Dinosaur Trail- Part 2 - we are officially fossiled out!

Australian Dinosaur Trail - Part 2

Richmond - Wednesday 15th - Thursday 16th June

Hughenden - Thursday 16th- Friday 17th June

To complete the Australian Dinosaur Trail we spent a day at 2 other small towns that have also had important dinosaur fossils discovered in their vicinity. Unlike Winton, Richmond and Hughenden showcase marine fossils as Richmond used to be underwater (a part of the Eromanga Sea) and Hughenden was on the edge of the sea. Once again these important historical and scientific discoveries were made by local station owners.

Both museums housed a vast collection and both towns were very accommodating and welcoming of travellers. We enjoyed the lovely lake at Richmond (we camped just next to it) and we even got to see the strawberry moon rise over the lake. In Hughenden they've also added a lake in the town, and again we camped just near it, in a great free RV park (thanks Hughenden). 

In Hughenden they also have a free fossil hunting park so interested people can dig for fossils. The kids spent a hour and have found some fossilised shells and what we think is a fossilised tooth!

Both museums were great and well worth coming to the towns for - but I can well and truly say we have had our fill of fossils for a while (though Jackson could keep digging for them indefinitely - we had to coerce him from the fossil digging site when it was time to leave, and his pockets were full of rocks!).

A lake in the middle of the Outback??? It was certainly a welcome addition to our stay at Richmond. It was so calm we got the stand up paddle board out for the first time.

Whilst we were paddleboarding, Jackson made the most of his new net.

Kronosauraus Korner- the museum in Richmond showcased fossils from the marine dinosaurs that inhabited this area 90-100 million years ago- when it was a vast inland sea (Eromanga Sea). The Kronosaurus was a large sea predator (about 10m long and weighing 11tonne, I certainly would not have wanted to encounter it in the ocean).

To appreciate the size of the Kronosaurus here is the jaw bone of the Kronosaurus as compared to that of a saltwater crocodile.

Part of the fossilised bones of the spine of a kronosaurus

The highlight of the museum in Richmond, a nearly complete skeleton of a plesiosaur, discovered on a local station (the guy who discovered it kicked the nose to see if it was rock and actually broke the fossil!).

The fossilised vertebrate of another ancient marine dinosaur

Hughenden's claim to fame is 'Hughie', a life sized replica of the original bones of a 110 million year old Muttaburrasaurus found near Hughenden. I loved reading an old newspaper article of the find. After some of the bones had been recovered, a local boy realised the rock he had given his mum (and that she was using as a door stop) was actually the lower jaw of the Muttabarrasaurus!

The museum at Hughenden also had a display about the history of sheep farming in the area.