When you think ‘Queensland’, you don’t usually think ‘dinosaur’ as a first thought.
But Queensland (and Australia more broadly) has turned out to be a hot bed for dinosaur and megafauna fossils.
Regardless of what you might believe about the existence or timing of these fossils, it is fascinating to follow in the giant footsteps along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail across Outback Queensland.
You can definitely learn a lot, even if you’re not that curious.
HOW TO EXPLORE AUSTRALIA’S DINOSAUR TRAIL
The sites along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail are strewn about Outback Queensland, and to connect them all in one trip would require a fairly big trip.
I’m probably stating the obvious but you need a car and go on a road trip to see these sites. For almost all of them, a conventional car will get you there just fine.
If you want to visit Lark Quarry (Dinosaur Stampede) or Riversleigh (World Heritage site), it’s best to use a 4WD vehicle but if it’s dry, you might manage in a standard 2WD car.
We visited four of the sites on a 4-week road trip across the Queensland and NSW outback, and then added another one last year on our way to the Gulf Savannah. A couple of sites are still left on our ‘to-visit’ list.
AUSTRALIA’S DINOSAUR TRAIL PASS
If you plan to visit the main sites along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail, it’s worth buying the Australia’s Dinosaur Trail Pass. This will get you into:
- Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton
- Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park
- Flinders Discovery Centre in Hughenden
- Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond
The pass will set you back $155 for adults ($90 for children) but it’s absolutely worth it if you plan to visit them all.
You have a whole year to visit the four sites but it seems unlikely to me that most people would manage to return within in a year.
If you don’t have time for all four, you could get another combo ticket for just the Winton area, the Winton Dinosaur Capital of Australia VIP Pass at $100 for adults ($60 child).
This pass will get you into:
- Age of Dinosaurs, and
- Dinosaur Stampede National Monument
You could then buy a single admission ticket in Richmond or Hughenden if you end up going there as well.
For all the other sites, such as Eromanga, you’ll need to buy admission tickets at each location.
DINOSAUR SITES IN QUEENSLAND
At some sites you’ll need to take a guided tour while others are more like a museum that you can stroll through in your own time.
We enjoyed both though we tend to like ‘do your own thing’ more as you’re not as rushed. But being on a tour also gives you the opportunity to ask questions, and we’re (annoying?) big question-askers! 🙂
1. AUSTRALIAN AGE OF DINOSAURS | WINTON
AUSTRALIAN AGE OF DINOSAURS AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Winton
OPEN: Mon-Sun, 8:30-5pm (April-September); Mon-Sat, 8-5pm (October-March); hourly tours from 9am to 2pm
COST: $78 adult ($47 child) or use a pass - tour only
WEBSITE: Australian Age of Dinosaurs
The Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum complex is Outback Queensland’s jewel in the crown of dinosaur fossils. It’s the most popular and the accessible parts are split across three sites: the Fossil Preparation Lab, the Collections Room and Dinosaur Canyon.
You need to plan at least half a day for your outing as you’ll join a tour for each site (some better than others). The sites are spread out across the complex so you’ll either take a short walk (Fossil Prep Lab) or catch a mini train (Dinosaur Canyon).
It’s all very well organised, perhaps a little too much as we didn’t find there was sufficient time to just look around or ask all our questions (since the next tour group was already waiting).
Dinosaur Canyon is the longest tour (about 1.5 hours) showcasing the footprints of the March of the Titanosaurs (indoors), and then giving you the option to walk around the Dinosaur Canyon walkway (outdoors) where various miniature dinosaurs have been installed. This section was my favourite part!
Definitely worth visiting, especially if you’ve got kids or are a kid at heart like I am.
It’s a bit mind-boggling that all these bone fossils have been found in this part of Queensland. The prep work involved is fascinating and we enjoyed the prep lab tour in particular but overall, don’t expect to have too much time to explore the complex or exhibits in your own time.
Make sure you bring a hat as there’s some walking around in the hot Queensland sun to get between sites.
2. DINOSAUR STAMPEDE NATIONAL MONUMENT | LARK QUARRY CONSERVATION PARK
DINOSAUR STAMPEDE NATIONAL MONUMENT AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Lark Quarry Conservation Park (Winton area)
OPEN: Mon-Sun, 8:30-5pm (April-September); Mon-Sat, 8:30-5pm (October-March); hourly tours from 9:30am to 3pm
COST: $35 adult ($21 child) or use a pass - tour only
WEBSITE: Dinosaur Stampede National Monument
Located some 110km (2 hours) from Winton is the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument (within Lark Quarry Conservation Park).
