Ediacaran Golden Spike

The marker identifies the Enorama Creek Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), the internationally agreed reference for the start of the Ediacaran System. Its lower boundary sits at the base of the Nuccaleena Formation cap carbonate, above older glacial deposits of the Elatina Formation. This is the rock section that marks the beginning of a period dating to roughly 635 million years ago; the GSSP was ratified in 2004. The plaque gives you a physical marker for a point that usually appears only as a line in a geology chart. Look at the different bands around it: the boundary matters because of the rock sequence, not the plaque alone.

The plaque is a short walk from Trezona Campground, along the 20-kilometre Brachina Gorge geological drive. Signs along the drive explain local rock layers, fossil finds, past climates and how the ranges formed, so this makes more sense as one stop among several. Trezona’s long-drop toilet, picnic area and BBQ facilities are at the campground, not at the marker. The road is unsealed and can become 4WD-only or close after rain; check conditions before heading out. For a photo, keep the dark round plaque and the cream, pink and red-brown layers in one frame. The rock is what turns a modest marker into a satisfying geology stop.