Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum

16/10/2026

Cretaceous bird

A new Cretaceous avian dinosaur has been discovered in Queensland. Tenuicruris piscanexum lived more than 100million years ago and is the second Cretaceous bird discovered in Australia.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-01/richmond-qld-creataceous-bird-fossil/107212466

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2026.2703151

A chance and "extremely rare" discovery in an outback fossil pit has uncovered an unknown bird species from more than a hundred million years ago.

14/10/2026

Bugs & Beasts
HALLOWEEN IN THE MUSEUM

Get ready for a day packed with spooky fun! Meet creepy-crawly critters, explore live animal and bug displays, and come face-to-face with the roaring dinosaurs of the Dino-Store.

Dress up in your Halloween costumes, bring the whole family along for a Halloween adventure you won’t forget!

CREEPY & CRAWLY ANIMAL DISPLAYS
10.30-11.30am Me and Zoo - live animals
11.30am-3.30pm Mini Beasts - spiders

ALL DAY
'Live' dinosaurs from the Dino-Store and Halloween activities

Saturday 31 October 2026
$10 adults, $5 children, tickets at the door. No other discounts apply

224 Howick Street, Bathurst

12/10/2026

Specimen Spotlight: Apophyllite from Broken Hill


This beautiful specimen from Broken Hill, New South Wales, showcases the distinctive geometric crystals of the apophyllite group. Their glassy, pyramid-capped forms reflect light beautifully.

Apophyllite is a hydrated potassium calcium silicate mineral that crystallises from mineral-rich fluids circulating through fractures and open spaces in rock.

224 Howick Street, Bathurst
Open 9am-4.30pm 6 days - closed Wednesday

09/10/2026

A lap around Mount Panorama:Legendary

Standing under a full-scale T. rex skeleton: Mind-blowing

Bathurst is officially big enough for two kings. One rules the straightaways, and the other rules the galleries at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum

Explore fossils, rare minerals, and dinosaurs right in town.

Open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Closed Wednesdays during normal terms, open 7 days a week during school holidays!).

05/10/2026

Trilobite Tuesday: Ceratarges sp.


With its spectacular array of spines and ornate armour, Ceratarges is a fairly striking trilobite.

Living in ancient seas about 390 million years ago during the Devonian Period, this remarkable arthropod belonged to the spiny lichid trilobites. Its elaborate defensive spines may have helped protect it from predators roaming the seafloor.

Although trilobites became extinct long before the dinosaurs appeared, they were among the most successful animals of the Paleozoic Era, thriving in the world's oceans for hundreds of millions of years.

Open 9am - 4.30pm 7 days in NSW school holidays
(Closed Wednesday all other weeks)

224 Howick St Bathurst

04/10/2026

Open Today 5 October public holiday

9am-4.30pm
224 Howick Street, Bathurst

02/10/2026

Dropping in to see the relatives on a rainy afternoon in Bathurst.

224 Howick St, Bathurst
Open 9am-4.30pm 7 days in NSW school holidays (closed Wednesday all other weeks)

01/10/2026

Fossil Focus: Onnia sp.


This trilobite lived on the floor of ancient Ordovician seas more than 440 million years ago. Onnia is one of the most recognisable members of the trilobite family Trinucleidae, a group of trilobites known for the distinctive perforated fringe surrounding the head, a feature that may have helped these animals sense conditions in their marine environment.

Onnia trilobites have been found in locations across Europe, North America, South America and North Africa.

Fossils like this provide a fascinating glimpse into marine ecosystems that flourished long before the first dinosaurs appeared.

Open 9am - 4.30pm 7 days in NSW school holidays
(Closed Wednesday all other weeks)

224 Howick Street Bathurst (next to the Post Office)

28/09/2026

Rhodochrosite on Quartz

In this specimen from Maramureș, Romania, delicate rhodochrosite crystals are displayed against sparkling quartz, producing a striking contrast of colour and texture.

Some of the world's most prized rhodochrosite specimens come from the Maramureș region of Romania. Here, hot mineral-rich fluids moved through fractures deep underground, depositing manganese and other minerals within hydrothermal veins. Over long periods of geological time, rhodochrosite crystals developed alongside quartz, calcite and sulphide minerals, creating the striking mineral associations for which the region is renowned today.

224 Howick St, Bathurst

Open 9am - 4.30pm 7 days in NSW school holiidays
(Close Wednesday other weeks)

25/09/2026

See T.rex in Bathurst

https://museumsbathurst.com.au/australian-fossil-and-mineral-museum-plan-a-visit-2/