2 minute read
Prehistoric Past
from Visit Hughenden
Over 3,000 fossil specimens from the Cretaceous period have been found around the Hughenden district.
Fossil varieties include many marine reptiles, Muttaburrasaurus, Hughenden Sauropod, Queensland Pterosaur and a large selection of shells, molluscs and fish.
The first discovery of Ichthyosaur in 1865 was on the Flinders River near Hughenden. This specimen of Ichthyosaur vertebra was sent to the Museum of Victoria in Melbourne. Later a more complete specimen was uncovered, including a skull and many more vertebrae. The head of an Ichthyosaur was found at Telemon Station west of Hughenden in 1935. It is one of the most complete Ichthyosaur in the world. Also during 1935 a skull of Kronosaurus was found on the same property. collected from a cattle yard on the Thomson River near Muttaburra. A near perfect skull was also discovered on a property west of Hughenden in 1987.
Sometime after the 1960s, a large Sauropod was found on a property north of Hughenden. More recent finds include the jaw fragment of a Queensland Pterosaur in 2004, the second find of this species in the Hughenden district. Many hours of preparation revealed a three inch long lower jaw bone with a few teeth. The jaw had been washed up against a piece of fosillised wood in the shallow ocean. Pterosaurs were the pelicans of the Cretaceous inland sea. The animal would have had a wingspan of approximately two metres.
To try your hand at finding your very own fossil, call at the Flinders Discovery Centre for a map and directions.
AUSTRALIA’S DINOSAUR TRAIL Australia’s Dinosaur Trail is an exciting adventure travelling across Queensland’s Outback. The trail leads you to the townships of Hughenden, Richmond and Winton, areas all rich in world class fossils.
The ADT Pass is a discounted ticket which entitles the bearer to all the paleo attractions within the regions: The Flinders Discovery Centre in Hughenden, Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond, The Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton and Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park 110 km south west of Winton. Single, concession and family passes are available and can be purchased from each of the attractions as well as the Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton. For more information please visit the ADT website:
