mathilde
20 million year-old fossils
Riversleigh, in the northwest of the state of Queensland, Australia is an area of around 100 square miles that's dotted with the fossils of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The entire area as well as some of Naracoorte is protected and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Naracoorte Caves National Park is completely on the other side of the country in South Australia. Naracoorte has 26 wineries that you can visit as well as campgrounds, a small cafe, and picnic areas. It's best to opt for a guided tour (they do them in several languages) where you can see the interior of the caves and, above all, thousands and thousands of bats.
It's estimated that the marine and coral fossils are over 200 million years old and the mammal fossils are 20 million years old. I'd suggest visiting both sites if you can, but Naracoorte is much easier to access and has more facilities for tourists.
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