Welcome to The Field Geology Club of South Australia
Our aim is to promote the understanding and enjoyment of geology through engaging excursions, insightful lectures, and hands-on workshops. Click on the button to find out more.
Our aim is to promote the understanding and enjoyment of geology through engaging excursions, insightful lectures, and hands-on workshops. Click on the button to find out more.
The Club was formed in 1971 to promote and engage in the study of geology by means of lectures and field excursions, and to encourage the preservation of areas of geological importance. We're all about bringing geology to life, whether you're a lifelong rock enthusiast or simply curious about the land beneath your feet, we'd love for you to explore it with us. Although the study of geology is our primary aim, we take a serious interest in plants, birds and animals that are encountered on our excursions, and the cosmos in general.
The members come from all walks of life. Some members are qualified geologists (the minority). Many people have no connection with Geology but are interested in how the planet, and in particular South Australia, has formed. Many people just like the social side of the club and have a passing interest in Geology.
Few cities can match Adelaide's geological riches — an incredible variety right on our doorstep, plus a vast outback full of hidden wonders. Excursions are what our Club is all about, held every month except January, November and December. A couple of times a year, we head out on longer 6 to 9 day adventures to remote corners of the state (or interstate), alongside regular day, half-day and weekend trips. And it's not just about the rocks — excursions are where friendships are made, and our community comes alive.
As a member, you'll be able to stay in the loop all year round as each month (except December), our bulletin lands straight in your inbox, packed with upcoming excursions, lectures and workshops, fascinating and entertaining geology reads, and all the latest club news.
Thanks to the generous support of professional geologists, the Club runs a monthly programme of lectures at 7:00 pm on the first Thursday of each month (except December and January) in the Mawson Lecture Theatre, Department of Earth Sciences, Adelaide University. A hands-on workshop or occasional documentary precedes each lecture, starting at 6:30 pm, and most talks wrap up with a short 10-minute presentation by a Club member. We round off the evening in the Field Geology Club Clubroom located right next to the Lecture Theatre where the conversation continues — over supper, catching up with fellow members, chatting with the evening's speaker, or browsing our Library for your next read.
We also head out on day excursions around Adelaide each month — by bus or car — led by professional geologists to areas of geological interest. For those keen to venture further, longer excursions within South Australia (and sometimes interstate) are usually held in April and September, along with occasional weekend outings. All excursion details are published in our monthly Bulletin, and members are warmly encouraged to contribute their own reports on lectures and field trips.
The Field Geology Club is very much a family club, and we love seeing children join us at lectures and excursions to discover more about the world around them. That said, many of our field sites — old mines, quarries, and clifftops — carry real risks, so for safety's sake, children must always be accompanied by a responsible adult.
