Plan Your Trip
Australian Dinosaur Trail
Distance
735km
How
Car or Camper
Where
Richmond to Richmond
Date
Year round
Follow in the footsteps of the prehistoric creatures that once roamed this ancient land. The Australian Dinosaur Trail encompasses the towns of Winton, Hughenden and Richmond which all have their own unique dinosaur stories to tell. A journey along Australia’s Dinosaur Trail offers visitors a range of unique experiences not available anywhere else in the world, let alone Australia.
DAY 1
Richmond to Winton
When you arrive in Winton, make your first stop the Winton Visitor Information Centre. Collect your self-drive and Experience Winton brochures. Visit the heritage listed Corfield and Fitzmaurice building; it houses a life size diorama of the Dinosaur Stampede, wool industry and opal displays.
Travel 24 kilometres south east of Winton to the ‘Jump Up’, a mesa that is home to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs and the worlds largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils. Thirty minute tours of the Collection room and the Fossil laboratory operate daily on the hour from 9am to the last full tour at 3pm. Talk a walk along Dinosaur Canyon for spectacular view of the Outback Queensland landscape while learning more about Australia’s dinosaur history.
DAY 2
Winton
Embark on an adventure, 110 kilometres south west of Winton to the Dinosaur Stampede at Lark Quarry Conservation Park; discover the only evidence of a Dinosaur Stampede on the planet. Tours start on site at 10am, 12pm and 2pm daily detailing the dramatic tale of the hunter and the hunted from the footprints left behind 95 million years ago.
DAY 3
Winton to Hughenden
Travel north-east to Hughenden from Winton. Visit the Flinders Discovery Centre, to see ‘Hughie’ a Muttaburrasaurus, the amazing fossil exhibition and the Porcupine Gorge Light and Sound Show. Pick up your map with the points of interest guiding you around Hughenden to see the impressive metal sculptures depicting dinosaurs designed and made by local artists. Enjoy the 1.5 kilometre diverse bio-regions of the “Eco walk on Flinders”. Along the pathway are species of flora and local artwork. Otherwise you can opt to travel 54 kilometres south of Prairie to the natural surrounds of Kooroorinya Falls Nature Reserve.
DAY 4
Hughenden
Spend time at Porcupine Gorge National Park and trek 1.2 kilometres to the base to savour the magnitude of this amazing gorge system. For Four Wheel Drive enthusiasts, enjoy selected drives throughout the shire, taking in amazing landscapes and diverse terrain. Finish the day with a trip to Mount Walker, 10 kilometres south of Hughenden for an Outback sunset. If you wish to stay overnight camping at Porcupine Gorge must be booked before arriving at the campground.
DAY 5
Hughenden to Richmond
Kronosaurus Korner is the home of Australia’s premier marine fossil collection, originating from the Great Inland Sea that existed 110 million years ago. Meet ‘Penny’ the Richmond Pilosaur, Australia’s most complete marine vertebrate specimen. Learn about fossils, fossil hunting and the preparation and lab techniques used to prepare these astounding displays. Follow the Heritage Walk around town, taking in the business precinct from yesteryear and enjoying the local artefacts of historical and cultural significance at the Cambridge Downs Heritage Display Centre. Take some time to investigate the diverse flora in the Bush Tucker Gardens. Otherwise, you can head to Richmond’s Lake Fred Tritton for some water action.
