Australian Geographic Eromanga Megafauna Dig Expedition

Make your own way to Eulo in preparation for dig starting tomorrow. (If transfers are required, please ask)

Rise and shine for the first day of megafauna paleontology fieldwork! You’ll enjoy a hearty self-serve breakfast at your accommodations and take some time to prepare a sandwich for lunch. We’ll then drive about 20 minutes to the dig site where work will begin around 7:30am. Today there will be an induction where you’ll learn about the location in particular and why the area in Eulo has such incredible preservation of some of Australia’s most impressive Pleistocene megafauna. Once we reach the dig site, you’ll be trained in how to perform paleontological fieldwork alongside a team of experts who will be guiding you along the way over the next five days. You’ll be provided with all the necessary tools and learn the techniques to ensure the bones are properly excavated and protected so they can be transported back to the fossil preparation lab. Each day, we’ll break for tea and lunch. Then at day’s end, we’ll pack up our tools around 5pm and head back to the Shearer’s Quarters to clean up and get ready for dinner at 6:30-7pm. Accommodation: Dig accommodations at the Shearer’s Quarters in Eulo

The sun is up and that means another day searching for the bones of extinct megafauna and microfauna that once roamed Outback Australia. Today, you’ll feel much more comfortable with the excavation process as you dig through lightly-packed dirt searching for bones. Maybe today is the day you find a Diprotodon skull! Clues about the Diprotodon are in its name. DI- means twice, PROTO means first and ODON means tooth. Why such a name? The Diprotodon has two forwardly directed lower incisors that were a distinguishing feature of this animal. And, teeth are harder than bone, which is why teeth from animals from thousands and millions of years ago are more commonly found. In the Diprotodon, the incisors are ever-growing and are important to researchers for a few reasons. During every animal’s life, chemical elements from its diet are incorporated in its bones and teeth. That means the Diprotodon’s incisors can therefore be considered an archive of each animal’s life. All meals, snacks and beverages are provided Accommodation: Dig accommodations at the Shearer’s Quarters in Eulo

Another day, another chance to excavate more fossilized bones! At this point, you may be wondering why this location in Eulo is so rich in fossils. Although fossils of megafauna and microfauna have been found across the continent, there are very few sites that preserve large numbers of specimens. The deposits of megafauna from Eulo represent some of the most concentrated fossil deposits found in open sites in Australia. The site was almost certainly a spring of some kind which drew both megafauna and microfauna. Studies of the microfauna show that there was a unique arid fauna associated with clear and mud spring habits. We learn more every year about the habitat of the area, because the microfauna fossils we find alongside the megafauna fossils have almost no fossil record. Therefore, each fossil found gives us new information about the aquatic and terrestrial environment of tens of thousands of years ago. This is why your work here is of such critical importance. Each fossil you excavate provides us with information about their life and habitat. But you will be rewarded for your contribution with some fun this afternoon! Today after lunch, we’ll be taking a break from digging for bones and go on a hunt for glittery treasures with a trip to the historic Yowah Opal fields. This is home of the famous Yowah Nut—walnut-sized stone concretions with gem quality opal in their centres. We’ll bring tools and accompany you on the search as we split the Yowah nuts in half by cracking or sawing to find the gem opal deposits in the centre. Some of these “nuts” reach up to 20cm across. And save some space in your luggage, because you’ll want the space to take home a piece of outback history. Once our search is complete, we’ll head back to Eulo for dinner and a night around the campfire under the vast Outback sky. Accommodation: Dig accommodations at the Shearer’s Quarters in Eulo

Now that you’ve been excavating for a few days, it’s time to learn how to protect the fossils and ensure they are safe to be transported back to the fossil prep lab in Eromanga. You’ll learn how to “jacket” your fossils in plaster to keep them from breaking during transport. Plaster jacketing is a universal technique, but each paleontologist has different methods that they prefer to use. The fossil is first covered with absorbent paper or foil. Then burlap soaked in plaster is applied to create a hard shell around the fossil. Once the plaster dries, it’s ready for transport. Accommodation: Dig accommodations at the Shearer’s Quarters in Eulo

It’s our last day out in the field and there will be much to do. Today we will focus on collecting and jacketing all of our fabulous fossil finds. We’ll also clean up our site to ensure that we leave nature the way we found it since this area is home to many other living animals who rely on the land to survive. We will carefully transport our fossil treasures back to camp, before heading back to our accommodations this evening. We have truly deserved our dinner and will enjoy another evening in great company, sharing stories, food and laughter. Accommodation: Dig accommodations at the Shearer’s Quarters in Eulo

Our time digging up giant extinct marsupials has come to an end. After our final breakfast in the field, make your own way to the Eromanga Natural History Museum. (4-hour drive) Upon arrival, you’ll check into the beautiful Coopers Country Lodge, a modern, luxurious oasis in an exclusive outback setting with close views of native flora and fauna including birds, kangaroos and lizards. After lunch in the Museum, you’ll join a private tour of the museum where you will have access to original type specimens of fossils housed at the museum. This includes the very best preserved Diprotodon specimen ever found at Eulo, nicknamed “Kenny.” You’ll also meet Australotitan cooperensis or more commonly known as Cooper, the largest dinosaur to have ever been found in Australia. The bones of Australotitan are the largest bones of any dinosaur so far discovered in Australia, which makes them the largest bones of any animal to have walked the Australian continent. Following the tour, you’re in for a treat! Join museum staff and local landowners for delightful drinks at twilight and a catered dinner offsite at the sand dunes before retiring to your accommodations. Accommodation: Coopers Country Lodge, Eromanga

Today, breakfast will be found in the larder at your accommodations where you can enjoy an array of beverages, cereals, and pastries. Then at 9am, it’s straight to the fossil prep lab within the Eromanga Natural History Museum. Here, you’ll have more hands-on fossil work by learning how to prepare fossils in this world class prep lab. This process reveals the fossils’ full scientific information or to make them look attractive for displays. It’s an incredible opportunity to contribute to the development of the most recent, significant dinosaur, megafauna, and arid microfauna fossil collections in Australia. The Eromanga Museum’s experienced Fossil Technicians will guide you through the stages of fossil preparation. Trained by experts at the ENHM and Queensland Museum, our technicians have worked on the ENHM digs and in the laboratories for many years. Our workday and paleontology duties end at about 4:30. This evening, relax and enjoy a 5-course Farewell Dinner in the museum as we wind down our incredible fossil dig experience. You’ll sleep one final night at Cooper’s Country Lodge in Eromanga.

The tour finishes after breakfast.