Queensland's dinosaur trail

Around 95–100 million years ago, central Queensland was a mix of river plains and the shallow Eromanga Sea. Its sediments preserved dinosaurs, marine reptiles and footprints that have made the region famous. Much of what has been found was discovered by graziers on their own land.

Winton

Winton is the centre of the trail. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum on a mesa south-east of town houses large sauropods and a predator nicknamed "Banjo" (Australovenator), and runs tours of its working fossil preparation laboratory. Lark Quarry, about 110 km south-west, protects thousands of footprints of small dinosaurs preserved in mudstone. The original Outback Now also listed tours such as Matilda Country Tours, which offer guided trips to these sites.

Hughenden

Hughenden's Flinders Discovery Centre displays a replica Muttaburrasaurus and local fossils, and the town is the gateway to Porcupine Gorge.

Richmond

Richmond's Kronosaurus Korner displays marine reptiles from the inland sea, and public fossicking sites let visitors find their own fossils.

Suggested route

Day 1–2: Winton — Age of Dinosaurs, town museums and Lark Quarry. Day 3: drive to Hughenden via Longreach or the Kennedy Developmental Road (check conditions). Day 4: Richmond and Kronosaurus Korner, then continue to Cloncurry and Mount Isa or back to the coast.

Tips

Book Age of Dinosaurs tours and Lark Quarry tours ahead in peak season. Bring a hat and water for outdoor sites. Summer heat is extreme; visit between April and September.

Australia's Dinosaur Trail

The towns of Winton, Hughenden and Richmond promote a combined "Australia's Dinosaur Trail", linking their fossil museums. Together they tell the story of an inland world very different from today's grasslands: during the Cretaceous period, a shallow sea covered much of inland Queensland, while rivers and floodplains on its margins were home to dinosaurs. The trail can be driven as a loop from Townsville or as part of a longer outback road trip.

More on Winton's fossils

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum was founded after the discovery of dinosaur bones on a grazing property near Winton. As well as displaying fossils, it runs a working laboratory where volunteers and staff prepare bones still embedded in rock, and offers visitors the chance to see the work in progress. Its collection includes sauropods (long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs) such as Diamantinasaurus, along with the predator Australovenator ("Banjo"). The museum is spread across a mesa with walks and lookouts; allow most of a day.

Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways, managed by the Winton Shire Council, protects a rock surface covered in footprints. The site is interpreted as recording a group of small dinosaurs moving across the area, and it has been suggested that a larger dinosaur's presence caused them to run — an interpretation that has been debated by palaeontologists. Guided tours run at set times, and the site is reached by unsealed road; check conditions after rain.

Muttaburra and the Muttaburrasaurus

Muttaburrasaurus langdoni, a large plant-eating dinosaur, is named after the small town of Muttaburra, north-east of Longreach, where its remains were found by a grazier in the 1960s. A replica stands in Muttaburra, and another greets visitors to Hughenden. The town is a short detour off the Landsborough Highway.

Richmond's marine reptiles

Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond focuses on the creatures of the inland sea: the giant marine reptile Kronosaurus queenslandicus, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles and fish. Many specimens were found by local landholders. The museum offers guided fossil-hunting experiences and directions to public fossicking sites near town, where visitors can search for fossils in the limestone. Check the museum's current rules about what you may keep.

Eromanga and the south-west

Away from the main trail, the Eromanga Natural History Museum near Eromanga, west of Quilpie, displays fossils of Australia's largest dinosaur discovered to date, a sauropod nicknamed "Cooper", found on a nearby property. The museum runs tours and digs; contact it in advance, as Eromanga is remote and services are limited.

Porcupine Gorge

Near Hughenden, Porcupine Gorge National Park offers a different kind of time travel: a gorge carved through layered sandstone, with a lookout and a walking track down to the creek bed. Managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, it has a camping area at Pyramid; check booking requirements before you go.

Dig experiences

Several museums have offered paid dig programs where visitors join palaeontologists in the field for a few days. Places are limited and programs depend on the season and funding. Book well ahead, be prepared for heat and physical work, and check what is included.

Responsible fossicking

Fossils are part of Queensland's natural heritage. Only collect where public fossicking is permitted, follow site rules, never dig on private property without permission, and report significant finds to a museum. Many of the region's most important discoveries came from landholders who reported what they found.

Getting there

Winton is about 180 km north-west of Longreach on the Landsborough Highway; Hughenden and Richmond are on the Flinders Highway between Townsville and Mount Isa. Regional flights serve Longreach, Winton and Hughenden, and the Inlander train runs between Townsville and Mount Isa via Hughenden and Richmond. Combine this trail with the Longreach heritage guide.

Nearby park guide: Lark Quarry.

Near Hughenden, Porcupine Gorge National Park makes a scenic side trip from the trail.