From Reef to Red Dirt – Dinosaurs, Marine Reptiles & Deep Time Discoveries

Begin at the Great Barrier Reef – a living marine world that mirrors the ancient Eromanga Sea which once covered much of Outback Queensland.

Stroll The Strand, visit the Museum of Tropical Queensland and enjoy sunset over the Coral Sea.

Drive inland as coastal plains give way to mineral-rich country shaped by volcanic forces and ancient seabeds.

Explore Charters Towers’ gold rush heritage and historic streets carved from local stone.

Vast floodplains once lay beneath an inland sea.

At the Flinders Discovery Centre, meet “Hughie” the Muttaburrasaurus and explore over 3,000 fossil specimens revealing life from 100 million years ago.

Visit Porcupine Gorge – “Australia’s Little Grand Canyon” – where exposed rock layers reveal geological time in cross-section.

Once covered by the vast inland Eromanga Sea, this landscape was once ocean floor. At Kronosaurus Korner, step into that deep-time world and come face-to-face with one of the largest marine reptiles ever discovered, alongside “Mia,” Australia’s best-preserved dinosaur. Watch real fossil preparation in action as ancient bones are carefully revealed from stone, then try your own hand at fossicking in nearby dig sites. Afterwards, unwind at Lake Fred Tritton – where water still defines the horizon, echoing a time when this outback town lay beneath an ancient sea.

The story shifts from dinosaurs to mammals.

At Outback at Isa, explore the Riversleigh Fossil Discovery Centre – gateway to one of the world’s richest mammal fossil sites. Discover giant “Demon Ducks,” ancient crocodiles and early marsupials preserved in limestone up to 25 million years old. End the day at Telstra Hill Lookout.

Journey into Boodjamulla National Park and walk through internationally recognised fossil deposits where science, landscape and First Nations culture intersect.

Camp at Wugudaji–Adels Grove or Miyumba and wake surrounded by deep time.