The Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum permanently houses the Somerville Collection of fossils and minerals – the lifetime work of Warren Somerville AM – and features some of the finest and rarest specimens of mineral crystals and fossils from around the world.
The collection contains over 5,000 objects and is presented together to give a stronger understanding of the development of life on Earth.
The internationally renowned collection is displayed in two main exhibitions – the Fossil Gallery and the Mineral Gallery.
The Fossil Gallery includes specimens from every major stage of life on Earth. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, a large collection of fossils in amber and unique Australian opalised fossils.
The specimens in the Mineral Gallery of the Somerville Collection come from mine sites around the world, making them historically significant and irreplaceable heritage items. The gallery displays a large diversity of minerals and are of exceptional crystal perfection.
This unique resource has quite literally been billions of years in the making. Explore the natural history of our planet, travel through time in our unique fossil and mineral galleries and experience the wonder of ancient specimens that have been uncovered from deep within the Earth.
The Somerville Collection is in the custodianship of the Australian Museum with the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum managed by Bathurst Regional Council supported by the Somerville Collection Company
