Cockburn Geological Museum

What it’s like

A minerals, rocks and fossils collection you view by arranging a visit with the curator, not a drop-in museum.

This isn't the sort of museum you wander into on a whim. The collection covers minerals, rocks and fossils, and it's extensive, but you view it by prior arrangement, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You contact the curator directly to sort a time, which is a bit of a faff compared to just turning up, but it does mean you're not fighting a crowd once you're in.

Worth knowing before you build a day around it: a fair chunk of the collection sits in locked cabinets rather than out on open display, and the research material from graduate theses is mostly kept in the basements rather than shown to visitors. So what you actually see on the day depends a lot on what's been arranged with the curator beforehand. If your kids are the sort who like specimens explained rather than just glanced at through glass, that arrangement can work in your favour.

There's no getting round the booking step here. It suits a family happy to plan ahead and have a proper look at rocks and fossils, rather than one after a quick wet-weather filler you can walk into on the day.

Facilities

Need to know

Booking

By prior arrangement. Contact the curator directly

• You have to contact the curator directly to arrange a visit, there's no just turning up.
• Some of the collection is locked away in cabinets rather than out on open display.
• Graduate thesis research material is mostly stored in basements, not shown to visitors.

Plan your visit

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