A Big Collection

The landscape of western Queensland is dramatic. After a good wet season, Mitchell grass grows thickly on the vast plains. Elsewhere the land is stony and dotted with clumps of hardy spinifex. But if you’d travelled this way 95 million years ago, the scenery would have been very different. In the Mid-Cretaceous period forests of conifers, lush ferns and flowering plants covered the land, watered by rivers and streams which flowed into a huge inland sea. And it was inhabited by dinosaurs! 

In August 2022, we followed the Dinosaur Trail through western Queensland, on a route from Winton to Richmond, Hughenden and Muttaburra, all locations where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Put your Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass in your pocket and join us on a journey back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. 

Western Queensland

Thank you for coming with us on our road trip through Queensland’s Outback. We saw dinosaurs and dunnarts, learned about iconic Australians and enjoyed spectacular scenery. This final post celebrates Western Queensland’s “big” things – some fun and quirky, others functional or natural.  Let’s take one last ride around the Outback.

The Big Meat Ant – Augathella

“The Ringer” – Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Longreach

The world’s biggest Van Gogh Sunflower painting – Emerald

The Big Red Chair – Charleville

In the Outback, bore water drawn from the Great Artesian Basin is a highly valued resource. The water is stored in towers or tanks which dominate the landscape in small country towns. Many are painted with scenes depicting the history or people of the town.

illuminated water tower – Julia Creek

painted water tower – Charleville

painted water tower – Augathella

painted water tank – Richmond

A mural on the wall of the newsagent in Winton commemorates the 1995 Guinness World Record for the longest road train, held by local man Alan Grant.

The Outback is a land of big skies and wide open spaces.

on the road between Hughenden and Muttaburra

sunset – Winton

And finally some Australian birds with big long legs, for Denzil’s long-legged bird photo challenge

white egrets – Judd’s Lagoon

brolga – Rubyvale

Meeting Muttaburrasaurus

The landscape of western Queensland is dramatic. After a good wet season, Mitchell grass grows thickly on the vast plains. Elsewhere the land is stony and dotted with clumps of hardy spinifex. But if you’d travelled this way 95 million years ago, the scenery would have been very different. In the Mid-Cretaceous period forests of conifers, lush ferns and flowering plants covered the land, watered by rivers and streams which flowed into a huge inland sea. And it was inhabited by dinosaurs! 

In August 2022, we followed the Dinosaur Trail through western Queensland, on a route from Winton to Richmond, Hughenden and Muttaburra, all locations where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Put your Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass in your pocket and join us on a journey back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. 

Muttaburra

There are dinosaurs on every street corner in Muttaburra.

The most famous prehistoric resident of Muttaburra, however, has his own special exhibition at the Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre.

In 1963, the skeleton of a previously unknown dinosaur was found by Doug Langdon on a property near Muttaburra. Later, when the skeleton was excavated by palaeontologist Dr Alan Bartholomai, it was named Muttaburrasaurus langdoni.

Muttaburrasaurus lived in this part of northern Queensland between 112 and 103 million years ago. He was primarily a herbivore although the shape of his jaw and teeth suggest he may have also been a meat eater. 

The interpretation centre bearing his name features displays describing the discovery of the first skeleton, replicas of the fossilised bones and a timeline of the earth’s palaeontological history. 

While the fossilised remains of four more of these unique dinosaurs have since been discovered in other parts of northern Australia, the most famous will always be the one found near Muttaburra.

Watch Out For Dinosaurs!

The landscape of western Queensland is dramatic. After a good wet season, Mitchell grass grows thickly on the vast plains. Elsewhere the land is stony and dotted with clumps of hardy spinifex. But if you’d travelled this way 95 million years ago, the scenery would have been very different. In the Mid-Cretaceous period forests of conifers, lush ferns and flowering plants covered the land, watered by rivers and streams which flowed into a huge inland sea. And it was inhabited by dinosaurs! 

In August 2022, we followed the Dinosaur Trail through western Queensland, on a route from Winton to Richmond, Hughenden and Muttaburra, all locations where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Put your Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass in your pocket and join us on a journey back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. 

Hughenden

There are dinosaurs everywhere in Hughenden.

The Flinders Discovery Centre has a large display of fossils from all around the world. They range in size from this ancient dinosaur egg found in China to the huge replica skeleton of Muttaburrasaurus langdoni, created using fossil remains discovered near Muttaburra and Hughenden. This herbivorous giant of the dinosaur world lived on the land surrounding the Eromanga Sea up to 112 million years ago.

