Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum

Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum Situated in the heart of Bathurst, the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is the home of the internationally renowned Somerville Collection.
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The Somerville Collection is the lifetime work of Warren Somerville and features some of the finest and rarest examples of minerals and fossils in the world. It is housed in the 1876 Public School building which underwent major refurbishment before being fitted out with stunningly beautiful exhibitions.

BranchiosaurusThe name Branchiosaurus literally means "gill lizard," referring to their external gills, Branchiosauru...
04/09/2026

Branchiosaurus

The name Branchiosaurus literally means "gill lizard," referring to their external gills, Branchiosaurus was a small temnospondyl amphibian, a group of early tetrapods that flourished long before the dinosaurs appeared.

Fossils of Branchiosaurus have been found in central Europe, particularly in Germany, where exceptional preservation has allowed palaeontologists to investigate growth stages, anatomy, and the development of early amphibians. It’s thought that some specimens may represent juvenile stages of larger amphibians.

This beautifully preserved fossil dates to the Early Permian, approximately 290 million years ago.

Image: Amphibian, Branchiosaurus, Oderheim, Germany, Permian

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

03/09/2026

Need a gift for the old fossil?
Don’t panic - we’ve got you covered.

Old Fossil T-shirt may do the trick.
How about something out of this world like a meteorite?
A fossil fish?
Whizmos and gizmos?
You can’t go wrong with socks!

Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum Shop
224 Howick Street
Bathurst
Open 9am-4.30pm
Closed Wednesday

31/08/2026

It’s like magic!

The secret behind Labradorite’s stunning glow is a scientific phenomenon called labradorescence. When light hits the microscopic layers inside the stone, it scatters and reflects back to your eyes in brilliant flashes of blue, green, yellow, and purple.

These spectacular new specimens just arrived in the museum shop and could be yours.

The museum is open 9am-4.30pm 6 days, closed Wednesday
224 Howick Street, Bathurst

29/08/2026

A hidden gem

The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is open 6 days 9am-4.30pm, closed Wednesday.
224 Howick Street, Bathurst

Some dinosaurs ate fruit!During the Cretaceous (145-66 Ma), flowering plants, (angiosperms), which produce seeds enclose...
28/08/2026

Some dinosaurs ate fruit!

During the Cretaceous (145-66 Ma), flowering plants, (angiosperms), which produce seeds enclosed within fruits, evolved and diversified into the ancestors of many of the plant groups we recognise. These include including grasses, herbs, roses, gums, and fruit-bearing trees.

Seeds preserved in the stomach contents of an avian dinosaur called Jeholornis, which lived about 120 million years ago, provide some of the earliest evidence of fruit-eating in birds. Scientists suggest that Jeholornis likely swallowed fruits whole and helped disperse seeds, contributing to the spread of early fruit-bearing plants across the landscape

Image: Fig, Ficus ceratops, Cretaceous 145-66 Ma

The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum is open 6 days 9am-4.30pm, closed Wednesday.
224 Howick Street, Bathurst


Living fossils in bloom Another member of the ancient Proteaceae lineage is thriving in our courtyard. This flowering gr...
27/08/2026

Living fossils in bloom

Another member of the ancient Proteaceae lineage is thriving in our courtyard. This flowering grevillea has attracted the attention of a native honeyeater, highlighting the important relationship between Australian plants and wildlife.

The grevillea genus diverged from the Proteaceae family approximately 53 to 68 million years ago and has evolved into more than 360 species.

The living fossils project is supported byt he Friends of The Australian Fossil Museum Bathurst NSW Australia.

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


25/08/2026



Mold and cast trilobite

The mold: the mold forms first when an organism is covered by sediment and decays, leaving an imprint of the original trilobite.

The cast: the empty cavity is then filled minerals rich water or sediment and which hardens over time to form the 3D cast fossil, replacing the original organic material.

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

Ancient, bioluminescent, weird and wonderful: The Brittlestar With well over 2000 current living species, brittlestars ...
22/08/2026

Ancient, bioluminescent, weird and wonderful: The Brittlestar

With well over 2000 current living species, brittlestars evolved about 480 million years ago. The oldest brittlestar fossils date back to the early Ordovician period.

To escape from predators, brittlestars can voluntarily break off their own arms as a distraction while they flee. It then only takes a few weeks to completely regenerate the lost limb!

AND over 60 species of brittlestar are bioluminescent, glowing in the dark depths of the ocean.

Instead of crawling, they "row" using their long, flexible arms to wriggle across the sea floor.

Their unique mouth features five jaws and is used for both ingestion and egestion (eating and waste removal)!

Like all echinoderms, they have a calcified skeleton. However, unlike regular starfish, their central disc is completely separated from their limbs.

Image: Ophiopetra lithographica, Sohlnhoffen, Bavaria, Germany, Jurassic, 201-145 Ma

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



17/08/2026

Happy Science Week

This year the theme is Seeds of Science, so here is a glimpse of our Living Fossil courtyard. Just waiting for spring.

Bathurst’s hidden gemVisit today. You will be amazed.Australian Fossil a Mineral Museum224 Howick StreetBathurst Open 9a...
14/08/2026

Bathurst’s hidden gem

Visit today. You will be amazed.

Australian Fossil a Mineral Museum
224 Howick Street
Bathurst

Open 9am-4.30pm 6 days. Closed Wednesday.

# unexpectedlybathurst

Address

224 Howick Street
Bathurst, NSW
2795

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+61263382860

Website

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