Talbragar Fish Beds

The Talbragar Fish Beds were a small lake near Gulgong in NSW. A heavy ash fall from the Garrawilla volcano, in the late Jurassic, buried this lake quickly and so preserved many fish and plant specimens from this period.

The most common small fish were known as Leptolepsis talbragarensis but are now classified as Cavenderichthys talbragarensis. Eight different fossil fish have been identified from these deposits.

The most common plant fossil is agathis jurassica, believed to be the ancestor of the Wollemi Pine.

The vegetation around the lake at that time was dominated by agathis jurassica with some Podocarp Conifers and an understory of Cycadophytes, Seed Ferns and Ferns, in a heath environment.

The main fossil deposit is now protected from further collecting.

 

Gallery

Agathis jurassica and Cavenderichthys talbragarensis

Cavenderichthys talbragarensis, an extinct prehistoric freshwater fish from the Late Jurassic.

Agathis jurassica, an extinct coniferous tree.

Cavenderichthys talbragarensis

Cavenderichthys talbragarensis, an extinct prehistoric freshwater fish from the Late Jurassic.

Agathis Jurassica

Pollen Cone.

Wollemi Pine

Pollen cone.

Aphnelepis Australis

Aphnelepis australis is an extinct genus of prehistoric freshwater fish.

Agathis jurassica

Agathis jurassica, an extinct coniferous tree.

Unknown species

Unknown narrow leaf conifer, possibly related to the plum pine family.

Komlopteris purlawaughensis

Rare seed fern and one of the youngest seed ferns in the fossil record.

Archaeomene tenuis and Agathis jurassica

Archaeomene tenuis, an extinct prehistoric freshwater fish from the Late Jurassic.

Agathis jurassica, an extinct coniferous tree.