A fossil believed to be one of the world's most complete plesiosaur skeletons has been brought out of storage and put on display in Boulia, in Queensland's Channel Country.

The fossil is missing a head, but most of the neck vertebrae, shoulder and pelvic girdle is intact.

It was discovered five years ago by the late amateur palaeontologist Dick Suter, better known as Dino Dick.

Since then the fossil, nicknamed Percy, has been sitting in storage crates as Boulia Shire Council raised the funds to create a display for the sea creature.

Friend and colleague Tom Hurley said Mr Suter would have been "chuffed" to know the fossil was going on display.

Sea creature 'very specialised' for its day

A plesiosaur is a long-necked sea creature, and this one would have been 12 metres long, with a 6m neck — half its body length.

The plesiosaur's appearance has been likened to that of Scotland's hypothesised Loch Ness Monster.

Mr Hurley, who helped extract the fossil, said the creature would have swum in an inland sea about 100 million years ago.

"It was a huge animal. It could sit 5 metres from the surface, reach down to the bottom, rake for shells and crustaceans," he said.

"And then they could reach up, swallow the shells, and breathe, without a 6-tonne animal having to swim up to breathe and down to feed.

"Very, very specialised for their day and what they did."

A mural of a swimming Plesiosaur at the Boulia Stonehouse Museum. ( Supplied: Boulia Shire Council )

Discoverer tripped over neck vertebrae

Mr Suter discovered the fossil by accident when he literally tripped over it.

Mr Hurley said he had sent his colleague to pick up some petrified wood in paddock they had scoured before.

But Mr Suter inadvertently went to the wrong location, and stepped right on top of a neck vertebrae.

"He had very bad ankles from motorbike accidents and he had arm crutches, but he thought 'Oh, it is only 3 metres away, I think I can make it over there without crutches'," Mr Hurley said.

"So as he got out of the door he put one foot into the long grass and put it straight onto the neck vertebrae of the plesiosaur, and his ankle nearly rolled and spilled him."

It took more effort to unearth the plesiosaur.

"The animal would have been close to 12 metres in length, but it was in a rock that was close to 2 tonnes," Mr Hurley said.

"The sheer volume of hard rock has protected this specimen unbelievably well. An unbelievable find, one of the world's best plesiosaurs."

The fossil has been put on display in the Boulia museum after spending five years in storage crates. ( Supplied: Boulia Shire Council )

The future of Percy the Plesiosaur

The fossilised remains have been put on display in a glass cabinet in the Boulia Stonehouse Museum, with the help of the Queensland Museum.

"Just to make sure we put all the bones in the right place, a paleontologist came from the Brisbane," council representative Julie Woodhouse said.

Ms Woodhouse said the council hoped Percy would attract more tourists to the region.

"There has been advertising in magazines," she said.

"I'm hoping that it will generate that extra interest, and this will be an added incentive to get off the beaten track."