Hughenden bills itself unashamedly as Muttaburrasaurus territory and, naturally, boasts Queensland’s first authentic dinosaur museum.
A 14m replica of the plant-eating Muttaburrasaurus, which roamed the northern centre of Queensland 100 million years ago, is the centrepiece of the museum. The musem's 'Hughie' was modelled from the first entire fossil skeleton found in Australia.
Hughenden, in fact, is the most easterly point in Queensland’s famous fossil triangle, which stretches to Cloncurry in the west and Winton in the south. To cope with the increased traffic generated by the resurgence of interest in dinosaurs, the three towns have now been linked with all-weather, sealed roads. The local steak might look as though it has been sliced from the rump of a brontosaurus, but tastes absolutely divine.
Set on the banks of Queensland's longest river, the Flinders, Hughenden is 385km south-west of Townsville. The town's mini Grand Canyon, the Porcupine Gorge, 62km out of town, is well worth the drive.
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