Back in the 1940s, South Australian geologist Reg Sprigg first discovered Ediacaran fossils on the north end of Nilpena Station, to the west of the Flinders Ranges, redefining the Earth’s history by adding in a whole new period.

The Department for Environment and Water in South Australia has recently teamed up with several non-profit organisations to purchase a chunk of Nilpena Station and turn it into the Nilpena Ediacaran National Park. They’re currently building trails, planning tours to the fossil site, and creating a visitor’s centre which will have an audiovisual experience bringing a fossil bed to life.

Today Cosmos journalist Lauren Fuge talks to Ross Fargher, the owner of Nilpena Station; Jason Irving, Manager of the National Parks and Protected Area Program for the Department for Environment and Water; and Mary Droser, Professor of Geology at the University of California, Riverside, USA. And if you want more on this, make sure you get the current issue of Cosmos Magazine, on sale now!

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Preserving Earth's earliest life 12:33 Share

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Preserving Earth's earliest life