Winton Qld, Aug 2014
We enjoy a meal at the North Gregory Hotel in the grand dining room. It is such a relief to have a hotel meal that isn’t deep fried as has been the norm on this trip. We chat to the people at the next table and find that they were the folks all zipped up behind their annexe beside us in Mt Isa. Damn, and we thought that they must have wanted a bit of privacy. Such a shame we didn’t get to know them earlier. The North Gregory is the hotel where ‘Waltzing Matilda’ (Australia’s unofficial National anthem) was first performed in public and the art deco dining room is delightful. The Winton Hotel is the oldest in town and there are saddles hanging above the bar. Pack horse saddles to racing saddles. The bright yellow Australian Hotel is cheery with tables on the footpath dressed in 50’s plastic tablecloths. Now that is welcoming. The Tattersall’s Hotel is your true outback pub, lots of jock hanging from the walls, flags on the ceiling and a purple haired bar maid who greets me with ‘’What’ll it be gorgeous?” Now that’s how to win an old duck!
itchingforhitching 
When we had a meal at the North Gregory we were entertained by a rendition of “Waltzing Matilda”
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Fabulous. My poor husband had to put up with me playing it on the ukulele. Often. And badly.
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It always makes me wonder who named these places. One of my favourite curry houses is the Winton Tandoori which is in a district of Bournemouth called Winton!
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I’d say they were named by a lot of very homesick people because so often places are nothing like their namesakes. As for Winton, we’ll it is as hot as a good vindaloo.
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Thanks for taking me along! You have such interesting stories to tell and such cool places! The history is wonderful as well
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It’s always interesting to learn of others lives. These places are so different from our cities.
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