As a child, David Elliott had no interest in dinosaurs, nor did he learn about them in school.

However, while farming sheep and cattle near Winton, Queensland in the 1990s, he started noticing the dinosaur bones on his property.

“Bits of stuff had been found before, but it was very low key; it was always just assumed they were little bits of lag deposits,” he said.

Lag deposits are the small rocks and gravel left behind after wind or water disperses the finer particles.

By the time Elliott found a seventh site in 1999, he knew he was onto something.

“It was a big sauropod dinosaur… it was like large rocks on top of the ground, but they were dinosaur bones.”

Today, the not-for-profit Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History that he cofounded with his wife Judy houses the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils. It draws amateur palaeontologists eager to join a week-long fossil dig or prep specimens for display, and dinosaur lovers and tourists keen to experience the natural history museum and the landscape where the giants once roamed.

Elliott was recognised as the 2024 Australia’s Local Hero in the Australian of the Year Awards, nominated by the museum’s head of development Naomi Miles. It was a complete surprise to him.

He is interested not simply in the dinosaurs, but in how they can help to rejuvenate regional Australia by attracting more visitors via palaeo-tourism.

Dinosaurs and the story of our continent’s origins, he said, have the international relevance needed to draw people from overseas.

“It’s the reason we built the museum 25 kilometres out of town and on top of a mesa,” Elliott said.

“Building a natural history museum in a natural history site, presenting the earth’s surface from 30 million years ago when Australia broke away from Antarctica [and using] that setting to tell the story of the Australian continent.”

Led by palaeontologists Scott Hocknull (a former Young Australian of the Year) and Steve Salisbury, the Queensland Museum has studied the sites since Elliott’s earlier find, formally describing the discovered species and publishing scientific papers, as did many other researchers.

At the same time, hugely popular public dinosaur digs on-site demonstrated to Elliott the tourism and economic potential for the surrounding region.

The museum itself has 35 staff and a hefty 340 volunteer bone technicians.

Being named the 2024 Australia’s Local Hero has not changed Elliott’s outlook on life, although he said it was “probably the most exciting thing that’s ever happened” to him.

It has also given the museum a platform for building awareness and support from the public and politicians.

“The Local Hero Award has been an amazing thing. It opens doors and suddenly people are aware of the significance of what we’re doing,” Elliott said.

“The award highlights the importance of what we do and its relevance to Australia – and that’s been invaluable.

“I don’t look back as much as I should, but we have managed to achieve a lot over 20 years.”

Elliott said he liked the thought that someone “who’s not too professional” can be recognised as a Local Hero.

“I’m an everyday person, I’m just doing something I believe in,” he said.

“Over a lifetime of being passionate about something and striving to make something better, you do get good at it.

“That could be anybody and they might not look very big, yet their contribution is huge. And it’s great to be recognised.”

From his perspective, the team’s success in establishing and operating the award-winning museum has been about two things: continually striving forward and consistency.

“You just keep chipping away. I don’t get much done in the average day or week, but over a year there’s a fair bit done – and over 10 years, you get a lot done.”

To nominate someone for a 2025 Australian of the Year award, visit the website. Nominations close 31 July 2024.