But at a Warrnambool sports ground an engineer has unearthed a reminder the native species was once "numerous" to the region's coast.

Warrnambool City Council construction engineer Don Allen was installing lights for netball courts at the Friendly Societies' Park when a worker struck an oval-shaped skull nearly one metre underground.

"He had this thing with all these fanged teeth out the front," Mr Allen said.

Unlike the discarded bottles and "white man rubbish" he usually finds while excavating, Mr Allen was quick to recognise the specimen's significance.

With the help of Warrnambool environmental scientist John Sherwood, who doesn't claim he's an expert at identifying animal remains, the pair found the specimen identical to wombat skulls online.

"The condition of the skull was very good," Mr Allen said.

The skull was also buried with about 40 bones, likely from a leg, shoulder and its spine. Dr Sherwood believes the animal likely died in its burrow.

But Dr Sherwood wonders exactly when the creature perished, with an 1850s account from a Warrnambool man recalling wombats as "very numerous along the coast" and even a common pet.

"I can understand why they disappeared around here with massive loss of forest and habitat," Dr Sherwood said.

Hamilton wildlife conservationist Nicholas Petropoulos said the skeleton was likely a common wombat, with populations wiped out with post-war solider settlements.

"We have a remnant population near Nelson and that's pretty much all that are left," he said.

Mr Petropoulos said big populations still existed in eastern Victoria, where there are bigger forested areas.

Mr Allen and Dr Sherwood are hopeful that the remains will be scientifically dated.

For now Dr Sherwood quipped the last life-like wombat Warrnambool would see was Jimmi Buscombe's mural on Otway Road.

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