Walking With Dinosaurs was a ground-breaking BBC TV miniseries, first aired in 1999, that spawned an internationally acclaimed live action show. The dinosaurs are created by a Melbourne company.

Three smaller dinosaurs dig into to a fresh kill – or at least they appear to, on this stage. “This is proper 3-D,” claims Sonny, a passionate creature creator.

It takes two people to operate the larger dinosaurs. A driver sits in the foundations of the creature, enclosed in a steel chassis that looks like the skeleton of an F1 race car. As the driver manoeuvres the chassis, the creature’s enormous legs follow an automated pattern that corresponds to forward or backward momentum.

Personal traits of the dinosaurs, such as movement of the head, neck and tail, blinking eyes and contracting jaws, are controlled via a remote station called a ‘voodoo rig’. The robot is covered with extremely lifelike, synthetic skin, beneath which the creature’s muscles are simulated by bags full of polystyrene balls. These work to create a fleshy appearance, replete with authentic wrinkles and contours.

According to dino creator, Sonny, the creators attempt to represent a somewhat generic version of dinosaurs rather than specific species, to avoid details becoming quickly outdated. “What was important for us was to talk about the method of evolution and the mechanics behind it. If we tried to be the latest and greatest in findings, you’re out of date in three months,” he says.

David Pickering, a palaeontologist at Museum Victoria, was part of a team of advisors during the early design stages. David says there has to be an amount of creative licence used when translating fossils into moving dinosaurs, referring to the dinosaur team as “modern-day magicians” for their achievements.

Even when the dinosaurs break, which, according to the team, has only happened a handful of times, audiences never demand their money back. “People love being fooled and they love knowing how they’re being fooled,” says dino creator, Sonny. “Once, we had a big break in a torosaurus. The creature was wheeled off and he got a cheer from the crowd, like a wounded gladiator.”