Escaping Longreach and looking for Dinosaurs - Tuesday 17th July

I saw Trish punch the air with her fist as we passed the spot where her bike ground to a halt 47km out of Longreach on our first attempt to get to Winton. This time we are onward to Winton. Unfortunately the change of plans meant that we could not get back into the caravan park we had to cancel. Beggars can't be choosers when there is very little room at the inn.

On arrival we found that the Pelican Caravan Park was what we had seen on Google street view - very run down but we are here for the sights and scenery so will make do. Up with the tent in beautiful weather and then off to explore the town. Winton sits in a triangle of towns called the Dinosaur Trail and we were keen to get up close and personal with some of those big beasties. Luckily we had done some research of our own as the people at the Information Centre were really pushing the more expensive day tours to the Dinosaurs areas and almost denying the existence of some cheaper ones we had read about. The areas we want to see are on dirt roads, one 26km with water crossings and a steep climb up onto the "jump up" which is what they call the mesas. The other 110km out with 60km of dirt. Remembering that I had told Trish if I ever take us on another road like I did on the way to Rubyvale, "to take me to the side of the road and shoot me" then I figured paying for a day trip would be a lot healthier.

Ignoring the pushy advice from the Information Centre manager we headed to the office of the other company we had read about. The pushy trip was $145 each for one trip and the ones we chose were $75 each for the 220km round trip to the Lark Quarry Dinosaur stampede and another $40 each for a separate trip to the Age of Dinosaurs Museum and laboratory which was a 52km round trip. Both included entry fees to each site. I thought Information Centres were supposed to be impartial and represent all tourist interest in an area. Obviously not for this one. With our trips booked for the next couple of days it was time to grocery shop and settle in for the evening.

The ablution block looks like it hasn't been cleaned or repaired in ages and then the wonderful smell of the local water. It is artesian water and contains a lot of hydrogen sulphide gas, so it smells like rotten egg gas. Good thing is it covers a lot of sins when you go for a satisfying "dump" as you can always blame the water. Trish's explanation was that this is one place where you smell cleaner if you don't have a shower. Actually you get used to it and we have learnt to boil the kettle once earlier in the day before boiling it again for coffee and this way you drive off the smell.

Now there is the so called camp kitchen. If you have had your tetanus shots it is reasonably safe to enter but like the ablutions has not been cleaned since the dinosaurs roamed here. One small gas B-B-Q , a dangerously leaking electric kettle and filthy sink with no hot water, jokingly called a camp kitchen. First thing was to throw the electric kettle in the bin before someone gets electrocuted and scrub out the sink. Despite this tea was yummy and the day was done.

Hunting Dinosaurs - Wednesday 18th

The first of our booked trips and we had to be out of bed early and ready for the little 10 seater bus that appeared in front of our caravan park right on cue. I was glad that we had booked the trip because the gravel road was not suitable for road bikes and the climb up the "Jump Up" even worse. Looks like I live to ride another day. The newly built interpretive centre up on top of the mesa was like something out of Mad Max and looks stunning. Most museums have lots of replica bones with the real ones tucked away on shelves out of view of the public - No Doctorate or Professorship or you don't get to see them. This place has the real bones and a very good presentation to explain how and what they have been finding. I'm always sceptical when you see drawings of whole dinosaurs when all they have found is a small bit of a jaw for example. Here they are recovering 70% - 80% of each dinosaurs so there animations and ideas of what they looked like is going to be far more accurate.

The presentation was great and to see so many real bones laid out and explained was amazing but the best was still to come. A short walk along the edge of the Mesa to the Laboratory and a guided tour of where the people were extracting and preserving the bones waited. Volunteers pay lots of dollars to come and stay here and to learn the delicate art of removing the bones from the soil and rock. The shelves were line with huge plaster castes protecting precious dinosaur bones, or what they called their Kinder Surprises, awaiting processing.

Then there were six workers with lights, big magnifying glasses and a variety of wiring and vibrating tools carefully removing the encasing material like forensic scientists or crazed dentists. And here we were only ½ a meter from the action and real bones from 95,000,000 years ago. My brain was ticking "retired now, looks interesting, love to do this sometime before I become extinct" little did I know that Trish was ticking over the same thoughts. We have chalked this one up on our bucket list for the near future. Reluctantly we all returned to the bus for the trip back to civilization and 2012.

The other trip back in time we had planned for the day was a night out at the open air cinema in town. The whole nostalgia thing with deck chairs, old glass advertising slides shown on the screen, some old , Cinesound newsreels, a very corny Popeye the Sailor cartoon followed by and even older Mickey Mouse cartoon. This was all carried out with the invitation to booo if things went wrong with the projection. The flickering bits from very of American musicals and films raised a few booos at times but all in light hearted humour. The evening was finished off with a cup of tea and biscuit and a chance to go into the projection box and look at the equipment.

After a great day we were both a bit hyped up and going to sleep took some time. Not such a good idea as were had an early start the next morning to do some more Dinosaur hunting.

Dave the potential Dinosaur digger.