Australia's Oldest Dinosaur Fossil Found After 60 Years

More than 60 years ago, teenager Bruce Runnegar spotted something extraordinary in a Brisbane quarry: a dinosaur footprint pressed into ancient stone. Now that same discovery has earned a place in history as Australia's oldest known dinosaur fossil.

Runnegar was visiting Petrie's Quarry with school friends when he found the 18.5cm footprint preserved in shale. At the time, the students suspected they'd found something special, but they couldn't have imagined its true significance.

A new study published in Alcheringa reveals the footprint dates back 230 million years to the start of the Late Triassic period. That makes it older than any other dinosaur fossil ever found in Australia.

"More than 60 years after we found it, it's extraordinary to see it recognised as Australia's oldest dinosaur fossil," says Runnegar, who co-authored the new research paper.

The footprint likely belonged to an early sauropodomorph, a small two-legged dinosaur with a long neck. Researchers at University of Queensland's Dinosaur Lab estimate the creature stood about 78cm tall at the hip and weighed around 144kg.

The dinosaur was probably walking through or alongside a waterway when it left its mark. The footprint was preserved in sandstone that was cut millions of years later to construct buildings across Brisbane.

Anthony Romilio from the Dinosaur Lab mapped the footprint using photos and computer software. His analysis suggests the dinosaur could move at speeds up to 60 km per hour.

The Bright Side

This discovery highlights how one moment of curiosity can preserve history for generations. The quarry site is now buried under urban development, making Runnegar's find the only surviving evidence of dinosaurs in Brisbane.

"Without Runnegar's foresight to preserve this material, Brisbane's dinosaur history would still be completely unknown," says Romilio.

The footprint remains the only dinosaur fossil ever found in Queensland's capital city. What started as a school field trip turned into a window into Australia's prehistoric past, showing how paying attention to the world around us can unlock secrets millions of years in the making.