Australian Age of Dinosaurs - QLD

The AAOD Museum site is in the Shire of Winton, situated about 12 km by road from Winton and about 11 km by gravel access road from the Landsborough Highway (also known as the Matilda Way).

Open six days a week in summer (1 November to 31 March)
Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm (Closed Sundays). Tours depart on the hour: 9am, 10am 11am 12pm, 1pm and 2pm.*

Open seven days a week in winter (1 April to 31 October)
Monday to Sunday, 8.30am to 5pm. Tours depart on the hour: 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm.*
*Arrive 15 minutes before the tour commences.

Total area of the Jump-Up site is 1801.7 hectares of freehold land which is predominantly a large 75 m high mesa. Its size and position make it a stand-alone attraction and clearly visible from the Highway.

The Winton district was chosen for the museum site for the following reasons:
Winton Shire has produced more fossil material from large dinosaurs than any other region in Australia. It also has the potential to produce these fossils well into the foreseeable future with several new sites being discovered each year.

Current discovery rates far exceed capacity to recover and prepare this material and the region’s abundance of fossils will fill an important role in sustainable development of the museum over the next 50 years and more.

Winton is centred in the Winton Formation, a geological land formation which was formed approx 95 million years ago from sand and silt deposited by rivers and streams into a retreating inland sea. The blacksoil downs surrounding Winton are merely the weathered remnants of this ancient deposit. Visitors stand on the very same earth that held up the mighty dinosaurs nearly 100 million years ago. The climate, the animals and the environment were very different but the blacksoil dust that is so characteristic of the district today was the same. This being on the spot adds another dimension to the dinosaur experience.

Winton is in very close proximity to Lark Quarry Dinosaur Stampede, a National Heritage Listed Monument, internationally acclaimed as the best example of running dinosaur tracks in the world. Winton is also a major gateway to regional fossil displays at Mt Isa, Boulia, Isisford, Hughenden and Richmond. These combined attractions make the district a very comprehensive destination.