224 Howick Street Bathurst NSW 2795 T: 02 6331 5511 F: 02 6331 5986 www.somervillecollection.com.au

Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum

Don’t leave Bathurst without seeing Australia’s only complete Tyrannosaurus rex, its finest collection of amber fossils and thousands of the world’s most beautiful mineral specimens. All of these and much more make up the Somerville Collection.

Situated in the heart of Bathurst, the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is the home of the Somerville Collection. The Somerville Collection is the lifetime work of Warren Somerville who has donated this priceless legacy to the people of Australia.

It is housed in the 1876 Public School building which underwent major refurbishment before being fitted out with stunningly beautiful exhibitions.

The Somerville Collection is approximately two thirds mineral and one third fossil specimens, most of which are museum display quality as well as being of scientific and heritage significance. The Mineral Collection has two main areas of focus – suites from particular locations and suites of particular mineral groups. The Fossil Collection has animal and plant fossils from every major period in the history of life on Earth.

Broken Hill in far western NSW is considered to be one of the world’s best mineral specimen regions and as such there are hundreds of examples in the Collection. It was the world’s largest Silver, Zinc and

Azurite (L) and Cerussite (R) from Broken Hill

DINOSAURS IN BATHURST

Above images: Fluorite on Quartz from Illinois, USA. Dolomite on

Smoky Quartz from Romania T. rex skull

Lead deposit and has a complex geological history which created perfect conditions for the formation of over 300 different types of minerals. As mining winds down in the region, mineral specimens gain in value and scientific significance.

There are hundreds of other minerals in the Collection from a range of important mines located in Australia, England, India and Africa. Of particular significance are the African minerals from Tsumeb in Namibia. This area is known as the best mineral specimen site in the world. The Collection has a large number of spectacular specimens, including the brilliant green Dioptase, from this area. Nearly 4000 different types of minerals, called species, have been discovered.

The Somerville Collection has examples of more than 1000 different species. Mineral species with similar chemical compositions are grouped together. The Collection contains specimens from all over the world that belong to each of the 8 major mineral groups, Native Elements, Oxides, Hydroxides, Halides, Carbonates, Sulphates, Sulphides and Phosphates and to some of the minor mineral groups.

Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum

Founding Partners: Warren Somerville, Bathurst Regional Council, Charles Sturt University, the Australian Museum, the NSW Ministry for the Arts and the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.Founding Patron: Reid Family Charitable Trusts. Founding Major Sponsor: Mars Petcare Australia

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of prehistoric living things. Specimens in the Somerville Fossil Collection vary in size from single-celled organisms invisible to the naked eye, to a skeleton of one of the largest land predators ever, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.

The age of fossils, is worked out by the types of rocks they are found in and also by radioactive dating methods. All fossils in the Collection belong to one of 4 major eras of life on Earth.

The Proterozoic Era (literally ‘earliest life’ in Greek) is from 2500 to 545 Ma. During this time all life was found in the sea and most living things were single-celled organisms. By 560 Ma large, complex soft-bodied animals and plants had evolved.

The Palaeozoic Era (literally ‘ancient life’ in Greek) is from 545 to 251 Ma. Early on life was still confined to the seas but animals with hard body parts such as trilobites had evolved. The Collection contains some excellent examples of three-dimensional fossil trilobites.

The Mesozoic Era (literally ‘middle life’ in Greek), from 251 to 65 Ma is often called the ‘age of dinosaurs’.

During this time dinosaurs and their swimming and flying reptile cousins dominated the land, seas and skies. The Collection contains the only example of a T. rex skeleton in Australia as well as two other complete dinosaur skeletons and fossils of dinosaur teeth, bones and eggs.

The Cainozoic Era (literally ‘recent life’ in Greek) is from 65 Ma to the present day. The groups of animals and plants that survived the mass extinction went on to diversify over the last 65 million years. The Collection contains skulls and teeth of many European and North American mammals as well as Australian giant wombat-like animals, kangaroos, possums and marsupial lions. It also features Australia’s best collection of animals and plants fossilized in amber.

Warren Somerville continues to add to the Collection, through fossicking, purchasing and trading with other collectors from around the world. In 2000, he donated his priceless life’s work and legacy to the people of Australia for display in Bathurst.

The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is open to the public from 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 2pm Sunday.

The Museum is located at 224 Howick St, next to the Post Of�ice.

Admission charges apply. Discounts are available for booked groups. For further details phone the Museum on 02 6331 5511.

Images above: Aquatic reptile Keichousaurus

from China, 251-241 Ma

Diprotodon lower jaw from Northern Territory, 8 Ma

Trilobite Kenepruzia from Morocco, 410-345 Ma.