Dinosaur Stampede National Monument

This is why I came to Winton, this is the attraction I wanted to visit. The Dinosaur Trackways was formed 95 million years ago when outback Queensland was a completely different place. Today it is an arid climate but back then the landscape consisted of a great river plain, with towering conifers and lush vegetation, swamps and lakes full of lungfish, freshwater mussels and crocodiles. It would have been a humid but cool with an average rainfall of over one metre.

The harsh countryside of today's Queensland

Hundreds of tracks from the smaller dinosaurs

The Dinosaur Stampede consisted of at least 150 small two-legged dinosaurs which included carnivorous coelurosaurs that would have been about the size of a chicken and slightly larger plant eating ornithopods. It is thought they would have all been having a drink at the edge of a lake.

The Dinosaur Stampede

Quite an amazing building to come across in the countryside

Scattered over the rock face are over 3,300 footprints of these long extinct dinosaurs. From what the anthropologists can tell their relaxed drink was suddenly interrupted by the sudden terrifying arrival of a large theropod which was about the size of a very large horse.

The Dinosaur Trackways

This snapshot of a few terrifying moments has been frozen in time, immortalising the event. This Dinosaur Stampede is the only one of it's kind ever discovered in the world. It is truly amazing and if you are a Dinosaur doubter this will make you a Dinosaur believer. 

Along the drive there were a few dams with muddy brown water in them.
Then there was this one with the bluest water I've ever seen

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Positioned upon a giant mesa called The Jump Up, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs has the most amazing panoramic view possible. From humble beginnings as a fossil preparation in a farm shed the museum has grown rapidly into the most productive fossil preparation facility in the Southern Hemisphere with the world's largest collection of Dinosaur fossils.

How's these for some ribs....

....and a lower jaw

...and a foot

They are finding so many fossils they have quite a stockpile to do yet

This is a photo of a claw being discovered

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

The 360 views were amazing

Hughenden and Prairie

Hughenden is the second town we are staying at along the Dinosaur Trail. With a population of around 1200 people it is quite a nice little town. But as with most of these outback towns there are a lot of shops closed down. One example is the Grand Hotel which in its heyday would have been a beautiful building but now it sadly sits derelict. Oh the stories this pub could tell!

Grand Hotel

Hughenden was established back in the 1860's and was originally known as sheep country. For some reason these days there are very few sheep only cattle. As with Richmond, Hughenden sits on the banks of the very dry (at the moment) Flinders River which is Queensland's longest river. I would love to see it flowing in the wet season. The towns water supply as with so many outback towns is drawn by bores from the Great Artesian Basin. While on a drive we came across this whistling bore. It was funny driving along the road in the middle of nowhere and coming across a turnstile. This bore is approx. 500 feet deep.  Why it whistles is said to be a bit of a mystery. But one possible explanation is that a cave in somewhere in the shaft of the bore has created a wind tunnel. 

The Whistling Bore

A turnstile in the middle of nowhere - weird!

The Flinders Discovery Centre is the home to an extensive fossil collect from around the world and the local area. "Hughie" is the star attraction; a life size skeletal replica of a Muttaburrasaurus. 

Hughie

The township also is home to many impressive dinosaur themed sculptures and statues.

Darby the Dinosaur

Mutt - Full Bodied Fibreglass replica of Muttaburrasaurus Dinosaur

I loved how the setting sun glowed on this Windmill

One of our days we decided to head out to the tiny settlement of Prairie to check out the Prairie Hotel. Prairie was originally established as one of the main horse change centres for Cobb and Co. Coaches. It is now a tiny settlement of 50 with a primary school that has on an average eight students. The pub is filled with a huge collection of stock and hat, other historical memorabilia and also some pretty weird stuff. Such as the two female mannequins sitting just inside the front door and the dentist chair being used as one of the bar stools!!

The Prairie Hotel

These mannequins were a bit weird

Didn't want to sit in this chair

Lots of very loved hats

Richmond - Outback Queensland

Richmond is situated on the Overlanders Way halfway between Mount Isa and Townsville. It lays on the banks of the Flinders River which is the longest river in Queensland. The only thing with that is that the river only runs in the wet season between December and March. The rest of the year there are only some permanent waterholes. As with a lot of Australia's small settlements Richmond was born out of a Gold Rush. But today it is not known for it's gold but instead it is known for its fossils. Richmond is part of the Dinosaur Trail triangle of Richmond, Hughenden and Winton. 110 million years ago the Richmond landscape was covered by an inland sea with a depth of 40 metres. Over the earth's evolution and receding of the waters the area has become a huge marine fossil find. Kronosaurus Korner is Australia's premier marine fossil museum and is certainly an unforgettable prehistoric adventure.

Kronosaurus Korner - Richmond 

Fossils of Ammonites

A Cooyoo fossil

An artist impression of the Cooyoo
The streamline body and powerful fins of the Cooyoo
suggest it was a fast moving active predator.

The amazing fossil of the Richmond Pliosaur

An artist impression of the Pliosaur. 

I could never do the discovery of this amazing fossil justice so I have included the photos of the discovery of the Richmond Pliosaur.

Although the museum is mostly comprised of marine creatures, there was one dinosaurs discovered.

Minmi lived approx. 100 million years ago

The majority of the finds have been found by locals on their properties, but 12kms out of town there are two fossil hunting sites and a number of fossils have been found by visitors to the area.
We headed out to have a look and I couldn't help myself and had a scratch around. I didn't make any major finds but I did find a rock with some clear Quartz in it and also a small piece with according to the expert at Kronosaurus Korner is a Belemnite Fossil. Belemnites were a group of small squid like cephalopods which are extinct today.  

There was quite a large area the public could search for fossils

There were also quite a few people with heads down and bums up

One of my little finds, a Belemnite fossil

 Anyone who needs convincing of what our Earth looked like 100 million years ago or if you have a child or grandchild that is into Dinosaurs this area is certainly a must visit.