Surf Coast fossil finders will get a chance to dive into history when a “Night At The Museum” comes to Torquay.
Palaeontologist Dr Erich Fitzgerald will travel with the Museum Victoria road show to the Australian National Surfing Museum (ASNM) on Saturday 4 March.
“There were very recent discoveries of fossils by keen-eyed members of the public, which are the first finds of 15-million-year-old whales on the Surf Coast,” Dr Fitzgerald said.
“These crucial finds open a new frontier for palaeontology in Victoria, lighting the way to exciting scientific advances.”
The senior museum curator and his team will continue the hunt for whale fossils in the Surf Coast until 9 March.
Dr Fitzgerald encouraged residents to bring along fossils for them to identify.
ANSM curator Craig Baird and his girlfriend Yumi Morishita found 15-million-year-old whale ribs while they walked their dog at Whites Beach.
“I have surfed over that rock,” Mr Baird said. “It’s amazing to think that we are surrounded by such history.”
ANSM has 25 million-year-old fossils on display, including the articulated spine ribs of the small whale Janjucetus, found by surfer Charles Brooks at Bells Beach in 2009.
Surf Coast Shire encouraged those interested in the free event to phone 5261 4606 or email cbaird@surfcoast.vic.gov.au, as seats were limited.
