Prior to the Waltzing Matilda Centre we see today, a make-shift facility sat on the same site. Tragically, the original centre met a fiery end in 2015 – breaking the heart of the township and stunting its lifeblood tourist trade. COX Architecture were chosen to re-create the centre, honouring its history while casting it in a new mould. The Waltzing Matilda Centre, which is a museum, houses historical artefacts, memorabilia and collateral related to the famous song and region.
This includes a state-of-the-art interactive and immersive interpretive experience for the visitor. Design Architect Casey Vallance, “'Waltzing Matilda' conjures many images of our country…designed to reflect the significance of the iconic Australian song through an architecture and interpretative experience.
The centre is a robust and expressive facility capturing the distinct nature of the landscape and people that inhabit this great land through its’ experiential design. The building’s materials, predominately concrete and rusted steel, have been crafted, textured and shaped to capture the distinct landscapes found in the Winton Shire: the 'jump-up' rock formations, water movement and of course, the billabongs.”
The Waltzing Matilda Centre is a unique and direct response to a quintessentially outback landscape and to a very Australian song. It is also a tribute to the robust and resourceful people that live in this remote and harsh but beautiful landscape which originally inspired the ballad of Waltzing Matilda.
