Woolshed Creek Fossil Hunting Guide

Location of Fossil Site

District of Majura, Division of Pialligo, and land in the Fairbairn Avenue road reservation. The fossil site is in and adjacent to Woolshed Creek near Woolshed Creek Bridge on Fairbairn Avenue between Majura Road and Morshead Drive Pialligo.

Fossil Collecting

You can hunt for fossils here, but can't remove rock from the site.

Canberra Formation Fossil Sites preserve Silurian marine fossils (approximately 420 million years old) found throughout Australia's capital city. The sites, including Woolshed Creek, were restored and upgraded in 2017 to improve access and interpretation.

The Canberra Formation consists of widespread mudstone and siltstone beds containing diverse marine fossils. Key fossils include Eurypterus (a sea scorpion recovered from a drilling specimen from the Treasury Building, now in the Canberra Public Collection), brachiopods, and corals found with associated fauna. The Gravicalymene coppinsensis trilobite is endemic to the Canberra region. The deposits represent an original coral reef environment.

The Yarralumla Formation contains the brachiopod Retziella capricornis, found at Westbourne Woods, Gossan Hill, Yarramundi Reach, and Black Mountain Peninsula. The Pittman Formation includes sites at Red Hill, O'Connor, Green, Lawson, Giralang, Gungahlin Hill, and Queanbeyan where rare brachiopods, conodonts, and sponges are preserved in syncline cores.

The National Rock Garden at Geoscience Australia features large fossiliferous Canberra Formation blocks displayed as part of a geological exhibition.

Geological Setting

The Canberra Formation represents marine mudstone and siltstone deposited on an ancient seafloor during the Silurian period. Fossiliferous densely packed layers formed from accumulation of shell beds and reef-building organisms.

Ancient Climate

The Silurian climate was generally warm and tropical, with high sea levels covering much of what is now southeastern Australia. Coral reefs and diverse marine life thrived in the shallow seas.