Seems hard to believe that for the last three days we have been chasing that elusive sapphire!  When I suggested to Peter that we spend a day or two in the gemfields of Queensland and perhaps even have a go at fossicking, his reply was "I don't really think that will be your scene love"!  To top it off when he was talking to Kim and told him what we may do....his response was the same!  They both said "It was more my scene to just go to the jewellers and buy one"!  And they probably have wife and mother pretty well sussed!  Anyway on Monday morning we decided to stay another night at Anakie Gemfield Caravan Park and go to Sapphire and Rubyvale.  With our lunch packed and suitable cothing to get down on our hands and knees, we set off!  We ended up at 'The Little House of Gems' in Rubyvale.  We were too late to go with a group from there and the business alongside was having a day off, after the four days of the 'Gemfest'.  So we hired some gear from the 'Little House of Gems' for $40, paid for a fossickers licence and set off out to the sapphire field known as 'Rewards'.  Karen told us to make ourselves known to Michael, her husband, when we got out there.  With our DIY equipment, we also got a map and instructions on what to do!  Michael has started a new tourism venture and is taking small groups on a day fossicking.  He won't take anymore that five or six in the group, which is great because you get very personal help and tuition. You learn where and how to dig, how to sieve and wash, and then identify!  The 'Miners Common' is 11,000 acres (900 square kilometres) in the Sapphire - Rubyvale area.   It is integral in the unique character of the 'Gemfields'.  The property was created in the 1890's and within the boundaries the miner was able to mine, build a dwelling and run a few livestock.  The 'Miners Common' is the last of such titles remaining in Queensland and is one of the largest sapphire bearing areas of the world.  Digging must be by hand.  No motorised tools to help you search is allowable.Sapphires were first reported in the 'Sapphire Gemfields' by John Archibald Richardson in the 1870's.  By 1890 commercial mining had begun in 'Retreat Creek' in the present town of Sapphire.  It was incredibly hard work in an isolated spot in harsh conditions, with a lack of water.  After 1935 the 'Sapphire Fields' went into a decline until the 1960's when a new phase began with tourists, and recreational mining and fossicking becoming popular.  High production continued until the early 80's when an increase in production in Asia and Africa led to a massive downturn.Between 40 and 70 million years ago, as the earth's crust shifted, hotspots developed below.  Plugs of the 'Mount Hoy Basalt' erupted spewing out basaltic ash and lavas.  Abundant sapphires and zircons that had formed deep in the earth's crust, blasted out as crystals in the volcanic ash.  They are concentrated in layers of gravel known as 'wash' in bed and bank deposits.We found our way out to the 'Rewards' area without too much trouble, found Michael and he took us down to an area and suggested that was probably a reasonable spot.   He gave us a quick lesson on digging and said "He would come back later and see how we were going".  We got ourselves set up and when Michael returned, he gave us a few more pointers.  So we played around for the day and found a couple of pieces that we thought might have been alright.  Sadly when we got back to the shop and Karen had a look at them under the light, they weren't big enough to do anything with.  Nor was the quality there.  But we had some fun and had a couple of mementos for the days effort!  To my surprise when we got up next morning, with no real aches and pains, Peter was keen to give it another crack!  So once again it was with the thought of "Probably not going to be back here again anytime soon", that we decided to go and pay for another night at the caravan park and head out to the gemfields!  By the time we got out there, the last DIY was going out the gate!  The look of disappointment on Peter's face!  I would have been happy to go to Emerald for the day and then maybe go back out there on Wednesday, but Peter was geared up!  We managed to hire some gear from the Service Station in Sapphire.   Unbelievable really!  All this to crawl around digging, sieving, washing and then scanning through the stones for something shiny!   Hopefully something shiny was going to be there!   Well.....Tuesday was not that enjoyable.  The gear wasn't as good as the day before and we really didn't know what we were doing and where we should be digging.  After lunch, in frustration I walked down to have a chat with Michael.  He got the pick out and started digging away to try and show me what sort of soil we should be looking for and how to tell if someone has dug before you.  These fields have been dug by people for over a hundred years!  You could be just digging on their mullock!   We went for a drive, looking for a different spot, talked with the couple who had just beaten us to the DIY gear, and they weren't having any luck either.  Whilst Peter was digging around again, I suggested "We see if we could get on the tour with Michael on Wednesday".  I figured if we waited until we got back to Rubyvale, he would just as likely be booked up!SOooo. ..the phone call was made, credit card was found and we were booked for another day of fossicking!  We needed to be in Rubyvale by 8.00am.  'Little House of Gems' provided morning tea and picnic lunch and the cost was $90.00 for both of us.  For another $50.00 we would have someone guiding us and that is what the tour is designed to do.  Give you instruction and help for a day of hopefully, enjoyable fossicking!  Result....Absolutely fantastic!  Thoroughly recommend it.  I said in an email last night "That we might as well complete the trifecta today"!  Well we have done that and to top it off we found a couple of stones that are worth cutting.  Not real big, but one was too big for the vial and Michael got me a bag to put it in.  Now I should be saying that it was HUGE!  It was the biggest stone found today and I was pretty chuffed when Michael told me "I had done well to pick that one out"!  Pete was an absolute 'gem' all day.  He dug and scraped and shook!  I think he may be a bit sore tomorrow.  Did I say in the last blog "That there was no way we would get hooked on this fossicking"? 

We have really enjoyed our 4 nights in this little park in Anakie.   The couple who are managing it are from near Bateman's Bay.  They come up here and manage the park for six months, from April through to September.  It is only the second year they have done it, but it suits them to get away during the cold winter months and enjoy the warmth of Queensland.  We went down and had a drink around the fire with them tonight. Graham grew up in Longreach and was a shearer in the area for many years. When he and Cheryl married, they travelled for the first five years in their caravan, shearing all over Australia.  Wherever there was work they went.  Even spent some time in New Zealand.  I think he may have been a pretty good shearer and his brother was an even better one.  In fact his brother was a 'gun shearer' winning loads of competitions.  One of the competitions he won gave him the title of 'Being the Best Shearer in Australia'.  We also had a good chat with a farmer from near St Arnaud, who lost his wife nine years ago and he now goes off every year in his tent for a holiday.  He is on his way back home now after having been right up to the tip of Cape York. Good on him!  Top stuff!  14 photos