David Whitehill uncovers prehistoric treasure in outback Queensland

Halfway between Townsville and Mount Isa, you will find the town of Richmond, an oasis in the Queensland outback. 100 million years ago the area was part of a vast inland sea teeming with wildlife, now it is known as one of the richest fossil hunting regions in the world. David Whitehill tried his luck at uncovering some prehistoric treasure.

Location:

Richmond, QLD

Cost:

Kronosaurus Korner www.kronosauruskorner.com.au
Entry costs $40 for adults, $25 for kids, and $100 for families
Digging at Dawn or Dusk tours cost $75 for adults, $50 for kids & families start at $200

Prices correct at 04.04.26

Highlights:

Just outside Richmond in outback Queensland, David chased his palaeontology dreams of uncovering a unique fossil specimen. With the help of Kevin Peterson, head dinosaur hunter from Kronosaurus Korner, and a truckload of enthusiasm, he found a dig site and got to work.

Digging for fossils under the hot Aussie sun is not for the faint-hearted, so Kevin runs the Digging at Dawn and Dusk program, for a more pleasant way to search for your treasure. With the right tools and some patience, David was amazed at how easy it was to locate something of significance, finding shell fossils and a whole shark's tooth! Some fossickers have donated their finds to museums, and even had dinosaurs named after them!

Back in Richmond, Kronosaurus Korner Museum takes visitors on a journey back thousands of years. The museum is named after the large prehistoric marine predator Kronosaurus, which had paddle-like limbs and a huge head, many fossils of which have been found in the surrounding region. The museum showcases the incredible discoveries made over the last century. Displays include the 100-115 million year old remains of extinct reptiles, dinosaurs, fishes, turtles, ammonites, and squids.

Perhaps the most amazing fossil of the collection is Penny the Plesiosaur. Discovered in 1989 in a dry creek bank, experts from the Queensland Museum in Brisbane spent 12 days unearthing the near complete plesiosaur specimen, which was recognised by palaeontologists as one of the best preserved Cretaceous marine reptile fossils in the world. This find was the catalyst behind creating the museum in Richmond, where Penny is now proudly on display. Behind the scenes, the museum team tirelessly prepares new specimens, some taking over 300 hours to get ready for display.

With the thrill of not knowing what lies beneath the next layer of dirt, being the first person ever to see what you discover, and maybe going down in paleontology history, David was hooked!

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