Whilst lacking any of mega stars of the prehistoric world, such as the stegosaurus or velociraptor, Australia has had a number of dinosaur discoveries. When looking at ‘Australian’ dinosaurs, it’s worth remembering that though many fossilized dinosaur remains have been found in Australia, at the time when those creature were actually alive, Australia did not exist but was part of the supercontinent of Gondwana and was joined to Antarctica.

Atlascopcosaurus- weighing in at 125kg and measuring 2-3 metres in length remains of this herbivore dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period were discovered at Victoria’s Dinosaur Cove.

Australovenator – this 2-legged carnivore was found near Winton in Queensland. It roamed the area during the early Cretaceous period and grew to 6 metres long and 2 metres high at the hip.

Austrosaurus – found near Maxwelton, Nth Queensland, with a similar find later showing up at Winton, Central-Western Queensland. This is another Cretaceous period herbivore, believed to have stood 4.1 metres tall at the shoulder, 3.9 metres at the hip and up to 15 metres long. The dinosaur whose remains were found at Winton was affectionately named ‘Eliot’.

Diamantinasaurus – another Cretaceous period herbivore discovered near Winton in Central-Western Queensland and nicknamed ‘Matilda’ this Australian dinosaur was an impressive 16 metres long.

Fulgurotherium – this smaller, 1-1.5 metres long, herbivore from the Cretaceous period, was unearthed at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. Hence it’s name, Fulgurotherium, which means ‘Lightning Beast’.

Kakuru – this is yet another Cretaceous period dinosaur. However, unlike those that we have already looked at, it is believed that it was either an omnivore or even a carnivore. Found in Andamooka, South Australia, it was probably the size of a large turkey.

Leaellynasaura – also found in Victoria’s Dinosaur Cove, this Cretaceous period dinosaur was a herbivore that could have been as big as 2 metres tall.

Minmi - a large number of remains of the Minmi have been dug up, giving us more information on this Australian dinosaur than we have on many others. Found at Minmi Crossing in Queensland, this was a 4-legged, long-tailed, armoured dinosaur. A herbivore from the early Cretaceous period, it was about 2 metres long and 1 metre high to the shoulder.

Muttaburrasaurus – first discovered at Muttaburra in Queensland, though with other finds later made at Hughenden (where there is now a statue in its honour) and as far away as Lightning Ridge in NSW. A big, 8 metre tall herbivore with extremely strong jaws it roamed the country during the early Cretaceous period.

Ozraptor – uncovered near Geraldton in Western Australia, the Ozraptor lived during the Jurassic period and was a carnivore. A biped, it grew to about 3 metres long.

Qantassaurus – at about 1 metre tall and 1.8 metres in length, this was a herbivore from the Cretaceous period. It was unearthed in 1996 the Victorian resort town of Inverloch.

Rapator – another Lightning Ridge, NSW discovery, the Rapator was a carnivore from the early Cretaceous period. Standing up to 9 metres tall, this biped would have been a fearsome sight.

Rhoetosaurus – an impressive 12-15 metres long, this quadruped had a tiny head, long tail and chunky legs. The Rhoetosaurus, a herbivore from the Jurassic period, was first found at Roma, Central Queensland.

Serendipaceratops – from the early Cretaceous period, this dinosaur was a plant loving herbivore that grew to about 2 metres long. It was found near Kilcunda in Victoria.

Timimus – this omnivore was dug up at Dinosaur Cove, Victoria. It roamed the area during the Early Cretaceous period about 106 million years ago and may have been as big as 1.5 metres at the hip and 3.5 metres long.

Walgettosuchus – thought to have been a carnivore, this Lower Cretaceous period dinosaur was discovered at Lightning Ridge, NSW. At about 4.5 metres tall and 3 metres long it was a biped that may well have hunted in packs.

Wintonotitan – also found at Winton in Queensland this Early Cretaceous herbivore was huge – possibly 15 metres long – and probably had armor plating on its back.