The Dinosaur Trail, Queensland

[triceratops83]

If you're in Queensland, you can probably skip the Brisbane Museum. Instead, start at Townsville and see the Museum of Tropical Queensland, there is a great collection of Marine Reptile fossils there. Then drive inland for the Dinosaur Trail, which starts at Hughenden. (Seriously though, you'd better like driving for miles and miles.) Hughenden has the Flinders Discovery Centre - a hall of numerous fossil displays dominated by a muttaburrasaurus.
   Then you head to Richmond and visit Kronosaurus Korner. This is probably the coolest place I've ever been. Several halls filled to the brim with prehistoric life of all kinds. It is dominated mostly with Pliosaur bits and pieces including a full skeleton of an as yet to be described species, and just about everything else from Australia's ancient inland sea, in which this area is centred. Oh, and see the wonderful Minmi skeleton, our most well preserved dinosaur. Also, just drive a little bit out of town and marvel at the flat, desolate landscape, and scrape around in the ancient, rocky ground. So easy to visualize the great prehistoric sea that so contrasts the current panorama.
   Lastly, head south to Winton, home of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. It is set up on a kind of mesa or plateau, and is really breathtaking. You take a guided tour, starting in a facility where palaeontologists and volunteers prepare fossils. When I was there two years ago they had pallet racking full of massive Sauropod bones. The tour then takes you to an auditorium type deal where you get to see displays of dinosaurs like Australovenator and various sauropods, as well as videos detailing the history of the site. Also, at a different location you can visit the famous "Dinosaur Stampede" trackways.
   And then, if you REALLY LIKE DRIVING FOR HOURS ON END you could head west and visit the fossil beds of Riversleigh. (I didn't. Too much driving. But would like to one day.)
   These are fascinating places to visit. The towns in which they are situated are tiny, barely more than one street, but delightful and charming, especially for a palaeontology enthusiast. And I didn't mean to put down the museum at Brisbane, but if you visit these little out of the way places first, you'll be a little bummed out at what the capital city has to offer. So if you're planning to visit, I definitely recommend this journey, just remember most of inland Australia is pretty uh, widely spread out. Try renting a helicopter or something.
http://australianageofdinosaurs.com/
http://www.australiasdinosaurtrail.com/
   

[postsaurischian]

    I have been to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and fell in love with the Australovenator ..... _{(not with the flies !!)}
















                         



                         

[suspsy]

I'm convinced there were far larger theropods roaming ancient Australia. It's just a matter of when one will be discovered.

And if a tyrannosaur is ever found, it should be named Oztyrannus irwini, after the Crocodile Hunter. I loved that man so much.

[triceratops83]

    I have been to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and fell in love with the Australovenator ..... _{(not with the flies !!)}

Nice photos! Did you see the rest of the Dinosaur trail and how did you make the trip?

[Takama]

I see that they did not get the memo that Members of Megarptora were Tyrannosaurs, and likely feathered to some degree

[stargatedalek]

That is pretty darn recent memo keep in mind

[Arul]

When i visit ausie last few years ago for student exchange, i visit brisbane museum and i see a lot of reptile fossil from snake to crocodile, unfortunately i didnt see any dinosaur fossil...

[postsaurischian]

I see that they did not get the memo that Members of Megarptora were Tyrannosaurs, and likely feathered to some degree

Australovenator was an Allosaurid . Wikipedia (if this happens to be your source) is once again wrong here.
It is still under the process of being described by the people who work at the AAOD museum, and believe me they know what they're doing. All "memo" about Australovenator comes from them.
I had a look at their laboratory - lots of stuff to be revealed. Surely Australovenator's look will also change from time to time, especially when they find the rest of its skull.










I put the cow vertebrae in same position onto the sauropod's to show the size difference.

Nice photos! Did you see the rest of the Dinosaur trail and how did you make the trip?

Thanks! Unfortunately I haven't been to Richmond. This is on the list next time, since we liked the Outback .... except for the flies .
My friend was driving. He lives in Beachmere (Brisbane area) and he had enough of driving at a certain point and wanted to enjoy the quiet nature (it's exceptionally quiet in the Outback), which I could understand. We didn't have too many days. I was happy enough he drove me that far, because I'm not driving at all.

By the way - I knew there would be dead kangaroos on the road sides ... but I was a bit shocked by how many there were - innumerable !

When i visit ausie last few years ago for student exchange, i visit brisbane museum and i see a lot of reptile fossil from snake to crocodile, unfortunately i didnt see any dinosaur fossil...

