Dinosaur Tracks adding to the tourism potential of Broome

Written on the 12 April 2016 by Melva Stone

At a time when the business community in Broome has the tourism industry top of mind, work being carried out by the newly -formed Dinosaur Coast Management Group (DCMG) is very timely.

The Group is working on a project to educate and inform the Broome community of the cultural, scientific and historical significance of the dinosaur tracks along the coastline of the Dampier Peninsula.

Since 2011, Dr Steve Salisbury of The University of Queensland, with scientists from the CSIRO and Flinders University, has been conducting scientific research on the Dampier Peninsula's dinosaur tracks.  Discrete tracksites and literally thousands of dinosaur tracks have been identified. The diversity of the track fauna is unparalleled in Australia, if not globally, with potentially over 20 different types of tracks identified.

In a major milestone for the DCMG, the results of Dr Salisbury's team's initial research on the dinosaur tracks of the Walmadany area (James Price Point) will be published later in the year.   Media interest in the research and pending publication is strong. The DCMG anticipates a surge in interest in the tracks once the research findings have been made public, both from Broome locals and tourists visiting the area.

'Dinomania' is alive and well in the world and Broome is well positioned to take full advantage of it.  The Dinosaur World Expo, running from April 1st to mid June in Korea, is expected to attract some 1.9 million visitors. At a conference at the start of the Expo, Dr Anthony Romilio from The University of Queensland will be presenting information about advances to dinosaur tracking research being developed on the Dampier Peninsula. His presentation will also include broad information about Broome as a tourist destination.

Clearly we love dinosaurs they grip our imagination as we seek to fill in a part of our own backstory. Dinosaurs embody the drastic changes that life on earth has undergone and give us access to some of the most powerful truths our species has come to understand that our planet has an incredibly deep history and that life has changed constantly through that time.

The Dinosaur Coast Management Group plans to produce transportable promotional panels and information sheets, as well as implementing updated information boards and plaques for the dinosaur footprint casts at Gantheaume Point.

The Group has a vision "The Dinosaur Coast will be internationally renowned for its cultural, scientific and tourism values."

Melva stone OAM