I think I had gem fever before we even left for the Gemfields of Central Queensland. Having watched a season of Gem Hunters, I was pumped for a weekend of gem fossicking, with dreams of an early retirement ahead. Having just spent a few days in stunning Carnarvon Gorge, it was only a few hours drive North to reach our gem hunting destination.
Preparations for Gem Fossicking
The first thing you need to organize before you go, is your fossicking licence. I am quite sure you can pick one up when you get there but it is super easy to do online, and then it’s one less thing you need to think about. Simply go to this government website and fill in a few details and get your fossicking licence digitally, straight away. It’s not expensive, I purchased a licence for a week, and it was less than $10.00.
The other thing you should consider before you go is putting together a little bit of gem fossicking equipment. You don’t need top of line, fancy tools. Keep it basic for a bit of inexpensive fun. We packed a bucket, sieve, travel shovel and a large container for water, to do your washes. Another thing that we didn’t pack, but which would have been handy, is some sort of mat to turn your stones out onto for sorting.
Where to go for Gem Fossicking
The Gemfields of central Queensland is where all the action happens! Aptly named Sapphire and Rubyvale, as well as Anakie and Willows, are the small country towns clustered together, that make up the area known as the Sapphire Gemfields. The Gemfields are located about a 45-minute drive west of Emerald, oddly, not named due to the discovery of Emeralds, but rather as a tribute to the founder’s home country of Ireland (The Emerald Isle).
Where to Stay?
We based ourselves in Rubyvale, which confusingly, has nothing to do with Rubies. It was named after the discovery of red sapphires in the area, which were mistaken for rubies. It is all about the sapphires in the Sapphire Gemfields!
I have to say we found a gem of a place to stay! The Rubyvale Motel is just down the road, about 1 kilometre from the town centre, on a quiet street. The rooms are great value for money, spacious and comfortable. There is a pool and the best bit is, it’s adults only! Remember I work with kids, I really don’t want to holiday with them as well.
The husband-and-wife team, Michael and Jane Taylor, who own the motel, are very friendly and will happily help you plan your Gemfields visit. They also operate an onsite jewelry store if your gem fossicking dreams fail to be realized, and Michael operates his very own onsite observatory! For an optional extra cost, you can do a little bit of stargazing during your stay – very cool!
There is plenty of friendly local wildlife at the Motel too. Wallabies and kangaroos will join you for sundowners on your little outdoor verandah. I wish we could have stayed longer in this little outback sanctuary.
Where to Learn the Ropes
Before you head out into the dusty hot Gemfields to find your fortune, I highly recommend doing these 2 things first:
Underground Mine Tour
This fascinating tour will help you understand not only the history of gem fossicking in the area, but also what to look for in the hunt for sapphires- the likely area, soil, depth and other signs that you should be looking for.
We did a tour at Miners Heritage, just 500 metres from the motel! The last tour of day is at 2.15 as the museum closes at 3pm. On Sundays it closes earlier at 1pm. We were lucky enough to be on the last tour of the day and so had the tour guide all to ourselves. The tour takes about 40 minutes, take your camera (no flash) to capture the colony of microbats that live in the mine. Super cute!
A Bucket of Wash
There are numerous places that you can go to do a bucket of wash. What exactly is a bucket of wash, I hear you ask? It is a bag or bucket of pre-mined soil that you purchase and then go through the washing and sieving process to see if you can find a gem!
Most bags or buckets of wash will promise at least some sapphires inside. Anything of great value to be found? Unlikely, but heaps of fun! Great process to help you learn the ropes before you go out into the fields and give it a go on your own. Highly, recommend doing this first and the operators will give you a little tutorial on what to do and what to look for. I almost tossed out a zircon that our host spotted, lucky one of us knew what they were doing!
We did our bucket of wash at Bobby Dazzler, in the town centre. Great value at only $20 a bucket. Again, timing is everything and we were there when it opened at 8.30am so had the place to ourselves for a short while. Plenty of space to spread out and no waiting.
Now You’re Ready for Gem Fossicking on your Own
Make sure you grab a map of the area, the mines and accommodation will have them, because there are restricted areas that the public are only allowed to fossick in. You don’t want to find yourself running afoul of someone, by fossicking on their private mine.
We chose to fossick in an area near Policeman’s Knob – yes, that is the name! It was already stinking hot, and it was only September! So, make sure to take the sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water. Scout the area, using your recently acquired knowledge of all things sapphire, to decide upon a likely location for your gem discovery.
My friend also packed some divining rods into his fossicking kit. I was, and still am, skeptical, but we needed all the help we could get, so I gave it a go. After all, it’s about the experience and having fun.
No joy for us on this outing, but if we had of been staying a bit longer in Rubyvale, we would have given it another go. No early retirement for me unfortunately …. sigh.
How to Finish a Day Gem Fossicking
Well, it just wouldn’t be Australian if you didn’t have dinner at the local pub! Head to the Rubyvale Hotel for a Sunday roast and a cool beverage after a long hot day gem fossicking. Sit inside in the aircon, or out in the pretty courtyard if there is a cool breeze blowing. We had hopes of running into a few of the Gem Hunters from the show (often filmed here for the end of an episode), but no such luck.
Now you’re all set! Happy gem fossicking and good luck!