The man behind a chance fossil discovery that saw palaeontologists flock to outback Queensland, making it a now-famous dinosaur hotspot, has been named Australia’s Local Hero for 2024.

David Elliott, of Winton in Queensland, revived Australia’s palaeontology field when he found a dinosaur fossil during routine sheep mustering in 1999.

Mr Elliott received the award at the Australian of the Year ceremony in Canberra this evening.

The now 66-year-old’s initial fossil discovery was followed by others, and palaeontologists returning to the region prompted he and his wife Judy to found the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History in 2002 as a not-for-profit charity.

The museum first operated on the couple’s property, where they conducted dinosaur digs and built a collection of fossils, and later was moved onto donated land.

Today it serves as a centre for research and discovery, and houses Australia’s most significant collection of fossils from the country’s largest dinosaurs.

Mr Elliott was also the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal in 2015.

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