Muttabuttasaurus Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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A small clear 250ml Decor container. Geocoins and Travel Bugs encouraged. Small items only please bring own.
This cache is located on Mt Walker, 20km South of Hughenden, an outback township famous for the discovery of the Muttaburrasaurus.
Located 376 km west of Townsville and 325 m above sea level, Hughenden owes its existence to the railway line and the surrounding cattle grazing land. It is a functional town which is eager to capture the attention of tourists but is somewhat restricted in what it can offer them.
Fortunately it is located at a point experts consider to be the edge of Australia's ancient inland sea and consequently there have been a number of important fossils found in the area. Undoubtedly the most important discovery was that of Muttaburrasaurus which is displayed prominently in a building in the centre of town. The skeleton was the first entire fossil to be found in Australia.
The display of the dinosaur gives an insight into the nature of life on the edge of the 'inland sea' about 100 million years ago. The dinosaur itself is only a cast of the original bones which now are located in the Brisbane museum. This, however, should not detract from the convincing reproduction which is located in a building which looks as though it was purpose designed for the huge creature. There are explanatory boards which tell of the discovery of the skeleton as well as placing the dinosaur in a larger historical context.
One of the boards explains: 'The Hughenden area 100 million years ago, was on the edge of a shallow inland sea that extended from what is now the Gulf of Carpentaria through to South Australia. Australia was joined to Antarctica, but there were no polar ice caps at this time and the world climate was quite warm. Large marine reptiles called Icthyosaurus and Plesiosaurs swam in the inland sea while on land dinosaurs such as Muttaburrasaurus and the long necked Austrosaurus browsed on the vegetation amongst conifers, cycads and ferns. Most of the remains of Muttaburrasaurus came from two individuals. The first was found in 1962 near Muttaburra where it derives its name and the other in 1987 near Hughenden. Their bones were preserved because the carcases had been washed into the sea and became buried in the mud which protected them from destruction.'
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Tb gb Vebaonex Ybbxbhg, nccebk 15 zrgerf J ng onfr bs gerr.
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