Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 2004 |
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| Location | 224 Howick Street Bathurst, New South Wales Australia |
| Type | Historical |
The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is a fantastic place to visit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It opened its doors in July 2004. This museum is special because it holds the famous Somerville Collection.
You can find the museum in old school buildings from 1874. These historic buildings are right in the middle of the city. Inside, there are almost 2000 amazing fossils and minerals on display.
Contents
Awesome Exhibits to Explore
Meet the Mighty T.Rex
One of the most exciting things to see is a huge Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. This T.Rex is 10 and a half metres long. It stands about 4 metres tall, which is super impressive!
The museum also has Australia's biggest collection of fossils. Many of these fossils are preserved in amber. You can also see real fossilized dinosaur eggs. There is even a large collection of fossils that have turned into opal.
The Amazing Somerville Collection
The Somerville Collection is a huge group of fossils and minerals. About one-third of it is fossils. The other two-thirds are beautiful mineral specimens. This collection has some of the rarest and best examples of minerals from all over the world. It also includes very important fossils from Australia.
Highlights of the Collection
The mineral part of the collection is truly sparkling. It includes minerals from over 100 Australian mine sites. You can see garnets that are 2000 million years old. There are also precious stones like diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds.
Besides the T.Rex, two other dinosaur skeletons are on display. You can also see the skull of a sabre-tooth cat. Don't miss the dinosaur egg fossils. Some of the oldest fossils of early life forms are also here.
One very rare fossil is a Gecko trapped in amber. This gecko lived between 30 and 24 million years ago. It was preserved during a time called the Oligocene epoch.
About Warren Somerville
The museum holds the lifetime collection of Warren Somerville AM. He spent his life building one of the world's best private collections. He has been collecting specimens from all over the world for 60 years. In 2000, Warren Somerville gave this priceless collection to the people of Australia.
Why People Love the Museum
The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is very popular. Lonely Planet is a famous travel guide. Their travelers have said it is the number one attraction. It is the best out of 27 places in the Central West (New South Wales) region.
How the Museum is Supported
Many different groups helped to start the museum. Money came from all three levels of government. Companies also gave money, and so did generous people. The Bathurst Regional Council helps to keep the museum running today.
