There ain’t no party like a dinosaur party – and the prehistoric party animals are getting down for the National Dinosaur Museum’s 30th birthday. Locals and visitors are invited to join the celebrations at the popular Canberra institution on Saturday 8 April.

The family-friendly activities kick off at 10 am with face painting, hourly tours, dinosaur encounters, workshops, and fossil talks, and dinosaur egg hunts – it is Easter weekend, after all! There will be a whole array of food vendors, local author Sarah Bennet will be reading her stories, and children are invited to enter the paint Cooper competition, capturing the day’s main star, Cooper the Australotitan cooperensis.

From 5pm, adults only are invited upstairs to learn more about the raunchier side of dinosaur past-times. The tour takes you through the procreation of dinosaurs, revealing some fun facts about their habits.

“Parents might want to stay on for the evening event, and kids, of course, are allowed to stay anywhere on the ground floor during the 18-plus tour. We’ll have that sort of watched,” says Carole Arulantu, General Manager of the National Dinosaur Museum.

Before becoming home to Australia’s largest permanent collection of fossils, the building housed an opal museum. The space lent itself well to the transformation with an underground vault providing perfect storage for the dino memorabilia.

In 1993, the dinosaurs took over the space and it has been evolving ever since. In 2011, the current directors came on board and brought their own interests and spins to the venue. Experts in the fields of plants, crystals, and arts, the new directors set out to change the museum with their shared love of dinosaurs.  

“We’ve got old footage and photography of what this place actually looked like. We had a few dinosaurs to start with – about 10 dinosaurs outside – and the outdoor area was not as grand as this at the moment,” says Ms Arulantu.

Now, she says, the space is truly magnificent with the upstairs gallery telling stories from the beginning of time until now. The displays feature animatronic dinosaurs, replicas and real fossils and bones, plus there are crystals and all other kinds of dinosaur-era goods that encourage visitors to ask questions to learn more about the time period. 

“I love education; for me, education is number one. I love the fact that I can give that to kids and adults alike but they’re having fun while they’re doing it. They don’t even know their learning,” she says.

Coming from an event management background, Ms Arulantu has big plans to attract new visitors to the Museum and has her sights set on making it an international attraction.

“People maybe think this is only for kids and it’s not; it’s for people like me – the Peter Pans of the world,” she smiles.

Since starting in the role in January, Ms Arulantu has established a partnership with Events ACT, which saw the Museum participate in this year’s Enlighten Festival. It has also begun to host events onsite, including the well-received Valentine’s Day adults-only night.

Accessibility is an issue close to the her heart with plans to include more inclusive practices in their plans for D/deaf and vision-impaired visitors. In a few months, the Museum will be accessible to all demographics, she says.

“The Museum belongs to everyone – that’s what this is about and that’s the vision. It’s not just for the kids; it’s for adults as well. But even if it’s for the kids, kids are also visually impaired, kids are also hearing impaired.”

Ms Arulantu believes in celebrating the 30th anniversary milestone for more than one day and plans to keep the celebrations stomping all year long. In the works so far is a dinosaur day, a fossil day, and some other prehistoric-themed surprises.

It isn’t just about bringing more visitors to the dinosaur haven, as she’s keen to include all the nearby Gold Creek Village attractions in the plans. Together, they can make the Village a must-see destination for locals and visitors to the region.

“This is not just about NDM; it’s about Gold Creek Village, and it’s about helping the neighbours as well, that’s what I want to do.”

They are all coming together to celebrate at the NDM’s 30th birthday party; the George Harcourt Inn is bringing drinks to share, the aviary is bringing some of the dinosaur’s closest relatives, the reptile park is bringing scaly cousins, and the lolly shop has designed a special collection for the day. 

Celebrate at the National Dinosaur Museum’s 30th birthday party on Saturday 8 April from 10am to lights out at 8pm; nationaldinosaurmuseum.com.au 

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