Tailor Made Fossil Trail

Sir David Attenborough Knows

Kangaroo Island, Black Swamp, Flinders Chase National Park

The third largest island off the coast of Australia, Kangaroo Island is an area of outstanding geological features and natural beauty. Black Swamp has preserved the remains of Australia's ancient giants, the megafauna, including a dwarf Zygomaturus, an extinct giant marsupial from Australia.

The Limestone Coast, Naracoorte Caves National Park

South Australia's only World Heritage area, Naracoorte Caves, are a treasure trove of fossil remains. You can see fossils in spectacular caves and 'walk with megafaunain the Wonambi Fossil Centre. Naracoorte Caves has the most complete fossil record of megafauna in Australia spanning at least the past 500 000 years including giant leaf-eating kangaroos, Thylacoleo the marsupial lion, and Wonambi the giant serpent.

The Murraylands, Mannum Fossil Cliffs

Discover a special place of tranquility along the River Murray. View rugged limestone cliffs, ancient red gums and bush wetlands. At Mannum, just over one hour drive from Adelaide, 20 million years of history is revealed in the exposed shell fossils in the cliff face. Nearby the remarkable Shell Hill is a collection of oyster shells, millions of years old.

The Mid North, Red Banks Conservation Park

Baldina Creek has scoured the landscape creating towering red walls of sediment. The park has semi-arid to arid vegetation and is also an important archaeological and megafauna fossil site. Common amongst the fossil remains found here is the giant extinct marsupial Diprotodon australis.

The Flinders Ranges, Brachina Gorge

Discover 600 million years of earth's history including the formation of the ranges and the evolution of early life forms as you experience the 20km self-guided Brachina Gorge geological trail. It is best travelled from east to west commencing at the Brachina Gorge/Blinman road junction.

The Outback, Coober Pedy

The opal capital of the world, with its lunar landscape and underground homes, has an amazing natural history. Plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, ammonites, belemnites and sea shells - all evidence of the vast sea that covered Australia 120 million years ago. These fossil reptiles and sea creatures are unusual, because many of them have been transformed into beautiful opal. Outback Australia is one of the few places in the world where baby pleisiosaur fossils have been found - could it be that they migrated to breed just like whales do today?