Dinosaur Coast: Discover Australia’s Ancient 130-Million-Year-Old Tracks

Imagine walking along a beach where every receding tide uncovers footprints that are 130 million years old. Not shell impressions or weathered rock formations, but the preserved tracks of dinosaurs that once wandered across a muddy floodplain during the Early Cretaceous Period. Along the coast near Broome in Western Australia, this is not an archaeological reconstruction or a museum exhibit. It is one of the world's most extraordinary fossil landscapes, where ancient history is revealed for only a few hours before the sea claims it again.

Known as Australia's Dinosaur Coast, this remarkable stretch of shoreline offers something few places on Earth can: the chance to literally follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs. Spread across the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region, the coastline preserves thousands of fossilised footprints left by some of the largest animals ever to walk the planet. Yet what makes the site truly exceptional is not simply the age or scale of its discoveries. It is the way science, Indigenous heritage and an ever-changing coastal landscape come together to tell a story that has survived for more than 130 million years.

A Prehistoric Coastline Unlike Any Other

The Dinosaur Coast stretches for more than 100 kilometres along the Dampier Peninsula, beginning near Roebuck Bay south of Broome and extending north towards Minarrinay (Coulomb Point). The fossil-rich Broome Sandstone beneath these beaches preserves Australia's oldest known dinosaur footprints, dating to approximately 130 million years ago. More broadly, the site provides evidence of dinosaur life between roughly 140 and 127 million years ago, making it the most complete record of Australia's dinosaur fauna from the first half of the Lower Cretaceous.

Unlike skeletal fossils that reveal what dinosaurs looked like, these footprints capture something more immediate: movement. Every track preserves a fleeting moment from an ancient ecosystem, recording how dinosaurs walked, travelled together, hunted or crossed muddy tidal flats. It is this extraordinary level of preservation that has made the region one of the most important dinosaur track sites anywhere in the world.

The intertidal nature of the coastline adds another layer of fascination. Most of the footprints remain hidden beneath seawater for much of the day and emerge only during particularly low tides. As the water retreats, ancient sandstone platforms reveal trackways that disappear once again when the tide returns, making every visit feel like a race against time.

A Window Into Australia's Lost Dinosaur World

The diversity of dinosaur footprints found here is unmatched. Researchers have documented more than 20 distinct track types, representing one of the richest collections of dinosaur footprints ever discovered. Together, they paint a vivid picture of an ecosystem that flourished long before Australia became the isolated continent we know today.

Among the most striking are the enormous sauropod tracks. These long-necked herbivores left footprints measuring up to 1.7 metres across, among the largest dinosaur footprints ever recorded anywhere in the world. Their broad impressions suggest the passage of colossal animals moving slowly across coastal mudflats.

Sharing the same landscape were theropods, the two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs recognised by their distinctive three-toed footprints. Some belonged to relatively small hunters, while others were likely apex predators that dominated the food chain. Fossilised tracks have also been attributed to armoured dinosaurs, including stegosaurs and ankylosaurs, making the site particularly significant because such dinosaurs are rarely represented elsewhere in Australia's fossil record.

The continuity of these footprints across the coastline has often led scientists to describe the area as a prehistoric dinosaur highway. For kilometres, sandstone surfaces preserve overlapping trails left by multiple dinosaur species, offering rare insights into how these animals may have interacted with one another and their environment.

More Than A Fossil Site

Long before palaeontologists began studying the tracks, the coastline already held deep cultural significance for the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the region. For thousands of years, these fossil footprints have formed part of living cultural traditions that connect people, landscape and ancestral stories.

The three-toed dinosaur tracks are associated with Marala, also known as the Emu Man, an important creator being in Bugarrigarra, or Dreamtime, traditions. Songlines tracing Marala's journey extend across hundreds of kilometres of the Kimberley, linking coastal landmarks with inland Country. These oral traditions have preserved knowledge of the landscape for generations, long before Western science recognised the footprints as dinosaur tracks.

Today, the Dinosaur Coast is recognised not only for its scientific value but also for its cultural importance. Its interpretation increasingly reflects both perspectives, acknowledging that the coastline represents a shared heritage where Indigenous knowledge and scientific research complement rather than compete with one another.

Why The Dinosaur Coast Matters

The global importance of the Dinosaur Coast lies in the remarkable completeness of its fossil record. The Broome Sandstone preserves far more than dinosaur footprints. Fossilised traces of ancient plants, invertebrates and other prehistoric organisms provide evidence of a coastal ecosystem that thrived when much of Australia looked very different from today.

Because body fossils from this period are relatively rare across Western Australia, these footprints offer one of the only detailed records of dinosaur life in the western half of the continent during the Early Cretaceous. Scientists continue to study the trackways to better understand dinosaur diversity, behaviour and movement, while new discoveries are still being made as coastal erosion and tidal conditions expose previously hidden sections of sandstone.

Recognising its exceptional value, the Dinosaur Coast forms part of the National Heritage-listed West Kimberley Heritage Place. Conservation efforts now focus on protecting both the fossil sites and the surrounding landscape while ensuring that research, education and tourism can continue responsibly. A dedicated Dinosaur Coast National Heritage Management Plan brings together Traditional Custodians, land managers, researchers and local organisations to safeguard this globally significant site for future generations.

Visiting The Dinosaur Coast

• Best base: Broome is the main gateway to the Dinosaur Coast and its surrounding attractions.

• When to visit: Plan your visit around low tide, when the 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints are exposed.

• How to explore: Guided tours from Broome offer access to key trackways along with insights into their scientific and Indigenous significance.

• What to combine it with: Pair the Dinosaur Coast with visits to Cable Beach, Gantheaume Point and other Kimberley attractions.

• What makes it special: The experience brings together prehistoric footprints, ancient geology and living Aboriginal traditions in a natural coastal setting.

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