The WORLD in Your Hands
Travel in Your Time
Outback Queensland – a road trip by design
The Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton.
S
triking contemporary architecture is not the first thing that springs to mind when planning a trip to the Queensland Outback, yet a series of tourist attractions has become an unlikely architectural trail that’s making a difference to the economic prosperity of Barcaldine, Longreach and Winton. From a tiny museum that seems to rise from the earth to a whimsical, pink interior that nods to the Sydney Opera House, each project is worth a visit for the architecture alone. Beyond aesthetics, good design is making a significant contribution to the region’s future. Architect Michael Lavery is a director of m3architecture, a Brisbane-based practice that has built a strong relationship with Barcaldine. “‘The Barcaldine Regional Council has demonstrated courage and leadership by investing in design,” he says. Working in collaboration with Brian Hooper Architect, m3architecture was first commissioned to work on Barcaldine’s Tree of Knowledge, the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party. At the same time, the council had purchased the Globe Hotel,
a decrepit pub that was slated for demolition. ‘’While working on the Tree of Knowledge, we saw the potential to encourage passing tourists to spend more time in town,” Michael says. “The architects convinced the council to invest in a master plan and retain the Globe.” Seven years later, the re-imagined Globe Hotel represented Australia at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. The projects have received a string of local and national awards for urban design, architecture and heritage. A lookout designed by m3architecture and Brian Hooper Architect is currently under construction alongside the Globe, and the master plan also includes a future performing arts centre and gallery. The Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre in Longreach was affectionately dubbed the Opera House of the Outback when it opened in 1988, a reference to its distinctive curved form by Feiko Bouman Architect. The museum, which pays homage to Australia’s bush pioneers, had been in slow
IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK JONES
decline. Exhibits and amenity no longer met contemporary standards, and with no master plan, 30-plus years of disjointed works had gradually made the entire operation dysfunctional. The transformative redesign has reinstated the museum as a top-ranking tourist destination. Cheeky references to the Opera House and new, technology-rich exhibits have captivated audiences. Another Longreach design drawcard is the Qantas Founders Museum Airpark Roof. Adjacent to the existing Qantas Museum and 1922 heritage hangar, Airpark Roof by Noel Robinson Architects is a dramatic, 8000sq m floating structure that houses several historic aircraft, including a Boeing 747. Visitors can explore the aircraft up close from viewing platforms. The aircraft and soaring roof provide the canvas for “Luminescent Longreach”, a state-of-the-art light show designed by Buchan that explores aviation history. Last stop Winton, population 945. An hour from Longreach, Winton has two awarded architectural works by national practice COX. The relationship began in 2012 with the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, a tiny jewel 24km south-east of the town. Sitting atop a remote mesa, the
Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum museum provides an insight into one of the world’s most significant and cohesive dinosaur fossil collections, which local farmer-turned-palaeontologist John Elliot stumbled upon in 1999. It won the State’s top award for public architecture in 2013. Back in town, COX was engaged to re-design the Waltzing Matilda Centre, which burnt down in 2015. The only museum in the world dedicated to a song, it houses an extensive collection of artefacts, memorabilia and collateral related to Banjo Paterson’s 1895 ballad. There is one other regional treasure for the intrepid design tourist. A side trip to Muttaburra – officially Queensland’s geographic centre – reveals Brian Hooper’s Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre, a sculptural insertion into the landscape that tells the story of a dinosaur fossil found near Muttaburra in 1963.
IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK JONES
IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK JONES
A series of award-winning architectural projects has turned outback Queensland into an unlikely design destination. PIPPA HURST explores the cultural and heritage trail from Barcaldine through Longreach to Winton.
The Globe Hotel in Barcaldine was saved from the wrecker’s ball and became a showpiece.
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August 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 33
28/07/2021 3:13:38 PM
