The fossilised bones of Australia's largest dinosaur went on display Thursday, with experts predicting the find will rewrite what is known of the country's prehistoric past.

The two dinosaurs, nicknamed Cooper and George by researchers, are part of the titanosaur family that lived about 100 million years ago, and at 25 metres (yards) long were among the largest animals to ever roam the Earth.



They were found in 2005 and 2006 about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) west of Brisbane, but kept secret as scientists painstakingly dug them up and studied them.

"They are titanosaurs, which are plant-eating dinosaurs with extremely long necks and tails, massive bodies and elephant-like legs," Queensland state's Arts Minister Rod Welford said.

He said titanosaurs had also been found in South America and North Africa, which along with Australia once formed the super-continent Gondwana.

A single bone from Cooper's leg weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and measures 1.5 metres (five feet).

Queensland Museum curator of geosciences Scott Hocknull said the bones were found in a fossil-rich area that promised to yield many more dinosaurs.

"150 years ago, the United States experienced a dino-rush, where lots of bones were unearthed in a short space of time. Australia is now at the forefront of it's own dino-rush," Hocknull said.