Richmond, with Kids
The moment we’ve all been waiting for… the dinosaur dig! We made it to Richmond where I accidentally asked “who is ready for some dinosaur hunting?”. Don’t say that. The response was 3 slightly nervous 5 year olds looking up at me, with one asking “ummm, are they friendly dinosaurs Mama, will they eat us?”. “Sorry kids, it’s dinosaur DIGGING. They are dead. Remember, don’t lick the dinosaur bones, it’s gross”.
Dinosaur Dig
A little re-cap from Winton, at the Australian Age of Dinosaur Museum our friendly tour guide told us a fantastic way to determine whether in fact a fossil was a dinosaur fossil or a fossil from some other animal “all you need to do is lick it, if it sticks to your tongue it’s a dinosaur fossil… would anyone like to try?”. There were no volunteers. Well thank you Mr Tour Guide, I’d like to report back that there are two other ways to determine whether it is in fact a dinosaur fossil… (1) take a guided tour, or (2) take it back to Kronosaurus Korner and they’ll not only give you a very hygenic yes or no answer, but they’ll help you identify it.
Our perfect day started with a short drive down the highway, then off the track into a quarry full of dirt.
We gathered up some large sticks, pulled out a few metal tools and dustpan brushes then asked “What do we do?”
You dig.
“Where?”
Anywhere.
Ok then, we dug, we scraped, we shooed away flies, we applied sunscreen, we dug some more, the result was a rather large pile of rocks which contained various fossils.
I must admit, when one of the staff at Kronosaurus Korner told me about the 7 year old girl who found a major fossil in her dig last year, I was half expecting to find a massive T-rex, whilst that was not to be, I found something WAY cooler (in the eyes of my children anyway)…. DINOSAUR POO!
(Look at the picture below, the tiny thing that looks like a mini pencil in the red box). I know, I know, pretty damn cool! I took it home, obviously.
Kronosaurus Korner
I have to say, Kronosaurus Korner is one of the most child friendly museums I’ve been to.
Not only is everything down at child level, but there are heaps of things for the kids to touch and see (some behind the glass, some not).
The other feature that made this particular museum so wonderful for kids was the fact that they have the bones on display, and a replica hanging above it showing what the dinosaur would have looked like when it was alive.
They also have an onsite team who can identify any bones that you find on your dig.
Kronosaurus Korner has a little cafe where you can grab a bite to eat, and a wonderful gift shop containing clothing, toys and some really good “road trip” activities for the kids.
In Summary
When you think “Dinosaur Trail”, you think about “digging for dinosaurs”, so Richmond absolutely can’t be missed.
Watch our video to get a really good idea of the experience!
The kids will learn a lot at Kronosaurus Korner, love the dinosaur dig, then you can all cool down at the water park, located in the main street.
Perhaps order a takeaway lunch from Kronosaurus Korner, then sit down and have a picnic in the shade whilst the kids enjoy the water park and playground.
Don’t forget, as the kids are getting in the car at the dinosaur dig, grab a bucket full of fresh rocks ready to take back to school.
Show and Tell. Real dinosaur fossils. Beat that!
