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Robot dinosaurs invade Australia

WEIRD WORLD: An Australian billionaire has ordered more than 100 life-size robot dinosaurs to populate his new holiday resort.

Thursday 11 April 2013 02:41 PM


Eccentric Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer is having the robots built in China for his new resort on the Sunshine coast north of Brisbane.

Two robot dinosaurs are already on display at the resort: a 20-metre long life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a 3.5-metre high Deinosuchus – effectively a giant crocodile.

But Mr Palmer boasts that the public haven’t seen anything yet. “We’ll have the world’s biggest dinosaur exhibit, with 165 animatronic dinosaurs,” he said.

The next arrivals include robot replicas of two plant-eating dinosaurs – a 1.2 tonne brachiosaurus and a 7-metre tall mamenchisaurus – which are due to be installed later this month.

Each robot dinsoaur is custom-made, and are typically able to move their tails, chest, and faces.

A larger-than-life character who has made a fortune in mining, Mr Palmer last month announced plans to build the Titanic II, a modern replica of the ill-fated Titanic luxury liner that sank after a collision with an iceberg on its maiden voyage 100 years ago.

Mr Palmer’s plan is for guests on the replica Titanic to wear period costume and dine from the same menu as passengers on the original voyage.

He wouldn’t say how much the new ship would cost, but said he was funding the project because he wanted “to spend my money before I die.”