Outside, it looks like some of the specimens have escaped from the display; there are dinosaurs all around town.

Mutt, a life sized replica of Muttaburrasaurus, stands on the corner of Stansfield and Gray Streets. 

Darby, another Muttaburrasaurus made from scrap metal, decorates a wall in Brodie Street.

Further along Brodie Street is a metal sculpture of a Queensland Pterosaur, fondly known as Leanneosaur. This flying reptile lived in the region at the same time as Muttaburrasaurus. 

While Muttaburrausaurus and Pterosaur lived on land, ammonites inhabited the waters of the vast inland sea. This oversized metal sculpture perfectly captures the beautiful shape of these ancient animals.

Luckily none of these prehistoric creatures is as fierce as they look!

Sea Creatures

The landscape of western Queensland is dramatic. After a good wet season, Mitchell grass grows thickly on the vast plains. Elsewhere the land is stony and dotted with clumps of hardy spinifex. But if you’d travelled this way 95 million years ago, the scenery would have been very different. In the Mid-Cretaceous period forests of conifers, lush ferns and flowering plants covered the land, watered by rivers and streams which flowed into a huge inland sea. And it was inhabited by dinosaurs! 

In August 2022, we followed the Dinosaur Trail through western Queensland, on a route from Winton to Richmond, Hughenden and Muttaburra, all locations where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Put your Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass in your pocket and join us on a journey back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. 

Richmond

If you’d visited outback Queensland 110 million years ago you would have found most of it submerged under what is now known as the Eromanga Sea, a vast inland ocean covering 1 million square kilometres. And if you’d gone swimming you would have come face to face with the huge marine reptiles and fish which lived in it. Where the town of Richmond is now located the water reached depths of up to 40 metres, making it the ideal home for plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and elasmosaurids. 

Of course, people weren’t on Earth then and after one million years the sea and its inhabitants disappeared. But you can see the marine animals who lived in the Eromanga Sea at Richmond’s Kronosaurus Korner. The museum has the best collection of marine fossils in Australia, most found locally. Amazing displays of fossils, information boards, illustrations and models bring these prehistoric marine creatures to life. 

As well as these giant marine reptiles, large ammonites and predatory fish lived in the Eromanga Sea. 

While the Eromanga Sea no longer exists, there is a lovely lake at Richmond. Lake Fred Tritton, a manmade recreational waterway filled by the Flinders River, is a popular place for boating, swimming and fishing. And even though the water is home to 18 species of freshwater fish, you won’t come across anything as large as Kronosaurus queenslandicus!

Alive and Well

The landscape of western Queensland is dramatic. After a good wet season, Mitchell grass grows thickly on the vast plains. Elsewhere the land is stony and dotted with clumps of hardy spinifex. But if you’d travelled this way 95 million years ago, the scenery would have been very different. In the Mid-Cretaceous period forests of conifers, lush ferns and flowering plants covered the land, watered by rivers and streams which flowed into a huge inland sea. And it was inhabited by dinosaurs! 

In August 2022, we followed the Dinosaur Trail through western Queensland, on a route from Winton to Richmond, Hughenden and Muttaburra, all locations where dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Put your Australian Dinosaur Trail Pass in your pocket and join us on a journey back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. 

Julia Creek

Visitors to Australia are familiar with our most dangerous creatures: crocodiles, snakes and spiders. Not many will have heard of a lesser known but equally fearsome animal which lives in the arid country around Julia Creek. Fearsome, that is, if you belong to this group of animals!

Julia Creek dunnarts, long thought to be extinct, are alive and well in north-west Queensland. They’re elusive little creatures, not often seen in the wild, but the Julia Creek Visitor Information Centre has a small population of dunnarts on display in carefully regulated enclosures. 

Also known as fat-tailed dunnarts, these cute little animals have two unique characteristics which ensure their survival during droughts.

As well as being feisty and tough, dunnarts are speedy. This little fellow moved constantly around the enclosure, searching for the mealworms his carer had placed inside. He was far more interested in finding his lunch than posing for photographs. 

Walking Underwater

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #17 The Aquarium of Western Australia, Perth

Where in the world can you walk underwater?

At AQWA, The Aquarium of Western Australia!

The aquarium hosts more than 400 species of marine animals who make the oceans off the coast of Western Australia their home. The largest display, the Shipwreck Coast Aquarium, holds 3 million litres of seawater. A 98 metre walk-through tunnel winds through the aquarium, bringing people face to face with some amazing ocean creatures.

