Wonambi Fossil Centre: Naracoorte

When a group of cave explorers stumbled across this fossil pit thirty years ago, it was a bit like discovering Tutankhamen's tomb. Back in 1969 the discovery of this chamber within the Victoria Fossil Cave at Naracoorte marked a turning point in our understanding of prehistoric Australia. "They had this very small slot that was breathing, air was moving through and they pushed through it searching for a big chamber on the other side. They didn't expect to find anything like this,they came across a certain area full of fossils like this and the rest is history." "So in terms of historical finds how important is it?" "On a world scale, on an Australian scale, it's very important but even on a world scale its now gained world heritage listing, one of only five fossil sites on the world heritage register." The area that's been dug out was literally packed with prehistoric bones. Over forty thousand have been removed only four percent of what was found, but enough to provide the framework for a hi-tech recreation of what roamed our continent about two hundred thousand years ago, including the marsupial lion. "We've built up the fact that he was most likely a carnivore, very powerful, an extremely powerful animal."

The Marsupial Lion is just one of the exhibits on display at the Wonambi Fossil Centre, a short drive from the Victoria Fossil Cave. This beast lived side by side with many of the Australian marsupials which still exist today. Others from our lost land of the giants included this brute. "This is the mega of the mega fauna, diprotodon and he is two to two and a half tons." As the name mega fauna suggest, much of what lived in this swampy bog was big including this antiquarian Blinky Bill and the Procoptodon Golia an amazing mix of koala and kangaroo." "This kangaroo here is a leaf eater and this habitat change we're talking about is quite dramatic." The exact cause of that dramatic and fatal change is not known, some believe climate change was responsible while others point to hunting pressure following the arrival of the first Aborigines. What ever the reason the limestone ridges of the Southeast with their array of sinkholes, have trapped for all time the remains for a truly remarkable world. One you can visit at the Wonambi Fossil Centre at the Naracoorte Caves which is open daily from 9am to 5pm. For more information you can email: info@postcards-sa.com.au