The name of Butch Lenton is synonymous with the community of Winton and its many tourism highlights and now it will be helping to point the way to one of the best-known.
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Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, opened the Butch Lenton Way, formerly known as Dinosaur Drive, when he visited Winton on Thursday.
Mr Bailey said the funding for the road sealing was delivered through the $10 million Queensland government Transport and Tourism Connections Program.
"This is a partnership with local government aimed at improving access to significant tourist sites,” Mr Bailey said.
“I announced this program in June 2016 during a visit to Winton when I had the privilege of meeting with Graham “Butch” Lenton, the-then mayor of Winton Shire Council.
“Following the sad passing of Cr Lenton in October 2017, the Premier announced that the new road to the Age of Dinosaurs would be named ‘Butch Lenton Way’ in honour of the councillor and his vision for Winton, should his family agree.
“I’m pleased to say that they have agreed, and council is in the process of arranging that signage now.”
It will preside over an 11-kilometre journey from the Landsborough Highway to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, sealed by the Winton Shire Council in October last year.
Both the state government and the council paid $1.4 million to the road upgrade.
The sealed road to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, home to the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils in the world, has been described as a win for businesses, travellers and the community.
The state-of-the-art museum, located 24 kilometres south-east of Winton, is positioned on a large tableland, the Jump-Up, and was previously accessible via a gravel road.
It was prohibitive for caravans to travel on, and impassable in wet weather for all vehicles.
"Butch was a legend of outback Queensland," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"It's fitting that people who make the journey to the iconic Queensland outback in Winton travel on a road named after him."
Winton mayor, Gavin Baskett said the sealing of the road provided fantastic tourism opportunities for the local area.
“This road improvement enables all types of cars, vans and coaches to access the museum, which is fantastic for both tourists and the museum,” he said.
