Unearth Your Curiosity

Unearthed is steaming back into Mackay for a fun-filled day of free activities for the whole family on Sunday, August 21.

The free Community Day will feature a range of STEAM activities, live experiments, digital workshops and a showcase of fossil discoveries made in the region and unique to tropical Australia.

Kicking off the festivities is a sticky beak at the region’s unique bird life with a bird walk at 6:45am with Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Possingham.

Then from 9:00am, the fun begins at Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre with more than 40 interactive activities and demonstrations.

Explore virtual realities, create glow-in-the-dark art with local artists, fly a drone and learn about traditional Aboriginal knowledge and culture with Yarbun Creations.

Meet Queensland Museum Network experts from across the state, watch leading researchers sequence a coral genome live, examine a dendroglyph recently discovered with Western Yalanji traditional owners and see fossils, snails, spiders, frogs and skinks up close.

For the first time at Unearthed, locals are invited to bring their precious heirlooms and have a museum expert assess the item’s significance, giving you some pointers on how to care and store those loved pieces.

Whether it’s your family recipes, clocks, books, photos or jewellery, bring your treasures to Unearthed’s very own Antique Roadshow.

Take some downtime and celebrate the stunning local landscape, flora, fauna and human history of the region with a viewing of the Eungella: Land of Clouds exhibition.

Round the day off with a boogie to Unearthed’s science rock band and a snag from the local community sausage sizzle.

Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr Jim Thompson says Unearthed provides an opportunity for museum experts to showcase regional discoveries to the community.

“This is the fifth year we have brought Unearthed to Mackay and we absolutely love bringing the museum experience to the region,” Dr Thompson said.

“We are proud to be able to share our love of science and discoveries with regional communities and bringing our team on the road for free community days such as Unearthed, is a fantastic way to share our expertise and showcase our research.”

Leading researchers and scientists in the field of palaeontology will showcase a range of real and replica megafauna fossils that can be found locally at mining operations, near Nebo.

Megafauna is an extinct supersized species of mammals, reptiles and marsupials and they have been uncovered by Queensland Museum scientists during annual digs over the past decade.

Queensland Museum palaeontologist Dr Scott Hocknull has been leading palaeontological research in the Mackay region for more than a decade.

“Our team of researchers from Queensland Museum have been working in this region for more than a decade and have uncovered a wealth of knowledge about the megafauna and other species that called this area home,” Dr Hocknull said.

“We are excited to be able to bring some of our local discoveries and put them on show here in Mackay to talk to people about them, their rich history and the importance of understanding the past to help preserve the future.”

WHAT: Unearthed Free Community Day

WHEN: Sunday, August 21 from 9:00am to 2:30pm

WHERE: MECC

TICKETS: This is a free community event

Queensland Museum palaeontologist Dr Scott Hocknull

Unearthed will feature a range of STEAM activities, live experiments, digital workshops and a showcase of fossil discoveries made in the region. Photos supplied: Queensland Museum

‍