Richmond

Awaken your inner palaeontologist in Richmond, 500km west of Townsville. Richmond’s landscape may make it hard to believe that the area was once covered by a vast inland sea teeming with prehistoric reptiles and marine life. Thousands of people travel yearly to Richmond to encounter the marine greats, dating back to over 100 million years ago.

In 1989, Richmond cemented itself on the world dinosaur map with the discovery of an almost complete skeleton of a plesiosaur, an ancient marine creature.

Kronosaurus Korner is Richmond’s museum and research facility where you can get a glimpse into the science that breathes life back into the ‘real life monsters’ that once haunted Australia’s Early Cretaceous period. The museum houses Australia’s largest fossilised fish and offers one of the few places in the world where you can not only study fossilised bones and see expert scientists working on them but also get out into the field to dig for them yourself.

Get your fossil fix with their range of digging and fossil hunting experiences or take the opportunity to uncover the next great prehistoric find at the fossil hunting sites located on the edge of the town. See the staff at the Visitor Information Centre for how to access Fossil Hunting Sites.