A 100 million-year-old "big-nosed" plant eater may soon be as synonymous with the Sunshine State as koalas and the colour maroon.
Sixty years after its fossil remains were discovered by a grazier, the Muttaburrasaurus dinosaur is officially Queensland's 10th state emblem.
Almost seven metres long and three metres tall, the 2800kg herbivore at first may not appear to have much appeal to a state known for its love of XXXX beer, Bundy rum and against-the-odds State of Origin rugby league wins.
However, the Muttaburrasaurus has clearly been embraced by Queenslanders, picking up almost 30 per cent of a community vote to top a 12-strong list of candidates and become the state's first fossil emblem.
The dinosaur's full name is a mouthful - Muttaburrasaurus langdoni.
It hails from the central west town where its fossil remains were discovered - Muttaburra - and the man who stumbled upon them in 1963, Doug Langdon.
But Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe hopes the dinosaur will be the name on many visitors' lips in outback Queensland.
Mr Hinchliffe believes dinosaur tourism will be a big winner after the Muttaburrasaurus was officially recognised as the state's fossil emblem in a bill introduced to state parliament.
"I encourage Queenslanders to plan a visit to our outback dinosaur destinations to walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs and learn more about our fossil emblem and all the other fossil finds," Mr Hinchliffe said.
Known as the big nosed dinosaur, the Muttaburrasaurus had a large snout that's believed to have made loud hooting sounds to communicate.
However, nothing was known about it at all until Mr Langdon stumbled upon what he thought were some unusual rocks while mustering cattle on his property.
It turned out to be part of the most complete fossilised dinosaur skeleton found in Australia at the time.
After almost 20 years of careful work by Queensland Museum staff, the recovered bones revealed a new species of ornithopod dinosaur and the Muttaburrasaurus officially got its name.
It was the first dinosaur to be cast, mounted and replicated in Australia.
The Muttaburrasaurus now joins the likes of the Cooktown Orchid flower, the koala, Great Barrier Reef clown fish, the brolga, the sapphire and the colour maroon as official symbols of Queensland.
