The Queensland town of Winton’s claim to be the Dinosaur Capital of Australia has just been given a giant prehistoric roar of approval.
A two-week dig has unearthed what has been described as a ‘treasure trove’ of massive fossils. Winton’s Australian Age of Dinosaurs says scientists and volunteers have found so many bones it will be difficult to fit them into the preparation laboratory at the museum. The fossils are believed to be 98-million-years-old.
It’s a massive boost for the prehistoric credentials of Winton, which hopes renewed dinosaur fever will draw yet more grey nomads and others to visit the Outback town.
Field palaeontologist David Elliott told the ABC they have uncovered giant limbs, vertebrae and two-metre long ribs.
“It is definitely one of the most successful, one of the most exciting and one of the most full on,” he told the ABC. “We didn’t stop finding stuff – as fast as you would try and dig around one bone, you started uncovering another. We had some [plaster] jackets there the size of the back of the ute – they were massive.”
The six biggest dinosaur skeletons in the world have been found Winton, and the Lark Quarry footprints or trackways are the only location in the world where visitors can see a stampeding footprint of a big carnivore sauropod.
The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, located 24kms from Winton, also claims to have the world’s largest collection of dinosaur fossils.
As well as visiting the area, grey nomads can potentially get more directly involved by joining a dig team, helping to prepare dinosaur bones, or volunteering their time for some other dinosaur-related activity.
Are you ready to hit the prehistoric bones trail? Have you visited Australia’s Dinosaur Capital? Comment below.
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