Scientists have confirmed the discovery of a new dinosaur species in Australia, more than 10 years after farmers first unearthed bones of the animal.

According to a research paper published on Monday, the plant-eating sauropod, one of the largest found in the world, lived in the Cretaceous period between 92 million and 96 million years ago when Australia was attached to Antartica.

The dinosaur reached a height of 5-6.5 metres at the hip and 25-30 metres in length, according to paleontologists estimates, making it as long as a basketball court and as tall as a 2-storey building.

That makes the new species the largest dinosaur ever discovered in the country and puts it in the top 5 in the world, joining an elite group of titanosaurs previously only found in South America.

Queensland Museum curator and palaeontologist Scott Hocknull said “discoveries like this are just the tip of the iceberg.”