Matilda."

A special exhibit was devoted to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. We had previously seen evidence of the service near Uluru. Started in the early 1900s, the service has grown from a simple fleet of planes and radio operations to become a major operation with numerous planes, professionals, equipment, and communications systems that provide emergency and regular care for persons living in the outback and far from medical facilities.

It is interesting to see frequent instance of poetry regarding life in the outback. This poem was on a bronze plaque outside the museum. Nearby was a bronze statue of a "ringer" created by the author of the poem.

While in this region, we saw lots of kangaroos and emus. During the day, the roos tended to stay in the shade. These were near the museum. Unfortunately, at night they move about, and many become problems for drivers and lose their lives. Again, the parallels to our experience with deer is interesting.