Utilising Ulladulla’s many Natural Resources to Develop Geotourism

What the Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk Volunteers have achieved since 2012?

Where’s Ulladulla?

Bathurst

UlladullaUlladulla

At the centre of Shoalhaven Shire

Sydney Basin 1: 500K Geology Sheet

What features make Shoalhaven UNIQUE? • Coastal location• Spectacular Landscape• Ease of access• Geology• World class Fossils

View across Ulladulla Harbour North Head to Warden Head

Ulladulla’s Backdrop

Escarpment and rugged wilderness carved by Rivers

Access - Harbour is on Princes Highway

Deposited in cold water on Gondwana’s coast from ~295Ma to 265Ma ago

Sedimentary rock sequence in the ShoalhavenBerry Siltstone Siltstone with [<550m thick] minor sandstone

Richly fossiliferous

Sea flooded eroded basement

Rock hardness has controlled Landscape

Ulladulla rock platforms

Guided Fossil Walk

Geological Time WalkFossil Centre

Extent of Shoalhaven Grouphosting abundant marine fossils

Features:- Many National Parks 2 Marine Parks Clyde & Shoalhaven RiversCoastal lakes/esturaries

Ulladulla Harbour Fossil Walk Needed catchy name

Ulladulla

Gerroa

DurrasThe Gondwana Coast

Our Logo

The logo’s elements:- Circular shape defines

the Gondwana Coast Green symbolises many

& varied National Parks Red symbolises route of

Princes Highway Blue shell symbolises

marine fossils on the Gondwana Coast

Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk IncCurrent Projects to expand Geotourism

• Brodie Park Time Walk– Showcases geological history of South Coast

• Fossil Centre– FREE display of museum quality local and Australian

fossils• Fossil Discovery Trail for 1o and 2o school groups

How many Time Walks are there in the World?

Many one-off special event Time Walks - offered only one day per year

Guided Walk through TimeHallett Cove SA

Permanent set ups - RARE

• Britain has one• USA has 3• Australia has 2; Ulladulla will become the 3rd

British Geological Survey Time Walkin Keyworth, Nottingham (Est. 2012)

• Britain’s 3.3Bn history in 130m path• Not to scale• Uses large boulders – one from Outer Hebrides• Generous quarry and tile sponsorship

Glossy leaflet

Boulder and Tile descriptions in Leaflet

Briscoe Geology Park in Elementary School – Ashland OR

• Geology Park has 3 different Time Walks– Earth Walk covers 4.6Bn yrs in 20m– Life Walk covers 541Ma in 60m– Human Walk covers last 50K yrs in 8m

Established in 2009

Mt Diablo, CALIFORNIA - Geological Time Trail

Officially opened 2008 • Trail has 20 descriptive signs• Trail is > 10kms long• Trail rises ~900m

• Trail goes from youngest to oldest

Journeys through 180Ma of geological time

Grand Canyon Trail of Time – est. 2012

Grand Canyon Time TrailCovers 4.6Bn in 4.6km

Grand Canyon Time Trail

Grand Canyon Time TrailDescends ~1.3km and trail is >5km long

Age of Fishes Museum - Time Walk (est. 2006) Focus is on Evolution of Life

Dr Alex Ritchie’s Geological Period Signs

Boulders from all over Australia

Geoscience Australia - Australian Geological Time Walk

Covers Earth’s 4.6Bn history in 1.15km

Geoscience Australia’s Building

The Ulladulla Time Walk

• Theme is 510Ma history of South Coast– Uses >30 boulders placed chronologically and to scale

along 255m path• Scale 1 metre = 2Ma; or (Primary student’s pace = 1Ma)• 50 words on cast bronze plaques describe each boulder

• Parallel theme - evolution of life on Earth– A3 size laser etched signs for each geological period

with images of animals and plants– Bronze strips across path record the 5 major mass

extinction events

First Boulders placed to Scale

Work commenced in Oct 2013

Small gardens - flexible edge strips

Mulch was organic – pine chips

Planting has begun

Changed to matching rock mulches

Ferricrete; Limestone; Silcretein garden bed with quality edging

Earth’s 5 Major Mass Extinctions

Inlaid 2 metre long Bronze strips record each event

Will seek sponsors for funding shortfall

Our Fossil Centre – Heritage Cottage (c1850)

Former Tenant - “The Tea House”

That concludes my presentationThank you

There’ll be plenty of time to answer your questions in the panel discussion