Smaller aquariums feature beautiful coral reefs,

luminous sea jellies,

unusual fish,

shy fish

and very grumpy fish!

Joining Becky for November Walking Squares

Do Quokkas Go Out in the Rain?

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #15 Rottnest Island

In 1696, Dutch sea captain Willem de Vlamingh landed on a small island off the coast of Western Australia. The only residents he found were furry animals he mistook for giant rats so he named the island ‘t Eylandt ‘t Rottenest (The Rats’ Nest Island). de Vlamingh described the island as “pleasurable above all islands” and “a paradise on earth”. He must have had better weather than we did – we went to Rottnest in the pouring rain!

Our day trip to Rottnest Island had been pre-booked as part of our holiday package so we had to go that day. We just hoped that the island’s famous residents, the quokkas Willem de Vlamingh thought were rats, didn’t mind the weather.

Our first activity was a minibus tour around the island. Although the scenery was beautiful, the rain meant we didn’t stay long off the bus. And, even though the driver kept a lookout along the way, we saw no quokkas.

After our soggy bus ride we walked to the shopping area at the Thomson Bay Settlement and, to our delight, there were quokkas everywhere! It’s forbidden to approach, feed or touch these native Australian marsupials but they’re used to people and were happy to pose for photos.

Even though their thick fur looked quite bedraggled, they seemed oblivious to the rain.

By mid-afternoon the downpour had cleared, so we explored the settlement. No one lives permanently on the island and most of the historic buildings are now used for holiday accommodation.

We even went for a short walk on the beach.

The quokkas enjoyed the break in the weather too.

Joining Becky for November Walking Squares

Creatures From the Past

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #8 Adelaide 

In Adelaide, our off-train excursion took us to the South Australian Museum, to see their extensive collection of fossils.

We learned about creatures which lived on earth in prehistoric times, including strange marine creatures from the Cretaceous Period;

fierce dinosaurs like this Allosaurus atrox;

and giant megafauna whose descendants still live in Australia.

Today’s kangaroos and koalas are cute but I wouldn’t like to meet one of these creatures on a bush walk.

Joining Becky for November Walking Squares

Winter Garden

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #5 Chinese Garden of Friendship

There’s an element of surprise at the entrance of Sydney’s Chinese Garden of Friendship. Surrounded by the high rise office buildings of the city’s CBD, the forecourt offers glimpses of the calm space within.

The garden opened on 17 January, 1988 during Australia’s Bicentennial celebrations. Mosaic paved walking paths lead visitors on a circuit past 17 traditional pavilions and a serene lake complete with waterfalls and trickling brooks.

Both Chinese and Australian native plants fill the garden; mid-winter blooms add colour to the rich greenery.

We weren’t the only ones enjoying the garden on this sunny winter’s day.

Joining Becky for November Walking Squares

The Best View at the Zoo

Come with me on a train ride. We’ll travel 4,352 kilometres across Australia from east to west, spending four days and three nights on a train 731 metres long. We’ll start in Sydney and stay in Perth at the end and along the way we’ll traverse deserts, stop in a ghost town and cross the mighty Nullarbor Plain. Come with me on a transcontinental journey aboard the iconic Indian Pacific! 

Indian Pacific Adventure #3 Taronga Zoo

Sydney’s famous Taronga Zoo, located at Bradleys Head, overlooks the city and beautiful Sydney Harbour. Visitors riding the Sky Safari cable car from the wharf to the top entrance are treated to spectacular views on the way.

The zoo, renowned for its conservation and preservation projects, wildlife research and education, has more than 5,000 animal residents living in scientifically curated geographic environments. Their accommodations are excellent, but which group of animals has the best view in the zoo?

The Bolivian squirrel monkeys spend their days darting through a tropical rainforest

while the koalas are happy to munch on gum leaves in the eucalypt trees.

Brightly coloured Gouldian finches perch on a branch in the aviary for just a few seconds before flying away again,

but ring-tailed lemurs and Sumatran tigers like to relax and soak up the winter sunshine.

The meerkats demonstrate their sunbathing techniques – first warm the front…

then warm the back…

before climbing up to see what everyone else is doing.

The chimpanzees like to climb high too.

The African lions and Asian elephants have glimpses of the city from their spacious enclosures.

But who does have the best view in the zoo?