| Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2004[1] |
| Location | 224 Howick Street Bathurst, New South Wales Australia |
| Type | Historical |
| Curator | Warren Sommerville |
| Website | Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum |
The Australian Fossil & Mineral Museum is located in the city of Bathurst in regional New South Wales Australia and was opened in July 2004. The collection is housed in a group of heritage buildings, the old 1874 public school buildings, in the centre of the city. Nearly 2000 specimens are in the internationally renowned collection which is known as the Sommerville Collection.[2]
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The main drawcard for tourists and enthusiasts is the 10½ metre long and 4 metre high Tyrannosaurus rex (T.Rex) skeleton.[3] In addition the Museum houses Australia's largest collection of fossils in amber, fossil dinosaur eggs, and opalised fossils.
The Sommerville Collection is approximately one third fossil and two thirds mineral specimens and is believed to be worth US$15 million when opened in 2004.[2]
Highlights from the mineral collection include 2000 million year old garnets,[4] as well as diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Three dinosaur skeletons are displayed as well as a sabre-tooth cat skull and dinosaur egg fossils. Also in the collection is an extremely rare fossilised Gecko trapped in amber between 30-24 million years ago.[3] in the Oligocene epoch on the geological time scale.
The Museum houses the lifetime collections of Warren Sommerville. Sommerville holds five degrees and is a part time university lecturer.[4] Sommerville has been appointed as the full-time Curator of the collection as well as a professor on the Bathurst campus of Charles Sturt University. Sommerville has been collecting specimens from around the world for 60 years.
Lonely Planet travellers have rated the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum as the #1 attraction of 27 in the Central West (New South Wales).[5]
Funding to establish the Museum was provided by all three levels of government, corporate sponsorship and philanthropic donations[6] and the continuing operation of the museum is funded by the Bathurst Regional Council