At 11am on Sunday, September 28 in 1969, a rare type of meteor fell from the sky over Murchison.
Rocks of varying size showered the town, surprisingly causing only minimal damage to structures and miraculously no injuries to people, although one unlucky cow was struck.
While no-one actually saw the rocks falling (they travelled faster than the human eye can detect movement), everybody heard them.
The sound was likened to thunder, an express train or a sonic boom, causing dogs to run away, birds to fly out of the trees and cows and horses to rush across the paddocks.
Those looking on from Kialla West and Benalla saw a bright orange ball with a silvery rim and a dull-orange tail, leaving a blue smoke trail lasting for several minutes.
As shards from the meteorite were collected, people commented that they smelled like methylated spirits, or tar, and the aroma lingered in the air, a smell caused by the release of an organic compound called pyridine.
This meteorite, named the ‘Murchison Meteorite’ after the land it fell on, would become world-famous.
A shimmering chunk of space and a treasure trove of scientific discoveries and histories waiting to be uncovered, the Murchison Meteorite contains seven billion-year-old stardust, has been the subject of countless scientific papers and theses, and has spread the small town of Murchison’s name to all corners of the world.
Still extensively studied to this day, the meteorite is estimated to be more than 4.6 billion years old, formed in the early history of our solar system.
As it is studied, it continues to reveal surprises about how the galaxy developed over time.
In April 2022, a study conducted in Japan identified the final two of the five chemicals required to form DNA inside the space rock.
Fragments can be found in museums all over the world, with a large chunk residing in Chicago, where scientists can take samples to further their studies.
This year marks 55 years since the meteorite crashed to Earth and made waves across Murchison and the wider scientific world.
To celebrate, the Murchison and District Historical Society will hold a two-day event — featuring films, presentations, stargazing and more — on Friday, September 27 and Saturday 28.
For more details, visit murchisonhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com