The road to Lark Quarry is mostly unsealed with intermittent sections sealed as single-lane. Unless it’s rained recently, you should be able to manage in a conventional car but QPWS do recommend a 4WD vehicle.
The Dinosaur Stampede site is our favourite dinosaur site so far!
Again, access is by tour only but I felt we had a bit more time and overall the story here is much more compelling. There’s also only one site to visit so you’re not rushing between sites like at the Age of Dinosaurs complex.
You first watch an animated video that sets the scene for the over 3,300 footprints you’re about to view. Picture a lake where …
… herds of small two-legged dinosaurs came to drink at the lake. There were at least 150 dinosaurs of two different kinds – carnivorous coelurosaurs about the size of chickens, and slightly larger plant-eating ornithopods, some of them as large as emus. […]
A huge meat-eating theropod, smaller than a Tyrannosaurus, approached the lake.
It slowed, saw the other dinosaurs gathered at the water’s edge and began to stalk, then turned and charged. The stampeding herd of smaller dinosaurs left a chaotic mass of footprints in the mud as they ran to escape.
Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways Fact Sheet 1
Once you’ve got the picture of chicken- and emu-sized dinosaurs merrily eating and drinking at the lake with baby T-Rex approaching, you get to see the real deal in a vast hall.
And these footprints are actually quite impressive, especially since you can make out the ‘chicken feet’ and also larger prints. Plus, you learn where exactly they found these trackways (on a station nearby) and how scientists interpret what might have happened.
There’s a fair bit of scientific research behind all this, and you can read more about the dinosaurs involved in Fact sheet 1 ‘The Stampede’ and Fact sheet 2 ‘The Trackmakers’. And about whether there was even a stampede at Lark Quarry or whether it was just a happy party of three different kinds of dinosaurs.
There’s also a couple of walks at Lark Quarry that offer fantastic views over the surrounding landscape.
Note: Since the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument is on conservation land, there are no rubbish bins so take everything with you. There’s also no fuel along the Winton-Jundah Road so fuel up in Winton before you leave.
3. FLINDERS DISCOVERY CENTRE | HUGHENDEN
FLINDERS DISCOVERY CENTRE AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Gray Street, Hughenden
OPEN: Mon-Fri, 9-5pm, Sat-Sun, 9-3pm (April-September); Mon-Fri, 9-5pm, Sat 9-1pm (October-March)
COST: $20 adult ($10 child) or use a pass
WEBSITE: Flinders Discovery Centre
The Flinders Discovery Centre in Hughenden is a visitor information centre, museum with local history displays and dinosaur exhibits all rolled into one. The most impressive display is, no doubt, the fairly large Muttaburrasaurus skeleton.
There’s a collection of fossils and a few displays on the lush tropical climate the Flinders area might have enjoyed once but that’s about it for the dinosaur section.
Although Mutti is quite impressive, we found the recreated sheep shearing shed and the info panels about the local pastoral history almost more fascinating, perhaps because that’s more tangible lived history.
Overall, we probably spent almost two hours at the Flinders Discovery Centre but that’s because we tend to read through all the panels and look at everything – not everyone would be that keen. 🙂
4. KRONOSAURUS KORNER | RICHMOND
KRONOSAURUS KORNER AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Goldring Street, Richmond
OPEN: Mon-Fri, 8:30-4pm, Sat-Sun, 9-2pm (April-September); Mon-Fri, 8:30-4pm, Sat 9-2pm (October-March)
COST: $40 adult ($25 child)
WEBSITE: Kronosaurus Korner
Kronosaurus Korner is more like your traditional museum, here focusing on marine fossils.
You pay your admission fee and then wander the rooms showcasing more fossils and bones than you could imagine possible in such a small town. It’s surprisingly large when you consider the size of Richmond (pop. 600).
Despite its vast collection of bone fragments and fossils (over 1,000), the museum isn’t as fascinating as the other sites. It’s probably due for a makeover to bring it into the 21st century and make the experience a little more interactive (not an easy feat with limited money available, I grant).
That said, where it shines is in its almost complete assembly of Penny, the Plesiosaur’s skeleton.
