I chanced on Woolshed Creek at the weekend. Its on the ACT Heritage Place register. These special rocks were formed 420 million years ago during the Silurian Period when this region was a warm shallow sea. Imbedded in the grey mud stone are the fossilised remains of sedentry marine animals, mainly Brachiopods. During the Devonion and Carboniferous the rocks were pushed to near verticle and exposed for us to view today. If you haven’t found a fossil in the wild, then it is worth a visit.
The signage on site tells us that the Reverend WB Clarke, c. 1851 discovered the significance of the fossils, being that they are the first Silurian age fossils found in Australia. The old sign attached to the the road bridge dissecting the site, asks us to “preserve this historic site by leaving the outcrops intact. ”
You can see the entry track to the site from the intersection of Morshead Drive and Fairbairn Ave, Pialligo, on the left before the bridge.
I cant help but think that the history of the site has been left incomplete.
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