Age of Fishes Museum facts for kids
The Age of Fishes Museum is a special place in Canowindra, New South Wales, Australia. It's one of only two museums in the world dedicated to Devonian fish fossils! The other one is in Canada. This museum is super important for science around the globe, so it's a National Heritage site. It opened in 1998 and was designed by a well-known Australian architect named John Andrews. Inside, you'll find an amazing collection of fish fossils from the Devonian Period, all found nearby in the Mandagery Sandstone.
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Discovering Ancient Fish Fossils
How did this incredible museum come to be? It all started in 1955. Workers were building a road near Canowindra when they found a huge rock slab. It had strange shapes on it, like impressions of ancient creatures. They moved the slab to the side of the road and kept working.
The Big Find in Canowindra
Later, a local beekeeper, someone who looks after bees, found this rock slab. He thought it might have fossils and told the Australian Museum. Many years later, in 1993, a scientist who studies fossils, called a paleontologist, named Alex Ritchie led a big dig at the site.
Unearthing 360 Million-Year-Old Secrets
During that dig, they carefully removed 70 tonnes of rock! This huge effort revealed over 3,000 fish fossils from the Devonian Period. This period was more than 360 million years ago! The dig site has helped scientists learn many new things about life on Earth long ago. It tells an amazing story of what happened millions of years in the past.
Awards and Recognition
The Age of Fishes Museum is not just important for science; it's also recognized for its great work in tourism. In 2018, the museum won a gold medal. This award was in the Specialised Tourism Services category at the Country and Outback Regional Tourism Awards. It shows how much visitors enjoy learning about these ancient fish.
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