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QUEENSLAND DINOSAUR WEEK SET TO ROAR ACROSS THE STATE FROM MAY 4 to 10

Dinosaur Experiences Australia

Key Facts:

QUEENSLAND DINOSAUR WEEK

Event Dates: 4–10 May 2026
National Dinosaur Day: Thursday 7 May 2026
Program & Information: www.dinosaurexperiences.com

READY TO UNEARTH THE ADVENTURE?

QUEENSLAND DINOSAUR WEEK SET TO ROAR ACROSS THE STATE FROM MAY 4 to 10

 

200 million years later Dinosaurs still steal the spotlight!

 

When most Australians think of dinosaurs, they picture Hollywood blockbusters or far-flung fossil fields overseas. But if you want to stand where giants actually walked - or swam - you don’t need a passport. You need a Queensland road trip.

 

While Queensland is known for its beaches, the reef, and the rainforest, it’s also one of the most dinosaur-rich places on the planet? Now for the first time, anchored by National Dinosaur Day on 7 May, Queensland Dinosaur Week will be celebrated from Monday 4 May to Sunday 10 May 2026, set to become an annual, world-leading paleo-tourism event.   

 

LAUNCH PHOTOS HERE

Dr Dean Lomax interview here https://vimeo.com/reviews/ac84adab-6d68-4125-8be4-7ca4f816398f/videos/1172508924

Queensland Dinosaur Week launch VNR (interviews and overlay) here https://vimeo.com/reviews/b586989d-0ffd-4b85-82a7-dcb6b9547d43/videos/1173858710

 

The ancient giants are coming back to life in a bold new statewide celebration of prehistoric discovery, science and regional storytelling. The week-long program brings together fossil-rich communities, world-class museums, researchers, tourism operators and families to showcase Queensland’s globally significant dinosaur, marine fossil and megafauna heritage. Led by Dinosaur Experiences Australia (DEA), Queensland Dinosaur Week positions the state as Australia’s leading destination for palaeo tourism, connecting Outback towns through the first ever GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail and driving visitation into regional communities.

 

Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell MP said Queensland’s incredible dinosaur discoveries created huge opportunities for communities across the outback and regional Queensland. “Queensland’s incredible dinosaur and fossil discoveries turn curiosity into travel, attracting visitors who stay longer, spend more, and supercharge our regional communities,” Minister Powell said. “Queensland is the Home of the Holiday, and National Dinosaur Day and Queensland Dinosaur Week spotlight our prehistoric wonders, cementing us as a must‑visit destination for dinosaur lovers of all ages.”

 

The State is home to some of the world’s most significant dinosaur and megafauna discoveries and holds the majority of Australia’s dinosaur fossil finds, positioning it as Australia’s ultimate dinosaur destination, because nowhere else in the country can you:

• Stand beside Australia’s largest dinosaur
• Walk through the world’s only recorded dinosaur stampede
• Come face-to-face with giant marine predators from an ancient inland sea
• Explore World Heritage-listed fossil fields
• And then see Ice Age megafauna - all in one state!

 

“In Winton, you can walk beside the world’s only known dinosaur stampede trackway. In Richmond, you can come face-to-face with Kronosaurus queenslandicus — one of the largest and most complete marine reptile fossils ever discovered — from a time when an inland sea covered Outback Queensland. In Eromanga, you can stand beneath the skeleton of Australia’s largest known dinosaur “Cooper”. This is palaeontology not as a distant academic pursuit, but as lived regional identity. And importantly, the discoveries are ongoing.” said Karen Hanna Miller, Executive Officer, Dinosaur Experiences Australia.

 

“Queensland’s fossil story is not complete. Every season, new finds reshape our understanding of ancient ecosystems and evolutionary changes. Visitors are not just observing history, they are stepping into a landscape where science is still unfolding, this is why Queensland Dinosaur Week is an extraordinary addition to the state’s tourism and education sectors,” she said. 

