David Elliott was mustering sheep when he stumbled across a dinosaur fossil.

His chance discovery in 1999 led to the revival of palaeontology in Australia and the creation of a tourism industry that put outback Queensland on the map.

As scientists flocked to the region, Mr Elliott and his wife Judy established a dinosaur and natural history museum.

The couple conducted dinosaur digs on their Winton property and built a collection of fossils.

The not-for-profit operation quickly expanded and moved onto an alternative site.

It has grown to become a major tourist attraction and centre for palaeontology, housing the world’s largest collection of Australian dinosaur fossils.

For his contribution to science, Mr Elliott has been named Australia’s Local Hero for 2024.

“I simply represent the hard work and passion of a lot of people, and I’m just proud to be one of them,” he said.

Mr Elliot said the dinosaurs helped bring income to regional centres that were dying as people moved to bigger cities.

“Keeping the small communities of outback Australia alive is imperative, our nation depends on them.”

Australia’s children must also be taught about the nation’s past in order to better care for it, he said.

National Australia Day Council chair John Foreman said the Order of Australia Medal recipient had helped his entire community.

“David, an everyday Queensland pastoralist who discovered something extraordinary, has dedicated himself to sharing Australia’s dinosaur history and the importance of keeping regional Australia viable and sustainable,” Mr Foreman said.

By Tess Ikonomou in Canberra