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Australia's Dinosaur Trail
Australia's Dinosaur Trail connects the towns of Richmond, Hughenden, and Winton. These areas are known for preserving some of the world's most exceptional dinosaur fossils, which have been found across the rugged landscape of the Outback for millions of years.
We start the trail in Richmond, 1586 kilometres northwest of Brisbane. We then drive 112 kilometres to Hughenden and 215 kilometres to finish the trail in Winton. This route is along sealed roads.
You can buy an Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass for all the attractions online or at any of the Dinosaur Museums along the trail.
Richmond was once part of the ancient Eromanga Sea and is now known as the Fossil Capital of Queensland due to its many marine fossil discoveries.
We enjoy visiting Kronosaurus Korner, which houses Australia’s best-preserved dinosaur and a fantastic collection of marine reptile fossils. The self-guided audio tour lets you wander around and learn about the many different fossils.
'Penny the Plesiosaur’ is the most complete plesiosaur discovered in Australia. Outside Kronosaurus Korner, there are several dinosaurs you can take a photo with.
Richmond also has two dedicated fossicking sites twelve kilometres out of town where you can try and find a fossil of your own! Ask at the visitor centre for details and purchase your permit. Any finds can be taken into Kronosaurus Korner to be identified by the local paleontologist.
After a busy day looking for fossils, you can cool down in the Kronosaurus water park on the edge of Lake Fred Tritton.
The small town of Hughenden is rich in fossil remains and ancient landscapes. Over 3000 fossil specimens from the Cretaceous period are found around this area.
Here, we visit the Flinders Discovery Centre; this huge display area has a fantastic exhibition of fossils from around the world and an extensive display of fossils from the local area.
We see “Hughie,” the Muttaburrasaurus, Hughenden's most important fossil discovery. This skeleton replica stands seven metres high and was the first entire fossil to be found in Australia. The original bones of ‘Hughie ' are in the Queensland Museum.
Near the bakery in Hughenden, you will find “Mutt," a full-bodied replica of a Muttabuttasaurus. Local artists have also created a series of fossil and dinosaur sculptures, including a large wall sculpture of Darby the Dinosaur on the Library wall.
Winton is known as the Dinosaur Capital of Australia and is home to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and Lark Quarry Conservation Park.
The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum is 24 kilometres south-east of Winton and is the world's largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.
The entire tour of the Age of Dinosaurs takes four hours to complete. It includes a self-guided walk of the Dinosaur Canyon and guided tours of the March of the Titanosaurs exhibition, the Collection Room and the Fossil Preparation Laboratory.
We started with a ride on the Noble Express and enjoyed a leisurely walk along Dinosaur Canyon. This outdoor exhibition is situated along a 300-metre elevated pathway and features life-sized bronze dinosaurs, flying reptiles, interesting information, and incredible views. The exhibits have been designed to recreate life as it would have appeared during the Cretaceous Period, 100 million years ago.
Next, we met our guide for the “March of the Titanosaurs” exhibition tour. The 54-metre-long Snake Creek track site was discovered on a property in Winton and recently relocated to this stunning architecturally designed building. The guide identified the many different trackmakers that walked across it 95 million years ago. The sauropod trackways on the track site represent Australia's best example of sauropod tracks.
In the Collection Room, we watched a movie about dinosaurs and how the bones were discovered in the Winton area. The guide then showed us several different fossils, including the Diamantinasauraus, Australia’s most complete sauropod dinosaur.
A short 500 metres from the Visitor's Centre to The Age of Dinosaurs Fossil Preparation Laboratory. This is the most productive in the Southern Hemisphere, and here we met our guide, who discussed how fossils are discovered and excavated.
Just off the main street in Winton, you can see a dinosaur mural in Dinosaur Lane. Inside the Corfield and Fitzmaurice building is a life-size diorama of the Dinosaur Stampede, and in the centre of the main street is a giant dinosaur footprint.
The Lark Quarry Conservation Park is 110 kilometres from Winton and houses the Dinosaur Stampede. Over 3,300 tracks are immortalised in stone, and it is the only known Dinosaur Stampede on the planet. Before driving to Lark Quarry, it is advisable to make a booking for the 45-minute tour and check the road conditions with the visitor centre.
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