Lune River is a town in

south-eastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

located near the mouth of a river of the same name. It is home to some 24 people. In the 1850s, much of the town's economic activity was based on timber mills,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and small-scale farming. The Lune River area is noted for its fossils, particularly those from the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

period. According to Mineral Resources Tasmania, these fossils include petrified fern, agate, petrified wood and jasper. They report that it is one of the only sources of petrified fern in Tasmania. The Lune River township is the departure point for the Ida Bay Railway.

Geology

A Jurassic forest was buried in an andesitic volcanic eruption at Lune River. Here, beneath the lava flow, is mudstone with fossil wood and leaves. This example of nature's artwork is best displayed by cutting and polishing the fossil. The area is world-renowned for these beautiful fossils, which give us a wonderful view into the past landscapes and vegetation of Tasmania. It is also the only known locality where the Jurassic magmas reached the surface to form volcanoes; elsewhere, they crystallised at depth to form the large masses of dolerite that can be seen throughout much of Tasmania.

References

External links

Lune River Fossicking Area
Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, Tasmania
Lune River
fro
farsouthtasmania.com
Towns in Tasmania South East Tasmania Localities of Huon Valley Council {{Tasmania-stub