Outback Articles

Rediscover dinosaurs!

Australia's outback was once part of the 'Great Inland Sea'.  Over 110 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the arid plains.  Nowadays, the outback is rich in world class dinosaur fossils, bones and shells.

There are many opportunities for you to tag along with a palaeontologist to rediscover dinosaurs. Visit a number of different fossil sites, help dig up fossils and learn how palaeontologists go about solving some of the problems that confront them when collecting fossils. Visit several fossil sites in the Central West of NSW and Central Queensland.

Visit world famous fish fossil deposits, learn how and where to find fossils; how to collect them and how to make proper records of your finds. Learn how to identify them and how to make casts. Take a closer look at the rocks in which the fossils occur and with the help of your guide learn to interpret the fossil sites. Work out what kind of environment the now fossilised lifeforms used to live in, what the climate was like and what the now fossilised creatures might have eaten.

For specific Fossil Fever tours and attractions, click on any one of these outback towns:

• Coober Pedy
• Coonabarabran  
• Hughenden  
• Lightning Ridge
• Mount Isa  
• Richmond
• Winton

May 03 2011