Australia Day, 26th January 2023
I have hit the ground running!
What have I done that has really brought me joy. What has really floated my boat! What has stopped me in my tracks and made me really think about the story behind a scenario. What mysteries remain unsolved. Where would my skills and passions best be used. Where could I be the most help?
Lancefield……
I love Lancefield! I love the mystery surrounding the swamp. I love the memories I have of digging in this swamp and finding evidence of the Megafauna that once grazed our rugged landscape around 80,000 years ago! The mystery still remains…… what caused this huge deposit of fossils of these giant animals to be located in a concentrated area in Lancefield. Was it a catastrophic environmental event? Was it something else? It’s like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. There is work to be done, Watson!!!
In 2016 we embarked on a digging program to unearth more of these mysteries. Unfortunately, since that time, bags and bags and bags of dirt remain waiting to be sieved, picked, identified and catalogued. It’s been 7 years and I need to remember all the details behind these mysteries, as well as all the geology and paleontology facts and lessons. Some research, lots of reading and practice will be required.
So, having contacted My Long Suffering Mentor out of no where for the last five years (poor woman can never be left alone!) an agreement is starting to be drawn up involving new data sets, old sediment, and a drone! I am rereading scientific papers gathering evidence, theory and opinions, as well as going back over skills long neglected in the effort to sieve every last bit of dirt in order to perhaps fill in the gaps of the megafauna mystery.
With my trusty Triumph motorbike, and the Long Suffering Husband who flew the drone, we embarked on a day trip to Lancefield, Victoria in order to perform a “Lawnmower sweep” of the Lancefield swamp. Since the last time we did this there has been some very extreme weather phenomena in the area, so to be able to compare the footage we took 7 years ago to today’s footage will hopefully reveal some evidence which hopefully could be considered essential in the field of Paleoclimatology. The more data sets we can establish, the more evidence we can authenticate.
Plus it was just a lot of fun and a lovely motorbike ride on a beautiful day! Riding through the hills and valleys of central Victoria, the periodic smells of wild blackberries, eucalyptus and lemon with the intermingled roadkill, made for a very pleasant day broken up with country bakeries, pots of tea and a bonza of an aussie burger at the Lancefield Pub to celebrate Australia Day.
And now the real fun begins! Research and revisiting history as every rock tells a story. We just need to listen closely…..