Antony Perry and Marcus Butler
17 November 2016: A nondescript area of land 450 kilometres north of Canberra is believed to be the site of a prehistoric freshwater lake with great potential to be the resting place of Australia’s first early bird relative.
The piece of land, located close to the New South Wales town of Gulgong, has captured the attention of Michael Frese, an assistant professor of science at the University of Canberra.
Dr Frese specialises in virology, but he’s also passionate about his pastime – finding fossils – for which he developed a love after immigrating to Australia from Germany in 2006.
Dr Frese first visited the site four years ago with a group of paleontologists from the Australian Museum and CSIRO and has since participated in several excavations there. He helped to uncover a number of important fossils – including some fishes that are among the best-preserved specimens unearthed at the site.
According to Dr Frese, the group of paleontologists is on the cusp of an even greater find.
“The Jurassic rocks we’re finding are about 150 million years old and contain spectacular fish fossils as well as the remains of many plants and insects,” Dr Frese said.
“This suggests that the area was once a freshwater lake surrounded by lush vegetation. The rocks we’re digging up have everything it takes to preserve land animals that were either blown or washed into the lake.
“What we’d like to uncover is a bird, but one that straddles the link between dinosaurs and modern-day birds, something like an Archaeopteryx, which is regarded as a transitional species between terrestrial and flying dinosaurs.
“Sooner or later, we will find a dinosaur and perhaps even one with wings and feathers.”
The digs involve up to a dozen people and last a few days, usually over a weekend, and are done a few times each year.
They begin with the excavation of a site and end with scientists carefully splitting rocks and meticulously brushing dirt off the remains of ancient animals.
Together with his close friend, Dr Rolf Oberprieler from the CSIRO, Dr Frese recently described two new beetle species, one of which is the oldest fossil of a family known as False Click beetles.
But Dr Frese’s appetite remains unsated. He is adamant his search will continue to bear fruit, pointing toward the discovery of a recent spectacular fish fossil.
“I like to think that this fish probably saw a dinosaur during its life,” he said. “It was alive during a period when dinosaurs were plentiful. It probably spent most of its life avoiding being dinner for dinosaurs and other predators.”
“We’re pretty sure that finding what we’re looking for is a matter of when, not if,” he said.
Dr Frese normally researches viral infections, including hepatitis C, Murray Valley encephalitis and, more recently, rabbit haemorrhagic diseases.
His work is aimed at the development of new vaccines, a better understanding of the in-borne resistance against viral infections and the development of improved pest control measures.
