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Winton’s Australian Age of Dinosaurs’ Dynamic Destination Project including Australia’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary has been officially opened with the Queensland Government’s $4.9 million investment through the Growing Tourism Infrastructure Fund aimed at creating an even better outback visitor experience. 

Australian Age of Dinosaurs’ Dynamic Destination Project includes two new, enormous replica sauropods, joining 39 life-sized and lifelike dinosaur sculptures and seven bronze pterosaurs winged reptiles already at the Dinosaur Canyon area of the museum.

There are high-powered telescopes and new seating for Australia’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary – the Gondwana Stars open topped observatory - which is one the best places in the country to witness the wonders of the outback night sky.

Visitors can now also walk with dinosaurs in air-conditioned comfort with the project delivering a new building protecting a fascinating dinosaur track of sauropods, ornithopods and small theropods.

Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe notes “last year, more than 827,000 visitors took in an outback road trip experience, contributing around $467 million to Outback Queensland’s COVID-19 economic recovery.

“With the new additions to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs and the development of a Queensland dinosaur roadmap, Winton is gearing up for an outback visitor stampede this winter after above average numbers of tourists to the region over summer.

“Some of the largest animals to have ever walked the Earth did so right here in Outback Queensland.

“Winton and Outback Queensland are some of the best places in the world to walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs. Already, dinosaur attractions account for more than a quarter of all leisure tourism visits to the region and we’re anticipating that share will grow.

“An extra 7,000 tourists are expected to visit the museum every year to support local jobs and generate additional overnight visitor expenditure in Winton of $1.7 million.

“The Australian Age of Dinosaurs is home to the largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils in the world which makes Winton the place to be this winter for a unique visitor experience.”

Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum founder David Elliott said the Dynamic Destination Project included the giant-meteorite-shaped Gondwana Stars Observatory, March of the Titanosaurs exhibit (a 900 square metre building over Australia’s best preserved sauropod dinosaur trackway) and the up to four-metre-high dinosaur sculptures.

Elliott added “the life-size bronze sauropods walking along the edge of the cliff at Dinosaur Canyon will create the most excitement – these animals are huge and very realistic.

“While the challenges of social distancing have brought some changes in our workplace, it is still very much business as usual at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum.

“Tourism in the Outback is going to need all the help it can get to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, and it is so inspiring to see the magnificent new attractions of the Dynamic Destination coming together.”

Image courtesy of australianageofdinosaurs.com/

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