Tips for hunting on the great ocean road

[Calcium]

I have just researched what to look out for when hunting ammonites and other fossils and I read that they can be found in and around the Great Ocean Road but does anyone  know any spots that had a high concentration of them?

[digit]

This site may be of use to understand the limitations of fossil collecting in NSW:

 

https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/fossils/sites/

 

A little searching here on the forum will turn up some trip reports for the general area you are looking for:

 

 

Some quick searches online looking for the word "ammonite" in conjunction with "Great Ocean Road" do not turn up a lot of information. Since I'm not seeing lots of images of folks hunting for ammonites along this section of Australia I'm assuming they are not plentiful and well known. In cases like this nobody is likely to give up their secret hunting locations (if any) and you'll have to put in the research and spend the time prospecting to locate them. If it is specifically ammonites you are seeking then you know you'll have to be hunting in Jurrassic or Cretaceous age rock formations. A geologic map of Australia highlighting where these formations outcrop would be a good start. My wife and I drove the Great Ocean Road back in 2016 and enjoyed its sights but never once considered fossil hunting the area. As Yanks we were limited to the fossils we could legally remove from the country and limited ourselves to some Lovenia woodsii echinoids from the Beaumaris area near Melbourne.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

 

 

[Calcium]

Thanks for the info I live in Geelong and I was interested in the quarry but I have to get permission since it’s private property 

[digit]

Receiving permission to hunt private property like quarries is often difficult or impossible (due to liability concerns). Often trips led by local universities or fossil clubs are able to gain permission on a very limited basis for trips where safety protocols are well followed. Any sites on public lands would likely be well advertised and picked clean or secret honey holes which you'll never hear about (for obvious reason). Sites where lower value (more common) targets can be found (abundant crinoid fragments, brachiopods, smaller shark teeth) are often public knowledge since they can replenish quickly. Larger ammonite material would likely get exhausted from a site very quickly and so anybody who knows of such a spot will likely keep it quite secret.

 

If you do know of ammonite bearing formations outcropping in your area, your likely best bet would be to use something like the satellite view in Google Maps to prospect for potential outcrops of the formation. If those outcrops are on public property (but not near roadcuts which are often off limits due to safety concerns) you might turn up some spots to be ground-truthed to see if they are ammonite bearing. Private lands that look like they might have significant outcrops will at least give you some addresses to attempt to contact in person to secure permission to fossick around a bit to see if they pan out. Generally, there are no well known spots chocked full of nice fossils just waiting for you. Your choices are either to learn about quarries that allow groups to hunt on special occasions or do the research and footwork yourself and discover private sites and secure permission to poke around now and again. If you do get access to private sites please don't make a mess of the site nor litter or otherwise abuse it. People who do so create a bad opinion of fossil hunters which hurts us all.

 

Good luck in your research.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken