Have You Been to Fossil Point?
Posted by Farewell Spit Tours on 15 June 2017
If you join us on our Farewell Spit Tour you will find yourself, at some point in the tour, at Fossil Point. This intriguing place is where the spit joins the 'mainland', and where the high banded cliffs of the escarpment running east from Cape Farewell, drop off to the soft feminine lines of the coastal sand dunes. Geologically it's a very interesting place.
Fossil Point gets its name from the little fossilised shells and worm casts found on chunks of mudstone that have fallen from the towering cliffs above. These small fossils are quite obvious if you know where to look, which our guides do. It's fascinating to wonder how many thousands of years these little creatures have been embedded in the soft steely grey rock. And how long it will be before wild weather and coastal erosion wash them out of existence.
Fossil Point is also a favourite spot for fur seals to come ashore, floundering in the breaking waves as they make their way up on to the beach. They're not particularly curious of people, but are a bit wary. So don't go too close to them, and don't get between a seal and the sea - they can move fast when they feel a bit threatened. But mostly they just flop around on the beach or lie like logs on the sand, soaking up a bit of warmth before heading back to sea.
Some of the most intriguing places to explore at Fossil Point are the rock pools. These are uncovered for much of the tide and provide homes for a beautiful selection of strange marine creatures. With seagulls and oystercatchers strutting round, chasing a meal whenever they can, it's a busy corner of the beach.
The bus stops here for long enough to get out and explore the rock pools and to get up to the base of the cliffs to check out the fossils. Make sure you have your camera handy.