How could you overlook the Muttaburrasaurus at the Brisbane museum ?

[triceratops83]

Thanks! Unfortunately I haven't been to Richmond. This is on the list next time, since we liked Outback .... except for the flies .
My friend was driving. He lives in Beachmere (Brisbane area) and he had enough of driving at a certain point and wanted to enjoy the quiet nature (it's exceptionally quiet in the Outback), which I could understand. We didn't have too many days. I was happy enough he drove me that far, because I'm not driving at all.
By the way - I knew there would be dead kangaroos on the road sides ... but I was a bit shocked by how many there were - innumerable !

Next time try and get to Richmond and see Kronosaurus Korner - it's a beautiful museum. Do you like how FLAT the horizon is out there? It's weird when you get to the AAOD museum 'cause all of a sudden you're on a plateau and it's such a difference from everywhere else.
About the Kangaroos, you gotta be careful driving at night. The trick is speed up and pass them, cause they usually veer onto the road. Did you see any emus?

[Takama]

I see that they did not get the memo that Members of Megarptora were Tyrannosaurs, and likely feathered to some degree

Australovenator was an Allosaurid . Wikipedia (if this happens to be your source) is once again wrong here.
It is still under the process of being described by the people who work at the AAOD museum, and believe me they know what they're doing. All "memo" about Australovenator comes from them.
I had a look at their laboratory - lots of stuff to be revealed. Surely Australovenator's look will also change from time to time, especially when they find the rest of its skull.

But Thomas Holtz Said that All members of Megaraptora would be Tyrannosaurs thanks to that discovery of a Megaraptor  juvenile Skull that resembled the skull of Dilong. http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=2376.0     When I first heard this, I immediately assumed Australovenator was among them, and seeing the cladograms like this



Made me think all of those inside Megaraptora were actually Tyrannosaurs.   If the Musiem is still saying that Australovenator is an allosaur, then were does that leave all the others?

[postsaurischian]

....... Did you see any emus?

Unfortunately no Emus .

I see that they did not get the memo that Members of Megarptora were Tyrannosaurs, and likely feathered to some degree

Australovenator was an Allosaurid . Wikipedia (if this happens to be your source) is once again wrong here.
It is still under the process of being described by the people who work at the AAOD museum, and believe me they know what they're doing. All "memo" about Australovenator comes from them.
I had a look at their laboratory - lots of stuff to be revealed. Surely Australovenator's look will also change from time to time, especially when they find the rest of its skull.

But Thomas Holtz Said that All members of Megaraptora would be Tyrannosaurs thanks to that discovery of a Megaraptor  juvenile Skull that resembled the skull of Dilong. http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=2376.0     When I first heard this, I immediately assumed Australovenator was among them, and seeing the cladograms like this



Made me think all of those inside Megaraptora were actually Tyrannosaurs.   If the Musiem is still saying that Australovenator is an allosaur, then were does that leave all the others?

The answer is simple. This cladogram is wrong. Australovenator does not belong to Megaraptora. Just take it out!
Use this source for the Winton Dinosaurs: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006190
For Australovenator scroll down to about the upper half of the paper.

[Takama]

Ok so Australovenator is a Allosaur, but how can we be sure that any of the others in that cladogram are Not Tyrannosaurs as well? I am very confused at this moment . The Paper is compareing the Teeth of Australovenator to those of Fukiraptor, so does that mean its a Allosaur still Too?   

PS can someone split this into a new topic

[postsaurischian]

Ok so Australovenator is a Allosaur, but how can we be sure that any of the others in that cladogram are Not Tyrannosaurs as well? I am very confused at this moment . The Paper is compareing the Teeth of Australovenator to those of Fukiraptor, so does that mean its a Allosaur still Too?   

I'm pretty sure Fukuiraptor was an Allosaurid too and yes, palaeontology is confusing ! You never know what happens next - depends on what the scientists (are able to) find. The describtions of many species that we think we know are based on just a few fragments that have been found.

[Takama]

Ok now. so some of the members of Megaraptora are still Allosaurs.   Does that mean that Megaraptor is only member thats a Tyrannosaur instead (and perhaps we must rename the group?)

[postsaurischian]

    I have visited the Queensland Museum in Brisbane again.
    Here's a little Muttaburrasaurus extravaganza :







                         

                         

                         

                         

[BlueKrono]

Would love to see this stuff someday. Queensland is the #1 place on the planet I'd like to live, but last I checked Australia's immigration laws kinda sucked. Not that I'm one to talk, as an American... Anyway, there's a Kronosaurus place too? Yeah. Absolute dream.