A Snapshot of Outback Queensland’s Dinosaur Towns and Prehistoric Discoveries

While Cooper – the largest ever dinosaur found in Australia (we’re talking the same length as a basketball court and same weight as nine African elephants!) – is making headlines across the world, have you ever heard of Krono, Banjo, Wanda or Hughie?

Take a step back 95 million years ago and Outback Queensland was a dinosaur stomping ground, home to Krono, Banjo, Wanda and Hughie.

With the ongoing discovery of dino bones across the region, you too can follow in the footsteps of prehistoric creatures that once roamed ancient land, right here in Australia! Outback Queensland is a must do for all dino-enthusiasts and hungry adventurers ready to travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Read on for family friendly adventures aplenty (we can’t let Cooper have all the attention!) and a snapshot of Outback Queensland’s dinosaur towns and prehistoric discoveries.

Once part of Australia’s Inland Sea, Richmond is best known for its marine fossil discoveries, such as Krono, the Kronosaurus queenslandicus and Wanda, Australia’s largest fossilised fish. A stop to the dinosaur town is a non-negotiable for any budding palaeontologists, where children can spend hours exploring the extensive fossil collection at the Kronosaurus Korner museum and digging at the fossil hunting site.  

Shiver with Jurassic Park levels of spine-chilling history as you spot 3,300 giant stone footprints at Lark Quarry Conversation Park. It’s here you’ll learn about the world’s only recorded evidence of a dinosaur stampede, dating back around 95 million years ago.

Known as the Dinosaur Capital of Australia, you’ll be able to satisfy any cravings for a fossil adventure in Winton. Visit Australian Age of Dinosaurs to see the Banjo and all his friends at the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils. You can even sign-up to help prepare real dinosaur bones in the laboratory!

Become friends with Hughie, a 7-metre statue cast from the bones of a Muttaburrasaurus at the Flinders Discovery Centre in Hughenden. While you’re in Hughenden, you can also explore the impressive international fossil collection, interactive displays and Australian dinosaur bones found in the area from 1865 up until modern day digs.

Skip the museums and head straight to where nature and history come together at the Riversleigh World Heritage Site. As “one of the four most important fossil deposits in the world” (David Attenborough), the Riversleigh fossil deposits are among the richest and most extensive in the world, with some fossils dating back 15 to 25 million years.

You’ll be yelling Crikey! at the Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre, as you marvel at life-sized model of a Isisfordia Duncani. This old girl won’t bite, but as the evolutionary ancestor of the crocodile, you can imagine she had some bite back in her day! While you’re there, take a look at the Bulldog Fish who swam in the region 100 million years ago.

Your trip to Outback Queensland is (of course) incomplete without a visit to Cooper, Australia’s largest Dinosaur, at Eromanga Natural History Museum (ENHM). Meet the friendly giant dinosaur who has been making headlines across the globe and take a trip back 100,000 years with EHNM’s exhibit of some of the world’s largest mega fauna and micro fauna.