 

2026 Queensland Dinosaur Week features:

 

• On his first Australian tour, internationally acclaimed palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax will headline Queensland Dinosaur Week, appearing in Winton, joining industry leaders in Brisbane for a National Dinosaur Day breakfast at Queensland Museum, and concluding in Richmond where the public can dig for real marine fossils alongside him in the field.
• Hands-on fossil digs and “Digging at Dawn” experiences at Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond
• A Night at the Museum – Dinosaurs After Dark at Queensland Museum Kurilpa
• Chinchilla Fossil Finders, a free citizen science fossil hunting event along the Condamine River
• Public talks, palaeo illustration workshops, astronomy experiences and community activations across the state
• The first ever GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail Pocket Guide & Map

 

So, whether you’re a family seeking hands-on adventure, a grey nomad with a love of history, a school wanting to dino-deep-dive, or squad of besties looking for the trip of a lifetime (or millennia!), or a dino-mad traveler chasing the ultimate Outback experience, here’s what you need to know about the best prehistoric places to visit, dig, and discover. 

Let’s get our Jurassic on!

 

Introducing The GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail Pocket Guide & Map

In a FIRST, Queensland’s entire palaeo portfolio has been brought together into one connected visitor experience, this comprehensive self-drive companion links Queensland’s dinosaur, marine fossil and megafauna experiences across the state. It transforms isolated museum visits into a connected adventure, encouraging travellers to stay longer, explore deeper and discover regional Queensland, and it makes one thing clear: if you want your dinosaur fix, Queensland delivers.

 

This is the ultimate prehistoric road trip, and includes:

• Curated multi-day drive itineraries
• Top experiences in each destination
• The iconic “BIG 7” fossil legends, where and how to see them
• Accommodation suggestions and travel tips
• Links between dinosaur, marine fossil and megafauna stories

 

Dr Scott Hocknull, Principal Research Fellow in Applied Palaeontology & Palaeotourism at CQUniversity, says the Trail reflects the scale of Queensland’s fossil story. “Queensland preserves one of the most extraordinary and diverse fossil records in Australia,” Dr Hocknull said. “From giant titanosaurs to marine reptiles and Ice Age megafauna, the Trail shows that this isn’t just one discovery, it’s a statewide palaeo narrative written across the landscape.”

 

• Head west and you’ll find Winton’s dinosaur bones and 95-million-year-old footprints.
• Drive north and Richmond reveals massive marine reptiles that once swam across the Eromanga Sea.
• Push further into the outback and Eromanga is home to Australia’s largest dinosaur.
• In Mount Isa, Riversleigh’s World Heritage fossil deposits tell the story of ancient mammals and megafauna.

 

 

Meet Queensland’s prehistoric stars: where to see the BIG 7 FOSSIL LEGENDS

They’re enormous. They’re ancient. And they’re uniquely Queensland! Families and fossil lovers are being invited to discover the state’s prehistoric icons — the “BIG 7” — seven of Queensland’s most extraordinary fossil discoveries that are helping tell Australia’s deep-time story. Stretching from the red dirt of Winton to the marine fossil beds of Richmond and the World Heritage-listed Riversleigh region, the BIG 7 connect visitors to giants of land, sea and sky that once ruled this ancient landscape.

 

“The BIG 7 represent just a snapshot of the extraordinary animals that once lived here — from the largest dinosaur ever found in Australia to giant marine predators and megafauna that coexisted with the first Australians,” said Dr Hocknull.

 

THE BIG 7 – AND WHERE TO SEE THEM

1. “Cooper” – Australotitan cooperensis at the Eromanga Natural History Museum
Australia’s largest dinosaur. This colossal titanosaur roamed Queensland around 95 million years ago. Its massive leg bones are the largest ever discovered on the continent.

 

2. “Banjo” – Australovenator wintonensis at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton
Australia’s most complete carnivorous dinosaur. Agile, fast and armed with razor-sharp claws, Banjo was a top predator of the Cretaceous floodplains.

 

3. “Matilda” – Diamantinasaurus matildae at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton
One of Australia’s most complete sauropods, Matilda was a long-necked giant that shared her world with Banjo.

 

4. “Mutt” & “Hughie” – Muttaburrasaurus langdoni at the Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre (Muttaburra) Flinders Discovery Centre (Hughenden)
Queensland’s State Fossil Emblem. Recognisable by its distinctive snout, Muttaburrasaurus is one of Australia’s most iconic dinosaurs.

