It has to be one of Canberra's most under-rated tourist attractions - Geoscience Australia. Squirreled away in their HQ near the corner of Hindmarsh Drive and Jerrabomberra Avenue in Symonston are some of most extraordinary Australian geological wonders.
During a recent visit, my first in almost two years, I was surprised to discover two new treasures on display, both of which are out of this world. Literally.
Lunar touchstone
When Steven Petkovski first became GA's curator, he quickly same to terms with what visitors really wanted. "The two most common questions I was asked were "Have you got any kryptonite and do you have a piece of the moon?"
While sourcing a chunk of kryptonite was a bridge too far even for GA, Steven started on the next best thing, a plan to acquire a piece of Earth's only natural satellite.
Initially Steven's request was for a standard rock sample, so when NASA agreed to loan him a lunar touchstone, one of only 11 in the world, Steven was ecstatic. In fact, some might say he was over the moon (sorry!).
"It's fantastic that visitors can connect to the moon in this way," explains Steven, referring to the fact that so many other samples of the moon in museums, including the piece held by the National Archives of Australia here in Canberra, are either locked away in secure cabinets or can't be handled.
"It was collected during the 17th and final Apollo manned mission in December 1972," explains Steven as he stands proudly by the black-coloured rock, officially known as sample #70215.
My first reaction is that it's not the right colour. The moon is white, isn't it? Apparently not.
"Aha, it's the brightness of the moon which makes us see the lighter colours when we look at it from Earth," explains Steven.
While the journey of sample #70215 from the US to Symonston went smoothly, the same can't be said of the moment it was plucked, as part of a bigger rock, from the moon's surface by Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, the only geologist to visit the moon back in '72.
"If you read the transcript between Schmitt and his Commander, as Schmitt went to pick it up he accidentally kicked the dark-coloured 8kg (which would have weighed about 3kg on the moon) chunk of basalt underneath the rover," reveals Steven.
"While retrieving the kicked rock, Schmitt was asked by the Commander if he could check the oil and transmission while under the rover," adds Steven.
"Since it was put on display here at GA, I've touched it thousands of times," confesses Steven, who rates acquiring the rock as a career highlight and has "even thought of getting a tattoo of 70215". Really.
"As to the visitors, yes they love it but, many kids still ask if we have any kryptonite," he laughs.
Magical Meteorite
The second treasure took a much different, but equally remarkable route from outer space to Symonston.
When prospectors Paul McRae and John Miller found an unusual 25kg rock while fossicking for gold in July 2016 near Georgetown in Queensland, they knew they'd discovered something special.
However it wasn't until Paul pulled up in the GA carpark with the rock strapped to the back of his car that they realised they'd discovered a 4.5-billion-year-old treasure originating from the asteroid belt. Really!
"We often get people telling us they have a meteorite and can we look at it, but 99 times out of 100 they aren't meteorites," explains Steven, who had low expectations when meeting Paul in the car park last year.
But that soon changed, when along with colleague Peter Butler, Steven went out to check out the find, which was too heavy to bring into the building.
"Looking at the unique textures we immediately knew they had the real deal, a super rare iron-nickel meteorite only found in six other locations in world, four of which are in Antarctica," explains Steven.
Unlike the lunar touchstone, you can't touch the meteorite, but you can eyeball the extraordinary textures which Steven reckons resembles "a beautiful artwork".
It'd be valuable art work at that, for the two lucky Queensland prospectors pocketed $200,000 for their find, with GA acquiring their discovery through a special grant.
Apparently the prospecting pair could have made a lot more money if they split the rock into pieces, but they wanted it to be used for science and education. Great to hear.
"By acquiring this very rare specimen, we can ensure it is available to scientific researchers to make new discoveries about the origins of the solar system, as well as to inspire and educate the viewing public," says Steven.
So what did the two prospectors do with their unexpected windfall? An exotic holiday? Far from it. When your akubra-clad columnist caught up with Paul earlier this week, he was about to head bush again with John hoping to find yet another piece of the same meteorite with, you guessed it, their brand new metal detectors!
Check it out: Geoscience Australia's public areas are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5 pm, with the exception of public holidays. More than 700 of the most impressive specimens from the National Mineral & Fossil Collection are on display in the foyer. Admission is free, and there is free parking.
Did You Know? If you think you may have found a meteorite, there is a check-list you can fill in on the Geoscience Australia website at ga.gov.au. For other inquiries please contact ClientServices@ga.gov.au.
Chinese artefacts discovered at Lake George
Not all mysterious discoveries originate from outer space like John and Paul's $200,000 meteorite. Michael Hermes of Ainslie, this column's resident finder of all things peculiar in our region, has uncovered yet another curiosity.
Back in 2011, Michael found some dentures stuck in the mud at Lake George, which according to the ACT Forensic Dentist, probably fell out of their owner's mouth while sailing on the lake in the 1960s. Then early last year he dug up a century-old cricket belt buckle in a paddock near Crace which now takes pride of place in the Hall School House & Heritage Centre. More recently, with the help of readers of this column, former Canberran John Butz, now of Brisbane, was reunited with a 50-year-old baby photo that fell out of a book that Michael bought at a Lifeline Bookfair. This time Michael needs your help to identify something a little more exotic.
While gold prospecting at a site remote of any buildings but near a 19th-century road alignment in bush near Lake George, Michael stumbled on three exotic bronze artefacts.
"I think they are emblems of rank for officers in a Chinese army and maybe 200 to 300 years old," he explains, adding "they seem to represent koi fish".
A Chinese friend advises Michael that the artefacts were probably originally issued in pairs and were worn on a sash around the waist. "They are also slightly curved so that they could sit snugly on the knee," reports Michael, who would love to hear from anyone who can shed any further light on their provenance.
"I'm sure one of your readers has probably written a post-grad thesis on them!" he exclaims. "The extra puzzle for me is how did they end up in a remote patch of bush east of Canberra?"
C'mon, we can't let him down, can we?
WHERE IN THE REGION?
Cryptic Clue: You can bank on it
Degree of difficulty: Hard
Last week: Congratulations to Leigh Palmer of Isaacs who was first to correctly identify last week's photo as the Bombala Bridge at Bombala. Leigh just beat Kathryn Topham, who lived in the old timber town for a few years when her dad was the local cop. Bombala is an easy two-hour drive from Canberra, through countryside which after recent rain is looking the best it has in years. Don't miss the Bombala Platypus Reserve with its viewing platform out over the river. It's about 5km out of town.
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to tym@iinet.net.au. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday June 5, 2021, wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.
SIMULACRA CORNER
On a recent walk up Mt Ginini, David Evans of Fadden got the fright of his life when he sat down with his wife Robyn to rest their weary legs and enjoy a bite to eat. "There, staring back at us was the face of an animal," muses David. "I still can't identify it! Looks a bit like Edvard Munch's painting The Scream, what do you think?''
Before leaving the lofty peak, David asked his wife to take a photo of himself pretending to ski in the same spot he did almost 52 years ago. This column loves receiving now and then photos. Can you beat 52 years?
CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.
