For two decades, students and staff at Biloela State High School in Queensland, Australia, unknowingly walked past a prehistoric treasure—a boulder housing 66 dinosaur footprints dating back nearly 200 million years.
The astonishing revelation came in 2021 when media reports on dinosaur fossils in the region prompted a reexamination of the unassuming rock. Paleontologist Anthony Romilio was called in to inspect the boulder, which had remained in the school’s foyer for years.
“They did not know that this was an actual fossil itself,” Romilio said, recalling his amazement upon discovering footprints from 47 individual dinosaurs. The prints, resembling large three-toed tracks, were later confirmed as belonging to dinosaurs from the early Jurassic period. 
The boulder was originally salvaged from a nearby mine by a geologist who donated it to the school two decades ago. Following this discovery, Romilio visited the mine and was stunned to find another massive boulder with additional dinosaur footprints in plain sight.
“It’s a huge number of dinosaurs, and it’s the highest number found in a single slab in Australia,” Romilio stated. Discussions are now underway to relocate the school’s fossilized treasure to a public venue for better appreciation.
This unexpected find has not only rewritten the school’s history but also provided a valuable glimpse into Australia’s prehistoric past.
