Just a short drive from the centre of Melbourne sits the City of Bayside. With charming suburbs like Brighton and Hampton, this waterfront destination is more than its picturesque beaches. It's also a treasure trove for fossils and home to one of the most important fossil sites in all of Australia.
Buried beneath Bayside's seafloor and scattered along its shores, prehistoric fossils dating back 5-6 million years have been unearthed. This evolutionary melting pot has revealed ancient whale bones, giant birds with a seven metre wingspan, monstrous sharks half as long as a basketball court and even predatory sperm whales.
Explore Bayside’s prehistoric past at a free exhibition landing at Bayside Gallery in Brighton Town Hall from June 29 to August 25. Bring the kids along these school holidays for family-friendly activities taking place in July. Join a shadow puppeting session at Shadow Beasts on July 4-6; reconstruct the historic beasts at the Flesh and Bones Drawing Activity on July 10-12; create your own prehistoric cartoon creature at the Kids Workshop on July 27 and stick around for the Advanced Cartoon Drawing Workshop on straight after.
Head down for Curator Talks on August 24 or hear from a line-up of experts for Science Week Panel Discussion August 17. Any budding palaeontologists can get up close and personal with fossil finds or have their own discovery assessed at Fossil Roadshow on August 17. Plus, teachers can treat their students to to an up-close experience with fossils led by a palaeontologist during National Science Week.
This family-friendly exhibition is brought to you by Bayside City Council and open on Wednesday to Fridays from 11am to 5pm and Saturday and Sundays from 1pm to 5pm. Be sure to check out the website, as some events require a ticket.