When monster dinosaurs ruled the Bass Coast

THE discovery of a fossilised dinosaur skull fragment at Shack Bay and a number of other isolated bones between Inverloch and San Remo have confirmed the giant meat-eating megaraptorid dinosaur Theropod Australovenator once ruled the Bass Coast.

Monash University Researcher Dr Jake Kotevski speaking at the Bunurong Environment Centre at Inverloch said Australovenator, or Southern Hunter was a fearsome predator which fed on small, fast-running, two-legged herbivores.

“We are now certain Australovenator lived on the Bass Coast between Inverloch and San Remo between 60 and 100 million years ago when Australia was part of Antarctica.”

An internationally renowned palaeontologist specialising in Australian dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period, Dr Kotevski is part of the Dinosaur Dreaming team which will conduct a major dig in February organised by Monash University and Museum Victoria.

According to Dr Kotevski a number of very interesting fossils have been found along the Bass Coast over the past four years, closely linked to similar dinosaurs found at Lightning Ridge and Winton in New South Wales and Queensland.

Theropod Australovenator is 45 million years younger than the more commonly known herbivore dinosaurs from the Jurassic period and could have measured up to seven metres long.

The first dinosaur bone found in Australia was the Cape Paterson claw which was discovered in 1906.

The Dinosaur Dreaming project at Inverloch began in 1995.

In 1996 the bone of Qantassaurus intrepidus a small-bodied herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur was found at Flat Rocks and named after the airline Qantas which helped transport fossils.

Estimated to be two to three metres in length Qantassaurus intrepidus was thought to be similar in size to a kangaroo.

“A whole episode of the BBC television series Walking with Dinosaurs was produced in Australia,” said Dr Kotevski.

Flat Rocks and Twin Reefs are part of the Strzelecki group.

“Collection of specimens is quite difficult, the rock is like cement.”

In 2007 a skull bone was found which was exceptionally rare according to Dr Kotevski.

“The Monster of the Bass Coast was likely to be six to eight metres in length making it the largest known predator in Victoria. The skull piece was found at Shack Bay.”

Dr Kotevski said we need to keep looking because there is so much more to discover.

“Meat-eating dinosaurs are the most exciting and we have our own unique dinosaurs.”

With a constantly eroding coast Dr Kotevski said it was a race against time.

“Rising sea levels are going to become a problem,” he said.

“The cliffs are actively eroding and falling.”

A car-sized amphibian with a head the size of a dustbin lid, Koolasuchus cleelandi was named after its discoverers local residents Mike Cleeland and Lesley Kool.

Resembling something between a huge newt and a crocodile Koolasuchus cleelandi was adopted as the fossil emblem for the State of Victoria in 2022.

Fossils of Koolasuchus are only found at a few beaches and coves in South Gippsland.

A replica of Koolasuchus cleelandi can be found at Wallace Avenue Community Park in Wallace Avenue Inverloch.

The South Gippsland Conservation Society is running tours this week to discover what once roamed the shores of Bass Coast.

Eagles Nest was one of Australia’s first dinosaur bone discovery sites with fault lines from ancient earthquakes and petrified trees.

At Flat Rocks you can find dinosaur fossils, petrified wood, and learn about the ancient geological history that connects Victorian era fossil discoveries with Australia’s rich palaeontological finds.

Tours will run from the Bunurong Environment Centre in Inverloch on Thursday, January 22, Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24 from 9.30am and 10am.

Low tide is crucial for accessing rock platforms where fossils and dinosaur footprints are found.

For bookings go to events.humanitix.com/host/bunurong-coast-education