Winton (WK 2)

We arrived at Oondooroo Station near Winton on 31/3 after 3 nights on the road (28/3 Duaringa Rest Stop, 29/3 Jericho Showgrounds and 30/3 Lloyd Jones Weir, Barcaldine). The Station is a green oasis in the outback near Winton with amazing sunsets, sunrises and clear starry skies.

Jason & Jo Farrow met us at Barcaldine with the news that Brisbane was in lockdown and had been declared a hot spot by both NT and WA (our next destinations). Great to see them, news not so great.

Winton is part of the Australia’s Dinosaur Way. Last time we visited the Australian Age of Dinosaurs which we loved and this time the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park. Fabulous! Amazing to see footprints made 95 million years ago when a herd of 150 small 2 legged dinosaurs were drinking at the edge of a lake where they were stalked by a large theropod and panicked into stampeding across muddy flats. We were incredibly lucky to have a brilliant guide for only the 4 of us.

Today (02/04/2021) we found out that NT have revoked the Brisbane hotspot declaration, so we are now allowed to travel into NT. We will be entering NT one day later than planned which will be absorbed by shortening one of our planned stops in NT.

Tomorrow (3/4/2021) we continue west spending 3 nights on the road at Boulia, Tobermorey Station and Jervois Station before arriving at Gemtree Outback Wilderness Retreat for some fossicking 😊.