Penny was found on a nearby station in 1989 while the owner was feeding cattle – that’s just nuts. Imagine just going outside to feed your animals and your day ends with finding a pre-historic skeleton?!
If you’re keen to go fossil hunting yourself, Richmond is the spot to do that (people have actually found fossils here!). You’ll need a permit and can find more infos about dig sites here.
5. RIVERSLEIGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE | BOODJAMULLA NATIONAL PARK
RIVERSLEIGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Boodjamulla National Park (Mount Isa area)
OPEN: 24/7
COST: free
WEBSITE: National Parks & Wildlife Service - Riversleigh
Riversleigh D Site, the only publicly accessible site in the Riversleigh Australian Fossil Mammal Area, is part of Boodjamulla National Parks.
It’s some 270km (3 hours) northwest of Mount Isa, and a large chunk of the trip is on unsealed roads. A 4WD vehicle is best out here as there’s a couple of (hopefully shallow) creek crossings towards the end. You can also approach from the north (Boodjamulla National Park) but the road’s even rougher.
It won’t take much time to explore Riversleigh (but take a hat etc., the area is completely exposed).
There’s a visitor information area and then the circuit Riversleigh Fossil Trail (800m). The track takes you out to a limestone bluff with fantastic views over the area, past the ‘Cambrian pancakes’ rock formations and a couple of fossilised bird bones.
I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this site but if you’re going to Boodjamulla National Park or are heading up to the Gregory River or the NT this way, it’s worth stopping and having a quick look.
6. MORE DINOSAUR SITES IN OUTBACK QUEENSLAND
There are a few more dinosaur sites in Queensland that we’re yet to visit. (I’m hoping we might make it to the Fossil Discovery Centre in Mount Isa this year.) Here’s a quick overview of what they offer.
6.1 MUTTABURRASAURUS INTERPRETATION CENTRE
MUTTABURRASAURUS INTERPRETATION CENTRE AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: Bruford Street, Muttaburra
OPEN: 24/7
COST: free
WEBSITE: Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre
Some 120km north of Longreach is Muttaburra, the tiny town where the first Muttaburrasaurus in Australia was found.
You can now find a replica of this Muttaburrasauras right here together with some info panels about the discovery and subsequent dig. The original bones and fragments are at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane.
6.2 NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM | EROMANGA
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: 1 Dinosaur Drive, Eromanga
OPEN: Mon-Sun, 8:30-4:30pm (June-September); Tue-Sat, 8:30-4:30pm (October-May)
COST: $38 adult ($20 child) - tour only
WEBSITE: Eromanga Natural History Museum
If you want to see Australia’s largest dinosaur, Cooper, you’ll need to head to Eromanga in southwest Queensland. Apparently he’s among the largest dinosaurs in the world, and might have been up to 30m long.
To meet Cooper, you’ll have to book a spot on the Australian Dinosaur Giants Tour, which also takes you through the workshop, lab and collection centre. A bit like the Australian Age of Dinosaurs but this one is on size steroids!
There’s a lot of research that happens out here so if you’re very keen, you can also join a dinosaur dig experience with research scientists and palaeontologists.
I’m very keen to see Cooper but he’s a long way from the Sunshine Coast…
6.3 RIVERSLEIGH FOSSIL DISCOVERY CENTRE | MOUNT ISA
RIVERSLEIGH FOSSIL DISCOVERY CENTRE AT A GLANCE
LOCATION: 19 Marion Street, Mount Isa
OPEN: Mon-Sun, 8:30-4:30pm
COST: $15 adult ($9 child) - tour option available
WEBSITE: Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre
The Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre is basically the indoor version of the Riversleigh World Heritage Site. It is here where you can actually see the fossils found across the Riversleigh Australian Fossil Mammal Area.
If you want to see what goes on at the fossil lab, you’ll have to join a tour. Otherwise you can just wander around the recently renovated museum in your own time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’d told me a decade ago when we first moved to Queensland that I’d be exploring dinosaur sites, I probably would have responded with ‘huh? dinosaurs?! really?!?’. I love that dinosaurs are part of the rich ecology and natural history of Queensland!
We’ve enjoyed all the sites we’ve visited so far but out of these dinosaur sites in Outback Queensland, the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument stands out as a clear favourite.
It’s not bones and fragments that you look at here; instead you’re immersed in a story of survival, even if the footprints only testify to one tiny glimpse of it.
Happy dinosaur-visiting,
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