Dinosaur World – Somerville – for kids to see animatronics dinosaurs, “dig” for fossils, and mini golf

Dinosaur World in Somerville is a park for kids. There is surprisingly more than just a few animatronic dinosaurs around the venue, there is a good 30 or so all around the venue with some appearing in weird and wonderful locations. It is nice to be pleasantly surprised by one hiding behind bushes and corners of the venue. My kids loved the park, they enjoyed the activities, and expressed joy at the end of the experience.

Dinosaur World in Somerville can only be reached by car and is quite the distance from Melbourne’s central business district. Fortunately most of the distance is by freeway. Unfortunately for us on the day of our visit the freeway experienced a few accidents and we were forced to find alternative routes to Dinosaur World. It’s also worth calling out that the entrance sign isn’t big, so you will need to drive slowly as you get closer or you will miss the entrance.

On arrival, the road towards the park’s entrance is unsealed dirt road. There were a lot of pot holes and a really bumpy ride up and down this road. We found a car park and wondered what would happen if the venue was more fuller, since most of the car spaces were already occupied by 2 pm.

The entrance fee is quite steep at $18 for each adult and then $16 for each child. Although kids under 2 are free at Dinosaur World, I think that the kids that will enjoy this experience are the kids over 2. I wished they didn’t charge so much for adults given its not for adults.

As soon as you get past the entrance and the toy shop, you are introduced to a forest of animatronic dinosaurs to whet your appetite. This area has a surprising number of dinosaurs, with some having moving parts. My kids at this point were all curious about the names of the dinosaurs and wanted to take photos with them. This forest area is deceptive in that it makes the venue look small, but you have to keep walking on to see the rest of the park.

Further on in the park, there is a huge shed with sand pits and tables plus a café with decently priced junk food from chips at $4, potato gems at $4, hot dogs at $4, potato cakes at $2, and some mediocre coffee from a do-it-yourself coffee machine for $4. The café was having a lot of issues with internet reception on the day of my visit, so I’d recommend bringing some cash otherwise they were making people pay at the front entrance and then walking back to the kiosk.

Dinosaur World’s huge shed (or barn) is where the kids can partake in a “dig” for a fossil experience. It’s an activity where the kids jump into the sand pit and try to unearth a fossil. (It’s not that hard since you can sweep areas with your palm to easily pick up something.) Kids then take the fossil and excavate the “dinosaur bone”. My oldest took forever with the tool and brush, so with her permission I had to snap the encasement in two to help reveal the “dinosaur bone” and bring it closer to home.

There is a train ride experience for $4 (or sometimes free on certain days). It’s just a short 4 minute ride around the park with nothing particularly special about it.

The large park has a number of dinosaurs to spot, but otherwise it’s a nice open field with benches, playgrounds, and nicely cut grass.

There s the option to have a barbecue, but you have to book in advance and it may come with a fee. Overall, although my kids did enjoy the park and experience at Dinosaur World, I thought it was experience for what you get.

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