Read all about it! This was undoubtedly the event of the era. Sunday 21st August marked the day the dinosaurs returned to the United Kingdom. After an absence of 65 million years and more, seventeen iconic dinosaurs appeared back on terra firma to the delight of the thousands of the public who made the brilliant launch of Exmouth’s Dinosaur Safari Trail.
Exmouth Town Team in partnership with Exmouth Town Council, EDDC, Jurassic Coast Team and local businesses and schools all contributed to a brilliant initiative that rightly puts the town’s importance as the start and gateway to the globally famous Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The Jurassic Coast Team contributed much to this super project, including detailing the story of the Jurassic Coast and fossil finds as you follow the trail as well as the team hosting a very impressive stand in the centre of the action.
Key events and attractions on the day included a brilliant talk from ITV’s Dinosaur Britain’s Dr Dean Lomax. This was followed on stage by the Jurassic Coast Ambassadors with a no-holds barred shock & awe audio video presentation called ‘Stars In Their Triassic Eyes’, fronted by no other than our very own Anthony (Anti) Cline. Late in the day our ambassadors, John Ayres (aka.Red Rock Man) & Anthony Cline were back in the limelight when they hosted a question & answer session alongside Dr Dean Lomax. The advancing hoards of adoring ‘Palaeo Fans’ almost breached the security cordon surrounding these three superstars, but all went well in the end.
If this was not enough the 360 degree Science Dome played fantastic dinosaur videos every half an hour to huge numbers of eager children & adults alike. Other stalls were dotted around the central square that included the Pebble Beds Heath Trust with their ever popular ‘Rhynchy’ the Rhynchosaur model being a real attraction. Add to this other stalls with artwork and books and this will just begin to give a flavour of the event.
Then just as you would think it could not get any better, enter from square left a roaring, walking T-Rex along with its very skilled handlers. It certainly stole the show as hundreds of adults & children alike followed in its wake (but at a very safe distance) followed its every move and listened to every roar. Let me just confirm that NO CHILDREN WERE EATEN during its rampage around the exhibits.
My last words to all my readers are: See them now as they are only booked in until next year. Follow the Dinosaur Trail & ‘Catch ‘em all’ whilst you can but never forget to ‘Party on Dino Dudes!’
Exmouth Chronicle’s star reporter: Palaeo Pete.
