The mythology and imagery of ‘outback and bush’ have always been a source of fascination in Australia. A.B. (’Banjo’) Patterson penned the ballad of Waltzing Matilda while staying at Dagworth Station near the township of Winton in 1895. No one could have foreseen the special place the song would come to occupy in the pantheon of Australia’s cultural iconography. It somehow captured an elusive pathos, a quintessential underdog story, and was soon beloved by the nation.

It may seem curious to dedicate a building to a song, but this purpose becomes clear when the project’s regional context is understood. Winton sits 1,200km north-west of Brisbane in the remote grazing and opal-mining country of central Queensland, where tourism (particularly ‘grey nomad’ tourism) is becoming an important economically sustainable driver. Winton’s original makeshift cultural facility met a fiery end in 2015, breaking the heart of the township and stemming its lifeblood of tourist trade. Cox Architecture was chosen to recreate the centre in a new mould.

The project was to house historical artefacts, memorabilia and collateral related to the famous song and the region, and include a state-of-the-art interactive and immersive interpretive experience for the visitor. But beyond the functional brief, it was clear (given the national importance of the song) that other layers of thought needed to be applied by Cox to make a truly meaningful piece of architecture.

Cox drew inspiration from the rugged landscape and its resilient people. The building abstracts and echoes the unique topographical and geological features of the region, its rock formations, traces of water movement and billabongs. The building has been designed to stir the senses, reflecting the experiences and memories of the country travelled. For Winton, the new Waltzing Matilda Centre is the iconic institution it so desperately needed. The town is firmly back on the ‘destination list’ for outback Queensland.

Photography: Casey Vallance at COX Architecture.