News from the Museum | Exhibitions & Events | School Holiday Program

NAIDOC Week 2004

Today, NAIDOC celebrations continue to give Australia’s Indigenous people the opportunity to display the richness of their culture and heritage to the rest of the Australian community.

Help celebrate NAIDOC week at the South Australian Museum - download the program of events here.

For more information about the program contact the Indigenous Information Centre on 8207 7410

Oldest Chordate Fossil

The world’s oldest known fossil chordate, from the Ediacara biota of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, is now at the South Australian Museum.

This tiny, 6 cm-long fossil is the body mould of the first known animal from the phylum to which vertebrates belong. Chordates share such characteristics as a head, gill slits, dorsal fin, stiffening rod (notochord) and serial sets of body muscles. This phylum includes all animals with backbones (vertebrates) as well as sea-squirts (tunicates) and lancelets in that they show these structures early in the development of the embryo.

This fossil was found by Ross Fargher, four years ago, on the western side of the Flinders Ranges. It is a member of the oldest known group of complex animals, the Ediacara Biota, first described from Ediacara Hills by the late Dr Reg. Sprigg. The presence of fossils of soft corals, sponges, molluscs and sea stars has led to the description of a new geological period, the Ediacaran. The layered rocks of the Flinders Ranges, spanning 600 - 543 million years before the present, will be the global reference for the Ediacaran Period when ratified in 2004. They are followed by the rocks of the Cambrian Period when fossils with shells, spines and scales first became common.

Annual Report available

Treasures From The Collections

A new permanent self-discovery trail highlighting some of the icon priceless treasures drawn from the more than 6 million objects which the South Australian Museum holds within its collections.

Ten treasures, each rare and unique. They are State and National treasures yours to enjoy.

Take a walk “In The Footsteps of Time” and absorb the fascinating stories each icon item has to tell – truly a vibrant window to the past.

Enjoy this journey as we unveil the first treasures on Saturday 29 March
2003.

Master Blackburn’s Whip
This is the only documented wooden artefact anywhere in the world from the First Fleet’s encounter with the Aboriginal people.

Benin Bronze
Amongst the rarest and most valuable African items in the Museum’s collections representing the pinnacle of West African state art developed between 12th and 19th century.

Wyrie Swamp Boomerang
The world’s oldest known wooden boomerangs having lain perfectly preserved in a peat bog for 10,000 years. Excavated from the Wyrie Swamp, South Australia in 1973.

Egyptian Column
The column is one of six excavated in 1891 at Nenneswet, 120km south of Cairo. One of perhaps eight identical columns which supported the portico of the Great Temple of Herishef erected by Ramesses II in the 13th Century BC.

Addyman Plesiosaur
(Origin Energy Fossil Gallery)
A 120 million year old opalised fossil from Australia’s own age of dinosaurs. It contains stunning opal and represents a new species but can not be named because important parts of the skeleton are missing.

Mawsons puffometer
(Science Centre)
This puffometer was built and used by Mawson on his Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-14). It was used to measure the strength of gusts of wind at the 'windiest place in the world'. Mawson was carrying it when he was caught in a gust, becoming airborne, causing irrepairable damage to the instrument and bruising the handler!

Meteorite(main foyer)
The Mundrabilla Meteorite is the largest meteorite from South Australia weighing in at 1145kg it was found in the Western Australian side of the Nullarbor.

BUT there is one more treasure – the most precious treasure of all.

WATER!

The indispensable source of life-without water there would be no industry, no agriculture and, most importantly of all, no life. In dry South Australia this essential commodity is even more precious. Almost all human actions involve water from taking a shower to reading a newspaper to driving a car or simply eating a sandwich - almost everything we do or touch is somehow related to this precious treasure We ask that you stop and think how you use water and what you can do to conserve this essential natural resource.

This new project is proudly supported by

www.catchments.net

www.watercare.net