Australia's Dinosaur Trail Drive Itinerary
From Winton to Winton

Day 1: Winton to Hughenden

Spend the morning in Winton. Rich in history, Winton was originally known as Pelican Waterhole and was first settled in 1875. The town is best known as the place that AB (Banjo) Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda in 1895, whilst at Dagworth Station outside Winton. Winton is recognised as the home of Australian bush poetry, hosting the annual Bronze Swagman Award, one of the country's most prestigious literary awards.

Winton is also home to the first office of Qantas in 1920. Sites to visit include the Historic Royal Theatre, open-air movie theatre and museum and one of the oldest still operating in Australia; the swagman statue; the Waltzing Matilda Centre displays, including the Billabong Courtyard light and sound show; the regional art gallery; and the Qantilda Museum. Visit Combo Waterhole where the swaggie of Waltzing Matilda fame reputedly met his fate, and the vintage sandstone homestead of Old Cork Station. The nearby Bladensburg National Park is worth a visit too if time allows (approx 3 km south of town).

On to the next stop, head north to Hughenden. Hughenden has many attractions to offer with four National Parks; gemfields; mountainous volcanic basalt country; sweeping black soil plains; and rich fossil and dinosaur areas. Make sure swimming, fishing and birdwatching are all high on your agenda. Hughenden also offers gem fossicking and scenic four wheel drives through magnificent volcanic basalt country. Fossils are to be found in many of the creek beds surrounding the town. The first Europeans to pass through this area were part of Frederick Walker's 1861 expedition to find the explorers Burke and Wills. Visit the Historic coolibah tree on the east bank of Station Creek, marked by Walker in 1861, and again by Landsborough in 1862 when he too was searching for Burke and Wills. The Dinosaur Display Centre in town includes a 7 metre replica of the Muttaburrasaurus langdoni (named after the town of Muttaburra, where the remains were found close to the Thomson River in 1963).

Overnight in Hughenden. Accommodation options include motel, cabins and caravan park.

Day 2: Hughenden to Richmond

Spend a little more time in Hughenden in the morning, before heading off on the short drive west to Richmond. Home to an ancient inland sea, Richmond has some of Australia's best vertebrate and marine fossils on display. If stepping back in time is more your scene, then take a heritage walk around the town, viewing the signs depicting the yesteryear.

Richmond is home to the 2004 Outback Queensland Tourism Award winning Significant Attraction, Kronosaurus Korner. Inside Kronosaurus Korner you will find the only museum in Australia primarily dedicated to displaying marine reptiles, as well as a very special dinosaur: Minmi. Minmi, with impressions of its fossilised skin, is considered to be Australia's best-preserved dinosaur skeleton. Minmi takes pride of place alongside the Richmond Pliosaur - Australia' best vertebrate fossil and one of the world's best Pliosaur skeletons. This fossil, found in 1989, has to be seen to be believed!

The Centre is home to over 400 exhibits dating back to the Cretaceous period, 98 - 114 million years ago, when Richmond was part of the inland sea. Don't miss the themed theatrette, which provides the visitor with a unique introduction to life during the Cretaceous Period. Hand-held audio guides are available for self-paced, self-guided tours to supplement the existing daily guided tours. The Kronosaurus Korner landscaping also features a life-size 12.2 metre replica of Kronosaurus queenslandicus, discovered by American scientists near Richmond in the 1930s.

Other attractions in town include a restored Cobb & Co coach; the Richmond Hotel, known as the Mud Hut Hotel (a historic flagstone and adobe building); and the Pioneer Cemetery on the western side of town. Guided tours to local fossicking sites are available in the area. There is also Lake Fred Tritton.

Overnight in Richmond. Accommodation options include caravan park, cabins and motel.

Day 3: Richmond to Winton

After yesterday's fossil fever at Kronosaurus Korner, grab a map to guide you through the region's designated fossicking sites this morning. Finds may include shark teeth, fish bones, belemnites, ammonites and various shells. The resident curator will be happy to identify your finds.

Arrive back in Winton at lunch time, take a guided tour to visit Opalton, one of the oldest opal fields in Queensland (approx 115 km south); or drive out to Lark Quarry Conservation Park, 110 km south-west where 93 million year-old fossils capture a dinosaur stampede.

Head back to Winton in the late afternoon. Accommodation ranges from caravan parks to a four star motel.