High on a mesa, overlooking the stark plains of Outback Queensland, is Australia’s Disneyland for dinosaur devotees.
The Australian Age of Dinosaurs near Winton is home to the planet’s best collection of large Australian dinosaur fossils… a world-class paleontology museum that includes the southern hemisphere’s busiest fossil preparation laboratory.
Museum founder and local farmer, Dave Elliott, first discovered fossilized remains on his property in 1999. Ten years later, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs has become a magnet for paleontologists and tourists alike.
Several exciting visitor experiences are on offer – including a behind-the-scenes look at fossil preparation; a guided introduction to the collection room, where ancient specimens are housed in climate-controlled conditions; and a tour of Dinosaur Canyon – where scenes from the prehistoric past have been recreated in life-sized dino-ramas.
The tour starts as you jump on board an express shuttle for a journey back in time to Dinosaur Canyon Outpost – the gateway to a 300-metre elevated boardwalk that hugs the edge of the ‘jump up’ (the local name for a mesa).
From the walkway, there are commanding views of the endless landscape – but you’ll be hard-pressed to look away from six fascinating depictions of prehistoric life.
Each gallery features bronze replicas of ancient creatures – from winged pterosaurs (complete with rocks stained by pterosaur guano) to a family of gentle plant-eaters called Kunbarrasaurus. Visitors can also view the scene of a dinosaur stampede and the remains of a doomed Sauropod (long neck, long tail, small head) that got stuck in the mud.
The bronze recreations are the painstaking work of paleo-artist, Travis Tischler. Travis is currently working on statues representing several new species, yet to be officially unveiled at AAOD.
Australian Age of Dinosaurs is 24 kilometres south-east of Winton and about 175 kilometres drive from Longreach. In winter, the museum is open 7 days a week and 6 days a week during summer.
