Tamworth Regional Council added Chris Bowman, Gil Bennet geological collections to eHive amid COVID-19 pandemic

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) have added two local collections of fossils, minerals and rocks to the website eHive, to allow people to explore the bounty of discovered goods amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The collections of Chris Bowman and Gil Bennett are part of a themed launch, as they are both curated with rocks, minerals and fossils found in the New England North West.

It's the first time Mr Bowman's collection has been on public display.

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TRC cultural collections officer Naomi Blakey said the New England North West is rich in geological specimens.

"Both of [the collections] really represent a lot of the places that can be found along Fossickers Way, so we are really able to see what our region is able to produce," she said.

Mr Bowman is a retired farmer but has had a life-long passion for collecting extraordinary rocks. He started collecting minerals and fossils when he was a boy, growing up on a property near Barraba.

He donated 96 of his specimens to TRC through council's cultural gift program.

Mr Bowman wanted to keep his collection local so people interested in geology could see it here in Tamworth without having to travel to cities like Sydney and Brisbane.

Mr Bowman's curated collection has been documented online on eHive, but the physical display will be permanently housed at Tamworth's new astronomy centre when it is completed.

Mr Bennet's collection is being added to eHive in batches, because there are more than 1500 pieces to it.

His vast array of rocks, gems and minerals collected from all over Australia had been on display at the Nundle Visitor Information Centre.

Cataloging Mr Bennet's unique and varied selection online is a way to let people access the collection during the COVID-19 shutdown, though it physically remains in Nundle.

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