Fossil Hunting Holiday in Victoria, Australia (Dec 2015 - Jan 2016)

[Paleoworld-101]

Thanks guys!

Nect time you go, take us with you! (video)

I didn't do any filming on this trip, but i've still got some videos from a collecting trip to England in 2014 that i haven't got around to editing and uploading yet. Mostly picking up Oligocene turtle bits from a beach on the Isle of Wight. Thanks for reminding me.

[JustPlainPetrified]

Pretty spectacular I'd say!

[EXRMIT]

Great trip you had.

I have been trying to get to Geelong.

Can you give more precise location of your "limestone mound"?

It would be much appreciated.

John

[EXRMIT]

Fossil Collecting Day 8 - 5/1/16 – Geelong

Today was my last day of fossil collecting on the trip and I returned to the same limestone spoil heap for another great session of shark tooth collecting. Once again I arrived in the early morning and spent the full day (7 hours) sifting and digging through rock fragments in the pile for fossils. My dad also came along too on this day and helped me look for teeth. By 4pm we had together collected over 160 of them, bringing the total from this one locality to over 300 teeth across the two days that I spent here. Once again the majority of teeth came from grey nurse and mako sharks but I also managed to find a nicely serrated Carcharocles tooth towards the end of the day, though sadly it was incomplete. It may be from a young C. megalodon or perhaps an angustidens or chubutensis. Lots more crab claws and other invertebrate specimens were also collected, as well as part of a shark vertebra and some other bone fragments (likely cetacean and fish). Leaving the site at the end of this hunt meant the end of my Victorian collecting trip, but I couldn’t have asked for a better finish than this!

My family and I then began the drive home to Sydney, overnighting in Gundagai along the way and then arriving home about lunchtime on the 6^th of January.

Pictures of the days finds: 1. Close up of various shark teeth (mostly Carcharias taurus, collected across both days at this site) 2-3. Carcharocles tooth 4. Tiger shark tooth (Galeocerdo aduncus) 5. Partial shark vertebra and other small bone fragments (cetacean and fish?) 6-7. Sponges (collected across both days)

1. Day 8- Shark Teeth 3.JPG 2. Day 8- Serrated Tooth 1.JPG 3. Day 8- Serrated Tooth 2.JPG 4. Day 8- tiger.JPG 5. Day 8- bones.JPG

6. Day 8- sponges 2.JPG 7. Day 8- sponges or corals.JPG

This trip is the best fossil hunting experience I have had in Australia thus far and showed me that I don’t always need to travel half way around the world to find great vertebrate fossils. I certainly hope that I can do more trips like this in the future!

Thanks for checking out this trip report, I hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Would love to go there.

Can you give me more details on this site?

[FossilHunterStan]

Was the limestone spoil heap at Batesford Quarry?  If so how did you get in?

[Lachy]

Beautiful finds! I live in Geelong and often head down to the Jan juc marl, it's amazing how many shells are just tumbling from the ground! 

 

I drive past the batesford quarry on my way to uni most days and I had no idea all that all these teeth could be found, where abouts did you have a look around? I'm a little nervous I'll get myself into trouble with the quarry's staff haha

[cook2602]

Hi there,

Looks like you had  great time!  I've been living in Melbourne for the past few years, and have tried Beaumaris a few times.  I sent an email to the quarry in Batesford a while ago to enquire about entry but never heard back from them.  I'd love to give it a try someday.

Cheers,

Michael

 

[Junkcat]

Hi, I am a beginner fossil hunter with my 5year old son. I know you posted this a while ago. Not sure if you still respond to this post. Would you be able to let me know whether you found these at the Stock Pile area down at the open pit or at the waste pile near the site office at the quarry? I had a look at the waste pile I did see some bryozoans, many bivalves, some echinoids I assume this means I need to find deeper lime deeper if I want to find some shark teeth. I would be happy if I can just find 1 tooth. Very envious of your finds at Batesford. We visit Beaumaris and Jan Juc regularly too, they are great spots.

[PaleonLachie]

Heya Paleo,

Awesome report you've made! When you went to the Batesford quarry, did you have to ask for permission to enter?