The late Kim Nelson working in the field – Photo credit Cassie Streatfeild
The Yass Valley’s beautiful landscapes have been a source of inspiration for several notable artists. One such artist was Kim Nelson (born 1958), a well-respected community member, who lived in the Yass Valley from 1984 until he passed away in 2015. Kim was related to renowned artist Leonard Long OAM (1911-2013), who also painted local landscapes.
In 2014, Kim was commissioned to create a painting of a landscape of his own choice. That year, a painting by Elioth Gruner (born 1882) titled ‘On the Murrumbidgee’ (1929) was on exhibition in Canberra. Kim drew inspiration from this painting for his new work. Gruner’s painting depicted a stretch of land near the current Taemas Bridge, and Kim decided to paint a similar landscape from the vantage point of the Bloomfield Property outside Yass on the way to Wee Jasper.
Both paintings show an ancient geological formation known as the ‘Shark’s Mouth’; a cave-like anticline in the Devonian limestone.
Astoundingly, 400 million years ago the area was a tropical coral reef. The diverse array of marine life (over 150 species found) included coral, molluscs, algae, brachiopods, conodonts, trilobites, myriapods, and fish such as lungfish and armour-plated placoderms. In later strata, teeth and bones of megafauna such as giant kangaroos, and even fossilised leaves, have also been discovered. The area has been significant to Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years with evidence of nearby cave occupation, bone implements and stone tools.
The limestone outcrops were first noted by European explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824. Fossils from the area have been studied since the 1830s. Many were found to be preserved, remarkably in three dimensions. A staggering 560 fossils from the area were sent to England and are still housed in the Museum of Natural History in London, despite calls for their repatriation. Researchers from the ANU have used 3D X-ray scanning on some local fossils to provide new evidence of early vertebrae evolution concerning anatomical structure, air-breathing, sensory perception, and internal fertilisation.
In 2016, the Yass Valley Council rejected a proposal by the NSW Government for the Yass Valley to become a ‘fossicking district’ due to community concerns about lack of controls around inexpert collecting and specimen damage. There have been efforts to nominate certain areas for National Heritage Listing to provide future protection.
Members of the public can learn more about local geology and palaeontology through activities such as Cooradigbee Homestead fossil tours and Carey’s Cave tours (currently closed due to COVID), and field trips organised by the Fossil Club of Australia, and Canberra Lapidary Club. Further information about responsible fossicking can be found on the NSW Government- Resources Regulator website.
Jade Taylor
