New Megafauna Sign for the Barkly Highway

Have you seen this recently installed sign on the Barkly Highway?

It features two ancient megafauna from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area:

•  Dromornis, or the "thunder bird", which lived about 26 million years ago and could weigh up to 250kg; and
•  Diprotodon, the ancient ancestor of the wombat which lived about 2 million years ago and is thought to be the largest marsupial to have ever walked the Earth.

It can be found on the Barkly Highway, about 11km north of Mount Isa on the way to Camooweal, and aims to capture the attention of travellers arriving from the Northern Territory and the World Heritage-listed Riversleigh Fossil site, one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world.

The sign's creation was thanks to a collaboration between Outback At Isa and local TAFE students.

Outback at Isa provided materials, measurements, and designs to the students, who were responsible for tracing, cutting, and welding the metal signs.

A second sign, set to be installed soon between Mount Isa and Cloncurry, will depict a thylacine, showcasing its distinctive stripes and gaping jaw.

One of the earliest types of thylacine was the Badjcinus turnbulli, which lived in the Riversleigh area about 25 million years ago.