Travel period August 2023
Home of the Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni
Muttaburra is a town you simply have to visit while travelling through Central Queensland! It is most famous moment heads back to when grazier Doug Langdon uncovered the fossilised skeleton of a dinosaur.
Being the town closest to the geographic centre of Queensland, Muttaburra is officially the heart of Queensland and home to an impressive selection of attractions and experiences, making it well worth a visit.
How to Get There
- By Road – Muttaburra is located approximately 1,225 km north west of Brisbane via the Warrego Highway. There is plenty to see and do along the way.
- By Air – Qantas flies direct from Brisbane daily to Longreach. Longreach is 124 km from Muttaburra.
- By Rail – Spirit of the Outback trains departs from Brisbane for Longreach twice a week.
Muttaburra in Brief
Derives its name from the local Aboriginal tribe of Mootaburra which means ‘the meeting of waters’, Muttaburra sits on the banks of the Thomson River, approximately 124 km north of Longreach. The area is renowned locally for being a great place to fish for the famous Yellowbelly or Golden Perch.
Muttaburra is famous as the site of the discovery of the Muttaburrasaurus, one of Australia’s largest dinosaurs. The discovery of the skeleton was the first of its kind in Australia and Muttaburra celebrates this with a statue of the Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni in the Park in Bruford Street.
The Trip
We visited Muttaburra as a day trip from Barcaldine with the expectation of visiting the Muttaburrasaurus display centre and discovering a bit more about dinosaurs.
From Barcaldine we travelled approximately 150 km along the bitumen through Aramac – one of the oldest towns in the central west. Muttaburra is extremely remote, but as far as we concerned, this small town has much more to offer and we ended up spending some hours in town. Here are the highlights of our visit.
Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre
In 1963 a fossilized dinosaur skeleton was found near the Thomson River in Muttaburra by a local grazier Doug Langdon. Being the first of its kind it was named the Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni.
This was the second most complete dinosaur found in Australia and is the first of five Muttaburrasaurus skeletons found in Australia. The Muttaburrasaurus was a plant eating, land living dinosaur that roamed the Earth around 100 million years ago.
The replica of the Muttaburrasaurus Langdoni is located in the Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre accompanied by information and other fossils from around the Muttaburra area.
Dr Arratta Memorial Museum
Now, this is the most outstanding museum in Muttaburra in our opinion. It is preserved in time and when you walk through the door, you will feel like walking back in time.
The building was converted into a historical display and museum in 1989 and was named in honour of Dr Joseph Andrew Arratta who spent 35 years in the community.
The museum has a fascinating both medical and hospital displays. The operating theatre dates back to 1933 boasts with remarkable medical artefacts and memorabilia. It was a truly amazing experience. Highly recommended!
Guided tours of the Museum are available by contact the Muttaburra Visitor Information Centre on 07 4658 7147.
Centre of Queensland Monument
The Centre of Queensland Monument was constructed to acknowledge Muttaburra being the closest town to the geographical centre of Queensland.
The monument consists of various elements representing Muttaburra and the pathway represents the annual rainfall since 1885 and the history of Muttaburra since 1860.
The coordinates for the surveyed geographical centre of Queensland are 22ᵒ 29′ 13″ South 144ᵒ 25′ 54″ East.
A.A. Cassimatis General Store and Cottage Museum
This is an excellent museum full of an extraordinary collection of past memorabilia all beautifully displayed.
In 1913 the Cassimatis family moved from Greece and established a retail business in Muttaburra. From a vision to see this town supplied and supported came the Cassimatis General Store – the store became an emporium which housed a bank, café, green grocery, white goods merchant, haberdashery, liquor store and motor spirits agency.
Next door to the Cassimatis General Store is the restored cottage home of the Cassimatis family.
The Muttaburra community have done a wonderful job to preserve both buildings. Well worth the visit to this store and the cottage.
For more information, please contact the Muttaburra Visitor Information Centre on 07 4658 7147.
Muttaburra Cemetery
Located 1.4 km from the centre of the town, the Muttaburra Cemetery is a great place to research the genealogical history of the area. The oldest graves date back to 1871. Pictures of some of the graves and the information on them can be obtained from the www.muttaburra.com website.
Public Art Trail
Muttaburra is the home to a significant collection of public art which is mostly made by local artists. Visitors can enjoy strolling around town and looking at the collection of artworks made from scrap metal, barbed wire and old tools, located across the community.
Afterthought
We were impressed! Muttaburra more than just a dinosaur. The historic Dr Arratta Hospital Museum and the Cassimatis General Store both are fascinating frozen snapshot in time. The Public art is a unique experience to learn about the past, present and future.
It was a little town filled with hidden gems. If you are in the area, we highly recommend a visit. It’s a town has got it all for the outback experience.
Safe Travels!
Note: The information provided in this post was correct at time of publishing but may change. For final clarification please check with the relevant service.