We had a choice to make in Winton. If we wanted to visit Lark Quarry to see the Dinosaur Stampede we would have to drive 110km south of Winton on a rough corrugated dirt road or we could leave the motorhome in Winton and take a tour. We elected to take the tour and I’m so glad we did. If we’d driven out there ourselves we wouldn’t have learnt anything about the country we were driving through and would have missed out on seeing some of the most spectacular scenery.

We parked the motorhome behind the Waltzing Matilda Centre and right on time at 8.45am the Red Dirt Tours bus pulled up out the front of the centre to collect us. I got the whole back seat to myself whilst Richard sat up front ‘shotgun’.

Our tour commenced by leaving Winton and heading south on the Jundah Road. The road crossed over the many channels of the Western River before becoming very flat again. Our tour guide Vicki gave a fabulous commentary along the way and explained that we were seeing natural grasslands all around us. The only trees that grow in that area are along the channels and rivers. The open plains are covered in grasses. It is great cattle country.

Vicki left the main road and we entered Carisbrooke Station. As we drove through the station Vicki told the story of the property and the land we were traveling on. We pulled up next to the edge of the escaparpement where Vicki produced a delicious morning tea. What spectacular views. Carisbrooke Station is huge, some ?????acres.

Following morning tea Vicki followed the tracks that took us around the edge of the escarpment. So many great vistas. Finally we arrived back on the main road and drove into Lark Quarry Conservation Area.

Once there Vicki pulled out the esky and produced a chicken or ham salad with fresh bread and butter for our lunch.

After lunch it was time to take our tour of the Lark Quarry facility. Some of us elected to get there via the lookout walking track. What a dry rocky place it is around there. I can’t imagine how hot it would get in summer.

Once inside our group gathered and our tour commenced with a short introductory film about what we were about to see inside. The film was well produced and explained what dinosaurs footprints we would see and how they came to be preserved in the rock. The film finished with a looming dinosaur opening its mouth at the screen. It looked like it was about the eat the people in the front row. That might be why the tour guide asked people with children to sit at the front. The couple of kids sitting there jumped and everyone around laughed.

Then the doors were opened and we made our way inside the huge shed that has been constructed over the dinosaur footprints to help preserve them. The tour guide used a laser to point out the various footprints and tell the story that the footprints have left behind. There was a family of sauropods probably at the edge of a lake and other smaller dinosaurs as well. Then a large predator dinosaur came through looking for a meal and the sauropods scattered. You can clearly see where the large predator went and turned quickly chasing a meal.

The tour lasts for about 45 minutes then we headed back outside where Vicki was waiting for us with some refreshing fruit salad before we boarded the bus for the trip back to Winton. This time we stayed on the main road and it was no time at all before we were arriving in Winton.

Vicki dropped us right back at our motorhome and, as Vicki told us that rain was expected overnight, we went to the Waltzing Matilda Centre to pay for a camp spot at the Showgrounds. We didn’t think it would be good to stay at Long Waterhole on the black soil if it rains. We let Farrells know that’s what we were doing and they joined us later after touring at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs.