The dinosaur taxa, Leaellynasaura amicagraphica and Timimus hermani, are named for the children of the Riches', Tim and Leaellyn.

Therefore, Tom’s promise of a cubic metre of chocolate to the first person to find a mammal bone must have been an irresistible incentive. Meanwhile, a steady stream of fossils was being excavated from Dinosaur Cove East, under the guidance of volunteer, Nick van Klaveren.ROAR with excitement as you navigate through 18 thrilling holes filled with jaw-dropping obstacles and exciting challenges. The first of these was their migration to Australia from the USA in 1973, so that Pat could complete her post-doctoral Fullbright Fellowship at Monash University in Melbourne. To walk in the footprints of these ancient Victorians, we must first rewind to the late Early Cretaceous period.

The Dinosaur Cove discoveries revealed that Victoria’s polar dinosaurs thrived in such conditions, some foraging all winter long, rather than hibernating as cold climate reptiles do today. Dinosaurs fascinate kids because they seem so far away from them; it’s hard to imagine what these animals might have looked or sounded like or how big or small they were when compared with other animals that exist today. There are many different types of dinosaurs: herbivores (animals that eat plants), carnivores (animals that eat meat) and omnivores (animals that eat both). Subsequent scientific analysis of the fossil material, by a range of scientists including geochemists, palaeobotanists, palaeontologists and geologists, soon revealed more unusual and exciting information.Tom’s proposal to have amateurs tunnelling into a vertical cliff with hydraulic drills was met with reactions of horror, but with stubborn persistence, he was able to wade through the mountain of red tape needed to appease the authorities and gather the resources required. The heavier gear was carried down by helicopter, but the lighter equipment had to be convoyed, hand-over-hand, to the base of the cliff. He quickly earned the title ‘Mayor of Dinoville’ thanks to his constructions, which included a kitchen and mess hut, a water trailer and lime outhouses. A jack-of-all-trades and a collector of old machinery, John had the gift of being able to construct a solution to any problem.