Cloncurry to Hughenden

We left Cloncurry after our visit to the museum and our next stop  is Julia Creek.  We would have stayed here a couple of days but the only attraction open is at the Information Centre - even the pub was not serving lunch!  Anyway we were able to spend an hour at the very informative audio-visual displays in air-conditioned comfort.  As well as the a-v displays about the area and life in Julia Creek, the areas claim to fame is that it is home to the endangered dunnart, a small insectivorous marsupial about the size of a large mouse.  These nocturnal mammals look even cuter with their large eyes.  There's a good free camp at Julia Creek, although the ground is a bit soft at the moment following recent rain.




Another 150km along the Flinders Highway and we're in Richmond on Australia's Dinosaur Trail.  We were last here in December 2012 for just a day.  This time we'll have a leisurely few days.

A visit to Kronosaurus Korner is a must-do in Richmond.  The displays of marine fossils are top class.  The audio tour is very informative.  We saw kronosaurus, pleiosaur, plesiosaur, ichthyosaur, ammonites, turtles and many other fossils.  Highlights are the almost complete plesiosaur, about 98% complete, Australia's largest fish fossil and the 7m long kronosaurus queenslandicus.  

With it's 2m long head and teeth up to 30cm long, what did kronosaurus eat? - Anything it liked!

Robert was able to revisit his favourite dinosaur, minmi paravertebra.

We were able to do some fossil fossicking at the nearby quarry and found plenty of fossilised fish scales and some bones we think might be from the fin/paddle of an ichthyosaur.  We're waiting for the palaeontologist to get back to us.

After our few days in Richmond we continued along the Dinosaur Trail to Hughenden.  We enjoyed our few days here  in 2012.  We've had a visit to the museum to see the reproduction skeleton of muttaburrasaurus and some of the well presented fossils and a cooling swim at the pool.