Flinders University’s Dr Paul Gardner-Stephen and his family have put most professional palaeontologists to shame by discovering the bones of a giant, extinct reptile on their first family fossil-hunting trip in Queensland.

Dr Gardner-Stephen, who is an expert and accomplished inventor in the area of digital technology, found the bones while searching with his two children.

The bony haul included several flipper bones and vertebrae of an ichthyosaur.

He told the ABC that the bones could now be shown in a museum in Queensland – and suggested other families might try their luck at a similar find.

“In a matter of a few hours of digging with some simple hand tools, we had found a really large marine reptile and so I think the prospects are great for anyone else who’s interested in this kind of thing,” he told the ABC.

He added that it was an amazing moment, especially for his two children, Isabel and Caleb.

 “The kids were really excited, our seven-year-old daughter in particular,” he said.

 The fossil was found in an area near the Kronosaurus Korner museum at Richmond in north-west Queensland.

 The museum’s curator, Dr Tim Holland, said the latest find added to the information on the 100 million year old species in the region.

 You can read the full story about Dr Gardner-Stephen and his amazing find on the ABC website.