 

5. “Krono” – Kronosaurus queenslandicus at Kronosaurus Korner, Richmond
A massive marine reptile that once swam in the ancient Eromanga Sea. With enormous jaws and fearsome teeth, Kronosaurus was an apex ocean predator.

 

6. “Demon Ducks” – Dromornis at  Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre, Mount Isa
Giant flightless birds that once roamed Australia, part of the extraordinary fossil assemblage from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area.

 

7. “Kenny” – Diprotodon optatum at Eulo (Main Street installation)
The largest marsupial to ever live. Diprotodon roamed Queensland during the Ice Age and coexisted with early Aboriginal Australians.

 

 

Here’s WHY Queensland is Australia’s Dinosaur Capital

Dr Scott Hocknull, Principal Research Fellow in Applied Palaeontology & Palaeotourism at CQUniversity explains … When most Australians think of dinosaurs, they picture Hollywood blockbusters or far-flung fossil fields overseas. But if you want to stand where giants actually walked - or swam - you don’t need a passport.

 

You need a Queensland road trip. More than 100 million years ago, much of Outback Queensland lay beneath the vast Eromanga Sea. It was a place of giant marine reptiles - ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and formidable ocean predators - whose fossils now emerge from red dirt landscapes hundreds of kilometres from the coast.

 

As the sea retreated, vast floodplains replaced it. Herds of titanosaurs — the largest land animals ever to walk Australia — moved across these wetlands, stalked by agile carnivores like Australovenator. Today, their fossilised bones are preserved in places like Winton and Eromanga, where visitors can see and even touch real specimens. Later still, Queensland’s river systems supported giant marsupials, like Diprotodon, the world’s largest known marsupial, and massive flightless birds sometimes called “Demon Ducks”. At Riversleigh, now a World Heritage-listed site, fossil deposits reveal millions of years of mammal evolution found nowhere else on Earth.

 

This isn’t a scattered collection of curiosities. It is a continuous, layered deep-time record stretching from ancient marine ecosystems to Ice Age megafauna, and it’s concentrated in one state. What sets Queensland apart is not only the fossils themselves, but the way communities have embraced and interpreted them.

 

Palaeontology is not simply about extinct animals. It is about understanding environmental change, adaptation and resilience across time. Queensland’s fossil record offers critical insights into how life responded to shifting climates and landscapes, lessons that resonate powerfully today. Queensland Dinosaur Week and the launch of The GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail have brought these experiences together under one unified banner for the first time. It sends a clear message: this state is not one stop on a dinosaur map. It IS the map.

 

More Than Dinosaurs – a strategic tourism platform

Queensland Dinosaur Week forms part of a broader vision to secure Queensland’s leadership in dinosaur and palaeo tourism through to 2045, strengthening the state’s unified brand in dinosaur, marine and megafauna experiences. By connecting science, tourism, education and community pride, the week:

• Boosts regional visitation and dispersal
• Elevates Queensland’s fossil heritage on a national and global stage
• Supports STEM engagement and citizen science
• Amplifies local voices in rural and remote communities

 

QUEENSLAND DINOSAUR WEEK

Event Dates: 4–10 May 2026
National Dinosaur Day: Thursday 7 May 2026
Program & Information: www.dinosaurexperiences.com

 

The GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail Pocket Guide is available at participating destinations statewide and online at:  www.dinosaurexperiences.com

 

Queensland Dinosaur Week, anchored by National Dinosaur Day on 7 May, features fossil digs, museum experiences, family-friendly activities, citizen science events and special guest appearances across the state. Whether it’s brushing dust from a 95-million-year-old bone, walking where titanosaurs once roamed, exploring marine reptiles from the vanished Eromanga Sea, or roaming beneath giant skeletons after dark at Queensland Museum—Queensland Dinosaur Week invites visitors of all ages to Unearth the Adventure.

 

Queensland Dinosaur Week is proudly supported by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) through Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), delivered in partnership with participating destinations across the GREAT Queensland Dinosaur Trail, and strengthened by CQUniversity as the official Education Partner, connecting deep-time discovery with future STEM pathways and research leadership. Proudly supported by the Queensland Government—Engaging Science Grants.

 

Contact details:

Kath Rose on 0416 291 493 or [email protected]