Central Highlands and Gemfields. Emerald, Rubyvale, Sapphire, Anakie and The Willows Reward, Middle Ridge, Glenalva, Big Bessie, Graves Hill and Tomahawk Creek are just a few of the signposts to direct you as you discover this part of Queensland. A lot of square miles of bushland where you can FREE CAMP as long as you like to test out your independence
With water, food, fuel, post office and C/parks for the timid, all available at Rubyvale, Sapphire and the Willows, With April (after the wet) the time this place starts to hum, annual festivals such as the Wheelbarrow Derby in June and the Gemfest in 2ndweekend of August, the Gemfields become a hive of activity. Here you will find the largest sapphire fields in the southern hemisphere and fossicking licences are available. If you'd rather not feel the sun on your back, winter temp averaging 26 in the day, and 5 at nighttime (good for cuddling) and you don't enjoy the toil of striking it rich, then why not opt for one of the walk-in mine tours available on the gemfields? At Rubyvales Miners Heritage Walk-in Mine you can tour one of Australia's largest underground sapphire mines. Here you can watch skilled gemcutters ply their craft or you can hire equipment and try your own luck. Guided tours are also available at the Bobby Dazzler Walk-in Mine and you can take time out to browse through the museum and gem shop - a lot easier than digging your own! You can do more buying at The Miners Cottage Gem and Fossicking Park in Rubyvale- if you don't strike it rich here, you'll have a good time trying.
dave06 said
09:55 AM Feb 28, 2009
god I feel like I've just had the two dollar tour without the obligatory glass of wine,
I feel gyped Mike, where's my wine and cheese???????
Cruising Granny said
02:35 PM Mar 4, 2009
Wow! You're in one of my favourite regions. I also wear a Rubyvale sapphire. A tour of the Blair Athol Coal Mine was also very interesting. I was lucky enough to be invited to a cattle station near Willows. Driving around the big paddock was amazing. The bush and wildlife, not to mention the pigs, were my greatest education in that part of the country. I've been through there again in 2006, and parked up at the Clermont cv Pk, competing for space with hundreds of gem fossikers. I'd like to get back to spend some time, and I will. Safe and happy travels. Granny
-- Edited by Cruising Granny at 13:38, 2009-03-04
Gary and Kerry said
06:11 PM Mar 5, 2009
We are hoping to get up as far as Emerald this trip, around May. Someone told me about a great place to catch red claws about 100k's further north of Emerald but I can't remember the name of the place. No doubt someone will enlighten me somewhere along the track. Currently sitting on the bank of the Ovens river just ouside of Yarrawonga, would be a great spot if the wind wasn't so b@**^y cold. Still, can think of worse places to be like.................umm............work.
mike and Judy said
08:25 PM Mar 5, 2009
Hi G and K
its a dam just north of Rubyvale, on the road to Clermont, taking the weekend of and heading there for a feed,
Will keep you posted
Road Ranger said
10:50 AM Mar 7, 2009
Hey Mike and Judy!
I hope your goin t try your luck at prospecting, I had three claims there in 1988 one at Bedford Hill and two on the river at Sapphire.
One I registered on the 8/8/88 and called it "All the eights" another was "Low Rider" All the eights done very well, we had a bike club there called GROTS, Gemfield Riders Over Thirty.
Tomahawk creek is good for working shallow levels its a bit out of the way and good camping, If I was there I could show you a guaranteed spot to pick a few greens. Many, many years ago the Chinese coolies were raking them up into windrows and only takin the blue ones as they never seen any value in the greens or party colours, they believed a true sapphire was light blue.
So if you know where to look there is a lot of it around but you need a sunny day after some rain to spec them, but once you have found one or two your eye gets in and you can spec em without rain, walk along the sides of tracks your sure to find some. Also on abandoned machinery claims where they set up their plant as a lot of stone went out with the oversize.
Now that's the go we all get together at the Gem fields and do ome serious prospecting and share out the plunder, arrr what say ye mates.
Central Highlands and Gemfields. Emerald, Rubyvale, Sapphire, Anakie and The Willows Reward, Middle Ridge, Glenalva, Big Bessie, Graves Hill and Tomahawk Creek are just a few of the signposts to direct you as you discover this part of Queensland. A lot of square miles of bushland where you can FREE CAMP as long as you like to test out your independence
With water, food, fuel, post office and C/parks for the timid, all available at Rubyvale, Sapphire and the Willows,
With April (after the wet) the time this place starts to hum, annual festivals such as the Wheelbarrow Derby in June and the Gemfest in 2nd weekend of August, the Gemfields become a hive of activity. Here you will find the largest sapphire fields in the southern hemisphere and fossicking licences are available.
If you'd rather not feel the sun on your back, winter temp averaging 26 in the day, and 5 at nighttime (good for cuddling) and you don't enjoy the toil of striking it rich, then why not opt for one of the walk-in mine tours available on the gemfields? At Rubyvales Miners Heritage Walk-in Mine you can tour one of Australia's largest underground sapphire mines. Here you can watch skilled gemcutters ply their craft or you can hire equipment and try your own luck.
Guided tours are also available at the Bobby Dazzler Walk-in Mine and you can take time out to browse through the museum and gem shop - a lot easier than digging your own! You can do more buying at The Miners Cottage Gem and Fossicking Park in Rubyvale- if you don't strike it rich here, you'll have a good time trying.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a cattle station near Willows. Driving around the big paddock was amazing. The bush and wildlife, not to mention the pigs, were my greatest education in that part of the country.
I've been through there again in 2006, and parked up at the Clermont cv Pk, competing for space with hundreds of gem fossikers. I'd like to get back to spend some time, and I will.
Safe and happy travels. Granny
-- Edited by Cruising Granny at 13:38, 2009-03-04
Someone told me about a great place to catch red claws about 100k's further north of Emerald but I can't remember the name of the place. No doubt someone will enlighten me somewhere along the track.
Currently sitting on the bank of the Ovens river just ouside of Yarrawonga, would be a great spot if the wind wasn't so b@**^y cold.
Still, can think of worse places to be like.................umm............work.
I hope your goin t try your luck at prospecting, I had three claims there in 1988 one at Bedford Hill and two on the river at Sapphire.
One I registered on the 8/8/88 and called it "All the eights" another was "Low Rider" All the eights done very well, we had a bike club there called GROTS, Gemfield Riders Over Thirty.
Tomahawk creek is good for working shallow levels its a bit out of the way and good camping, If I was there I could show you a guaranteed spot to pick a few greens.
Many, many years ago the Chinese coolies were raking them up into windrows and only takin the blue ones as they never seen any value in the greens or party colours, they believed a true sapphire was light blue.
So if you know where to look there is a lot of it around but you need a sunny day after some rain to spec them, but once you have found one or two your eye gets in and you can spec em without rain, walk along the sides of tracks your sure to find some.
Also on abandoned machinery claims where they set up their plant as a lot of stone went out with the oversize.
Now that's the go we all get together at the Gem fields and do ome serious prospecting and share out the plunder, arrr what say ye mates.
-- Edited by Road Ranger at 09:53, 2009-03-07
-- Edited by Road Ranger at 09:59, 2009-03-07