The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame and the Outback Stockmans Show are one part of the Longreach experiences we are doing today on our Outback Queensland Road Trip.
I was going to put the whole day on one page but it will end up being way too long.
So I have decided to split up the day and write about The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame Museum and show first and put the Qantas Founders Museum on a separate page.
They both deserve it.
So a mighty big day planned today so we had to get up a little earlier for breakfast and head off into town to get our pre booked tickets from Outback Pioneers.
We had pre booked a Big 3 Pass which was an easy way to do it before we arrived.
The Big 3 is the Cobb & Co Stagecoach Ride, the Thomson River Sunset Cruise, The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame Museum / Outback Stockmans Show, and the Qantas Founders Museum / Qantas Founders Museum Jet Tour.
The Outback Pioneers booking office is in a converted hotel in the middle of Longreach.
So it is very easy to find.
Outback Pioneers old office address still shows up on many search sites, so if it doesn’t look right, just keep on driving as the new office is on the same street.
The ticket pick up was easy and all the information was clear, easy to read and follow too.
As well as the staff at Outback Pioneers being generous with time and also any questions were answered easily too.
When you pick up your Big 3 Pass all of the details are in the envelope they give you.
So you really don’t have to think to hard to be in the right places at the right times, and also for us, it means we can prepare the kids easily too for their days out.
So from there we had a look around the main street in the middle of Longreach for a while before heading off to our first experience, The Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Stockmans Show.
When booking the Big 3 Pass I was told by the lady that it was a better time for kids going to the 11am show instead of the evening show, and she was right.
It was perfect timing to see this show, go through the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, grab some lunch and head off to the Qantas Founders Museum to do the Qantas Founders Museum Jet Tour.
The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame
So it was time to drive back out to The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame.
You pass the Stockman’s Hall of Fame on the way into Longreach, so the drive to get there doesn’t take long from anywhere in town.
Longreach is a lot like Biloela in this regard, you could almost walk everywhere in town easily.
There are plenty of car parks and also I saw quote a few caravans being towed into the Stockmans Hall of Fame car park, so if you are on your last day and doing this experience on the way out, you can park there easily.
This place is massive, and getting bigger too.
At time of writing this they are building a big outdoor undercover arena for their shows out the back of the current main building.
If you have the Big 3 Pass from Kinnon & Co (Outback Pioneers) you can just line up for the show straight away and don’t need to line up to buy tickets for the show.
From the main foyer you head off out the back of the Hall of Fame for the show.
The Stockmans Hall of Fame Outback Stockmans Show runs for just over an hour and a half.
By the time you get in, get seated, watch the show, and also hang around for post show photo opportunities it can even take a little longer than this.
So if you are time poor, you will have to allow for this.
I won’t say too much about the show and only give you a few photos as I don’t want to spoil it for you too much.
It is pretty funny, full of facts, and involves horses, a donkey, dogs, sheep, and a massive bull.
I’d recommend it to anyone travelling through the area with or without kids.
Lachie Cossor ( A third generation stockman and horse breaker ) knows his stuff in regard’s to horses and cattle, history and training, a walking encyclopaedia I would say of the stockman’s world.
The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame museum part is very interesting too, and it has been open since 1988.
There are five themed galleries to walk through which gives you information and the history behind some of Australia’s greatest and bravest explorers, stockmen, pastoralists, and also the indigenous involvement in all of this Australian history.
The five themes of the galleries are –
- Discovery
- Pioneers
- Outback Properties
- Life in the Outback
- Stockworkers
There are also the Royal Flying Doctor Gallery and the Children’s Discovery Drawers to have a look at as well.
When we visited there was also the “Destinations” exhibition on in the Hugh Sawrey Art Gallery that features 62 works from the Australian artist John Morrison.
He also was painting the mural you can see here in my photo below which is on the top floor of the Stockmans Hall of Fame.
Another thing I noticed while walking around the museum was this picture below of Vincent Lingari and the Prime Minister of the time, Gough Whitlam.
I was interested in this photo and of course the story behind it as a song I have liked since I first heard it “From Little Things Big Things Grow”, which is written by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, is based on the story of Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji strike.
If you want to read more about Vincent, you can here, Vincent Lingari.
We could of spent even more time there reading about the history of the area and also about all of the stockman from around the country too.
But when you have kids, a need for lunch, and also a deadline to keep for the Qantas Museum Jet Tour, you have to make like a tree and leave.
So The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame was a great place to visit.
Next was lunch back at the caravan park, then onto the Qantas Founders Museum for the afternoon.
Liked reading this?
Head to Day 3 Part 2 here, Outback Queensland Road Trip Day 3 Part 2.
Or head back to the start of our trip here, Outback Queensland Road Trip.
What did we do or see today so far?
Picked up our Kinnon & Co Big 3 Pass
Outback Pioneers Booking Office
128 Eagle St
Longreach QLD 4730
P 07 4658 1776
Visited The Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame
Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame
Landsborough Highway
Longreach QLD 4730
P 07 4658 2166
Watched the 11am Outback Stockmans Show
Click Here for Day 3 Part 2 where we head to the Qantas Founders Museum
Where did we stay in Longreach?
Longreach Tourist Park
12 Thrush Road
Longreach Qld 4730
P 07 4658 0034
Liked reading this?
Head to Day 3 Part 2 here, Outback Queensland Road Trip Day 3 Part 2.
Or head back to the start of our trip here, Outback Queensland Road Trip.