I Asked My 5-Year-Old Nephew To Review The New Dinosaur Attraction In The Blue Mountains
Every Sydneysider has escaped to the Blue Mountains at some point (or many). Whether you’re a hiker, a foodie or you just want somewhere pretty to escape the grind, there’s something for you here.
There’s already so many unique experiences here — like Japanese-inspired Onsen baths, star-gazing tours and hidden picnics — but now you can add dinosaurs to the list.
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Nestled in Katoomba in full view of the iconic Three Sisters, Scenic World is always a good option for people who want to explore the beauty of Blue Mountains valleys, but have zero desire to hike their way down to the bottom (look I’ve done it and it’s not easy, so I can’t blame you). There’s also the remains of an old mine down the bottom, which is pretty interesting for a gander.
Right now, you have the bonus of catching a few dinosaurs at the bottom.
Yep, the Dinosaur Valley experience has re-opened from now until January 31. “Dinosaur Valley was incredibly well received in 2018,” said Scenic World’s Chief Experience Officer Amanda Byrne, “we’re excited to be bringing it back again with a new look and feel”.
To tell you about it properly, I enlisted the help of my five-year-old nephew and total dino-nerd, Jade.
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For starters, he would like you all to know that this article should be titled “Deep Dino Facts” — which isn’t bad, just perhaps a little confusing as a headline. He also asked if I can “write in the book that Spinosauraus is the biggest meat eater ever”, so now you know.
This is all while we were waiting for our Dinosaur Rangers, to collect our group from the meeting point. Once they did, we took the scenic cable car down to the bottom of the valley.
Walking along the wooden platform wriggling its way around the vegetation, we start spotting fossils in the foliage below. Wondering if they’re real? So was Jade, he thinks they probably are (they’re not). When we come across a giant T-Rex skull, he not only tells me what it is, but when I ask what it’s doing there he lets me know “it died”. I mean, he’s not wrong.
As we continued on the walk — which is stunning in its own right with giant trees, lush foliage and glimpses of the mountain tops above us — we start hearing strange noises in front of us.
The source of those noises? Large, moving dinosaur figures.
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Our group continues following the path, stopping at the various species just chilling on the valley floor. Jade is doing a pretty good job and identifying them actually, he’s running rings around me at least. Like the Australia Ankylosaurus “because they lived here”. Don’t worry though, when I asked if he’d been here the whole time Jade informed me that “no, they walked around”. He also saw the Pterodactyls and told me they’d pooped on my head — what can I say, he’s VERY five years old.
I have to say, my nephew is absolutely wrapt in both the moving models, and the facts our Dinosaur Rangers keep sharing with us. They really show off their vast knowledge, and Jade was lapping it up. He was honestly staring at them like heroes and whispered “wow” more than once.
If you’re not getting that it’s a winner for the kiddos yet, then consider this me spelling it out for you. Even for the big kids, this is pretty impressive, they’ve set it up so well.
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My favourite part though, was hands down the famous train back up to the top. I’ve never been on it before, and when they tell you to hold onto your valuables and children (oddly, in that order), they mean it. It’s still the steepest railway in the world, it’s surprisingly fast and it’s just good fun.
Overall, when I asked my nephew if it was fun, he had a pretty succinct answer for you all: “yes, the best part is the big Tyrannosaurus skull”. So there you go.
(Lead Image: Provided / Scenic World)
