Mount Morgan dinosaur caverns reopening push gains momentum

A palaeontological wonder hidden in a cavern in a central Queensland town has been sitting idle for more than a decade.The Fireclay Caverns in Mount Morgan, south of Rockhampton, host a rare phenomenon: 195-million-year-old dinosaur footprints embedded in the roof.

It is the only example of its kind in Australia.Dinosaur footprints can be seen in the Fireclay Caverns at Mount Morgan.

"Hero" attraction

The president of Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc, John Steinberger, said it could be the "hero" attraction that brought more tourists to the town.

"The prints there … are of early Jurassic theropods," he said.

"When you get to the door, you'll see 50 just sitting [sic] at you," he said.

"You go around the corner, we've got another 100 odd … it's a labyrinth."

John Steinberger has been advocating for the caverns to be reopened for years.

Mr Steinberger recently released a tourism feasibility study on how to transition the town from brief "daytrip stop" to a "stay and play" destination.

He used to lead tours through the caves before the site was closed in 2011 due to a series of rock falls.

"I could see the expression in their [tourists'] faces at the end, they were happy," he said.

"I only got one out of about 10,000 … [reviews] that were negative."

"It sells itself."

Frustration for locals

Kerrilyn Page, who owns a cafe and newsagent in the town, agreed.

"It just seems ludicrous that we've got caverns sitting there with hundreds of dinosaur footprints in them … [it's a] major tourist attraction, and we can't access them," she said.

"It's one of the most frustrating things."

Prehistoric phenomenon

The markings were a chance discovery in 1952, when miners excavated a hill that was once a Jurassic lake.

Palaeontologist Anthony Romilio, who has studied the tracks within the caverns, said the fossilisation process was especially significant.

"You get these two fossilised layers. One's essentially an 'innie' and one's an 'outie'," he said.

"At Mount Morgan in the Fireclay Caverns, you have these outies where you have not the footprint themselves, but the in-filled impression of that footprint."

Dr Romilio said reopening the caverns would greatly benefit researchers.

"We've got new tools, new methods in order to evaluate and record these footprints since the site has closed in 2011," he said.

"We can create 3D models and have virtual tours for people as well … complementing the actual onsite tours."

Economic boost

The Mount Morgan community has faced economic and social stress since the town's gold mine ceased operations in 1990.

Heritage Minerals has been rehabilitating the mine and is scheduled to achieve its first gold pour later this year.

The entrance to the caverns sits on the mine site, but is separate from the mining lease.

Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said tourism numbers in the town had declined since the closure of the caves and the subsequent cessation of the tour group.

"About 20,000 visitors that used to go on that little tour company each year were no longer," she said.

"We've got to sort out tenure issues and financial issues to look at alternatives to accessing those Fireclay Caverns from the mine site."

Ms Carroll has been advocating for more than a decade for the caves to be reopened, but said discussions were still in the early stages.

"We are trying to convince the state government that this is not just about tourism," she said.

"This is about protecting a historical and palaeontological unique thing."

"That is the catalytic hero experience for Mount Morgan … and that is part of the story that is really missing."

Future uncertain

The site is part of a registered native title claim before the courts by the Gaangulu Nation People, but legally sits under the jurisdiction of the state government.

The state government's tourism department said in a statement that it supported the feasibility study.

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines said the site remained unsafe due to "ground stability risks".

"Any future use of the site will depend on these risks being appropriately addressed and suitable land tenure arrangements being established," the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Rockhampton Regional Council said it had received a copy of the report and was considering a response.