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Next meeting on October 16th @6.30pm. We are going back in time for dinner.

Hi Everyone,
Now we are able to meet outdoors, in groups of ten (plus me - the organiser) or less - lets do it!
In the Sentinel Times on September 16, there was an article about the Koonwarra road works and the Koonwarra fossil beds which are part of the Black Spur Creek wetlands project area.
In case you didn't see it here is a quote from the article (the full article is here https://sgst.com.au/2020/09/new-road-to-old-discoveries)

"Discovered in 1961 when road gang workers were, coincidentally, straightening and widening a section of the South Gippsland Highway, the Koonwarra Fossil Bed is, in the words of palaeontologist and Post-Doctoral Researcher at Swinburne University of Technology, Dr Stephen Poropat, “Konservat-Lagerstatte” – a site which preserved fossils in both exceptional abundance and exceptional quality.

And he, for one, is excited by the prospect of learning more from the immediate area.

“We can learn a lot from Koonwarra if we study it more and move more rock to find more fossils,” Stephen told the Sentinel-Times last week.

“If we find fossils of animals and plants other than those already represented in the fauna, we’ll be able to fill in many gaps in our knowledge.”

Stephen, who has written extensively about the site and was a part of the most recent dig in 2018, said there was no other Cretaceous fossil site like Koonwarra in Australia, and few like it in the Southern Hemisphere.

“To have such fantastic preservation of fossil insects and other arthropods in particular is unusual and has shed light on the evolutionary history of many groups still with us today,” he said.

“But it is also important because it preserves the only Cretaceous fossil feathers in Australia, the geologically youngest horseshoe crab in Australia (Victalimulus mcqueeni), one of the oldest fossil flowers anywhere in the world, the wonderful fossil flea Tarwinia australis (one of the oldest fleas known), and the only syncaridan crustaceans known from Australia between the oldest ones (~200 million years old, if I remember correctly; they are definitely Triassic) and those still living in Tasmania.”

This looked interesting especially as we are vitally invested in this area, as it is the site of our Black Spur Creek Wetlands project.
I invited Steve (that's him below) to a Zoom meeting to talk to us about the fossils and potential for more discoveries. He agreed and we will be zooming with Steve from 7.00pm
YOU CAN ZOOM INTO THE FOSSIL TALK FROM ANYWHERE YOU LIKE, BUT WE WILL BE DOING A PUBLIC SCREENING IN THE MEENIYAN SQUARE FOR PEOPLE TO COME ALONG FOR A FACE TO FACE MEETING. Please book a zoom ticket and let me (Jill) know if you are coming in person. vella@dcsi.net.au


There are lots of food options in Meeniyan for take away, so we can have a meal and have a discussion about fossils. (thanks to the Meeniyan Square owners who are allowing us to use the undercover facility and the electricity) If the weather is awful, we can all stay home and Zoom from the comfort of our own living rooms!
Because a free Zoom account is quite limited, I asked my work if we could use their account. So we will be zooming through the Inverloch Community House Zoom and Booking system. We will be inviting their members to join in as well.
Details are below
 
Book zoom tickets for the event

Bird Monitoring

We went on an ad hoc bird monitoring walk last week and saw plenty of birds and a platypus!
This critter was swimming at a very fast rate down the Tarwin at the apple tree wetlands river crossing.
We posted a video on Facebook (not Oscar winning material I'm afraid - but there you go. Michael asked me why I posted a video of a crocodile. Oh well)  We also saw a boy koala (he was quite vocal) up a gum tree. Quite a day for seeing things.
The next bird walk is wed 21st October @5.00pm

Take away dining options in Meeniyan.

Moos is offering takeaway burgers and a small list of specials from the Meeniyan Pantry. 5664 0010 to order. They will be moving back to the restaurant mid October but the phone number remains the same. https://www.moosatmeeniyan.com.au/
Trulli Pizza has take away pizzas from the restaurant, phone 5664 7397 or check out https://trullipizzeria.com.au/ and order online.
The Meeniyan pub does takeaway. Phone 5664 7203 to place your order and go to https://meeniyanhotel.com.au/ to check out the menu.
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