La1 Lara - Duck Ponds Fossil Marsupial Fauna

This information has been developed from the publications:

Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne (1986) by Neville Rosengren
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren.
Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Shire of Otway (1984) by Neville Rosengren.

Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage (external link) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location

Lara - 725864. Former Shire of Corio. Melbourne - Geelong railway viaduct over Hovells Creek.

LA1,2,3 - Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance

Access

Station Lake Road.

Ownership

Crown land.

Site Description

Excavations for the railway viaduct foundations over Hovells Creek (then called Duck Ponds Creek) in 1875, revealed mammal bones at depth of 6 to 14 m in sediments underlying the Lara limestone. The specimens, including incisor tusks, molars, or skeletal remains of Diprotodon, Thylacoleo, Protemnodon and Macropus, are considered to be of Early to Middle Pleistocene age. The sediments are not exposed above surface level.

Significance

State. The faunal assemblage is a major collection of Pleistocene macro-fossils.

Management

Class 3. The site can only be recovered by deep excavations at the site by railways authorities should be undertaken with the assistance of appropriate bodies with palaeontological expertise, eg - staff of the museum, geological survey, and tertiary educations institutes.

References

Wilkinson, H.E. (1972). The Duck Ponds Fossil Marsupial Fauna, Hovell's Creek, Lara, Victoria. Memoirs Nat. Mus. Vic. 33:41-46.

This page contains material sourced from the Victorian Resources Online (VRO) website, originally published by the State Government of Victoria.

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