Which Dinosaurs Lived in the Blue Mountains?

Fossils of the Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains were formed back in the Pliocene.

The Pliocene is a period of time worth millions of years. It dates all the way back from 5.33 to 2.58 million years ago.

The dinosaurs of Australia

While we might have an idea of what the landscape looked like in the Jurassic period, we’ve never found evidence of dinosaurs that are specific to the Blue Mountains area.

Paleontologists can confirm that there were dinosaurs in the Eastern parts of Australia, though. Fossils have been discovered in Queensland, and it’s certainly possible that different dinosaur species lived in the area we now call the Blue Mountains.

The formation of the Blue Mountains

The formation of the Blue Mountains. The Kosciuszko Uplift is a highly significant part of the Blue Mountains’ geological formation. It not only affected the shape of the Blue Mountains, but also of Australia as a whole land mass.

The formation of the highest mountain in Australia (which is Mount Kosciuszko) and the Alps that surround the highest mountain are all a geological product of a collision between volcanoes and rocks.

Fossil discoveries in the Blue Mountains

There are plenty of fossil discoveries for the most common animals that would’ve lived in the Blue Mountains. For example, crustaceans, birds, bats and some land mammals and reptiles that would’ve inhabited the Blue Mountains area over the last few million years.

These fossils have left impressions on the rocks around the area – you might even be lucky enough to find one or two!

Wollemi Pine: A living, breathing fossil or ‘the dinosaur tree’

Due to the valleys and overhangs of rock in the Blue Mountains, some areas have formed their very own ecosystems within the mountains.

For example, the Wollemi Pine (which was thought to be an extinct plant species) was discovered. This iconic tree only exists in the Blue Mountains, yet it dates back 91 million years!

This rare pine is an endangered plant species that is native to the Blue Mountains area. However, this is the final population of the plant species.

Introducing new species of plants into the area, as well as unfamiliar flora and fauna, has affected the survival of the plant and its ability to reproduce and create.

So the ultimate question is…were there dinosaurs in the Blue Mountains?

We can’t be sure! The sandstone in the Blue Mountains is a newer type of stone. This exact sandstone didn’t exist at the time of the dinosaurs, because millions of years ago, the climate was so different.

But there definitely could’ve been dinosaurs – perhaps their fossils are buried deep beneath the mountains, never to be found!

Want to see dinosaurs in the Blue Mountains?

Luckily, you don’t need a time machine to see dinosaurs in the Blue Mountains. Simply visit Scenic World!

The Blue Mountains are the ultimate setting for life-size dinosaurs. Visit during the summer and you’ll see a whole display of dinosaurs that are on show, all around the park.

Expect huge life-size dinosaurs and learn about these Triassic creatures that once roamed around the Blue Mountains, at the Dinosaur Valley in Scenic World!