Monday 26 February 2024

2024 dig - it's a wrap!

 Once again we are at the end of another successful dig! We:

  • determined that the Eagles Nest site is not a deep rich vein and is better suited to prospecting than quarrying;
  • discovered that Twin Reefs is a great new site with enough good rock to dig for a few more years (a special call-out to Melissa for finding it!);
  • catalogued 114 bones/teeth, 1 set of fish scales and 5 plants;
  • uncovered several vertebra in association, something that did not happen at Flat Rocks.

Some visualisations of our bone counts:
Total number of bones found by day



Bones from our two dig sites by day


We have a lot of people to thank this season.
Firstly, we acknowledge the Bunurong Land Council, the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we lived and worked, for their generosity in allowing us to uncover prehistory of the lands they have watched over for millennia. Always was, always will be.
We also acknowledge Parks Victoria and ranger Brian Martin for trusting us to protect the beautiful Bass Coast beaches upon which we collect.
But mostly we want to thank our team of volunteers, for doing all of the jobs that needed doing, through storms, wind, power outages and crazy hot days. A special thanks for their cheerfulness through all the jobs that didn't seem like fun:
  • enthusiastically volunteering to carry rock and equipment up a lot of stairs;
  • leaping up to do the washing up after dinner;
  • breaking up that terrible rock that John found in Lesley's shed; and
  • scrubbing our dig house clean on the last day.

New rocksaw queens

With the purchase of our new battery-powered circular saw (fitted with a specialist diamond-tipped blade), we thought it was time to train up some new rocksaw wielders. Here are Fotini and Amber showing off their new mad skills at site.

Fotini

Amber

Sunday 25 February 2024

Photos from Jack

 

Sunset from the back yard

Cute little toe that Jack found

Crew at site

What an office!

Ruairidh, Jake and Jack

Ruairidh and Jake removing the turtle that Melissa found

Plant fossils on a rock

Corrie heading out to the hole



In the back yard

Corrie and Alan working hard

… still working hard

… working hard as Adam strides past

Alan inspecting a rock

Some evening talks - photos by Jack and Jade.

 

Mammal hair by Fotini. Photo by Jack.

Theropods by Jake. Photo by Jack.

Mystery bone by Ruairidh. Photo by Jack.

Animating Siderops in 3D by Jack. Photo by Jade.

Trilobite Segments by Alyssa. Photo by Jack.

Photos from Fotini

 

Twin Reefs

Sunrise over Flat Rocks

John W working


Mary tapping away

Stunning place to work

The crew working



Back yard rock breaking 

Back yard rock breaking

Crew at site

The crew

Alan and Jack

 

Wearing matching outfits to reenact last years “Inverloch Gothic” pose…

Twin Reefs video from Fotini