Five fossicking areas and six designated fossicking lands in the Central Queensland gemfields have been set aside for recreational and tourist fossicking. Word-class sapphires, rubies, and zircon have been found in these fossicking areas and designated fossicking lands.
Fossickers require a fossicking licence in all areas. Fossicking is not permitted on the numerous mining leases and claims in these areas without the permission of the holders.
Contact us if you have any questions about fossicking.
Willows is a discrete area of open bushland and semi-cleared areas centered on the small township of Willows Gemfields south of the Capricorn Highway. Sapphire-bearing is extensive throughout most of the area.
Turn off the Capricorn Highway to the south, 69km west of Emerald, and follow the mostly sealed road for 9km to the signpost indicating the northern entrance to Willows. The road continues through the area to the township.
There are two caravan/camping areas, a shop, post office, telephone, fuel and water supplies. Private camping is not permitted. One mining claim offers visitors buckets of wash and equipment to try their luck for a small fee.
Wash is extensive throughout most of the area.
In the north, the Duffer contains sapphire-bearing wash, which varies from 500mm in depth in the south-east to 2m in the north. It consists of pebbles and boulders of billy in a red-brown soil, resting on a yellowish sandstone-mudstone. Sapphires are predominantly greens and yellows and blues are rare. An interesting geobotanical feature is that blackbutt trees grow profusely on the wash but there are few elsewhere.
The Rubbish Tip area, south-west of and perhaps a continuation of the Duffer run, has similar wash, except that it is mostly shallow, less than 500mm deep. Augies Gully, which is located on the western side of the area, has produced some good finds in recent years, particularly large yellows.
The Thru-the-Fence locality appears to be the most popular area to fossick, as it is just to the east of the township and caravan parks. The wash is similar in appearance to other parts, and on average about 600m deep. Some good quality and large stones have been found here, mostly greens, yellows and stars. Zircons and rare diamonds have also been found.
An area of water facilities north of the town (RA 176) is excluded from the designated fossicking land.
Fossicking and camping are not permitted on the mining leases and claims in these areas without the permission of the holders. Details of these can be obtained from the local mining registrar.
There are currently a mining lease (ML 7295) and a mining claim (MC 3630) in the Thru-the-Fence area.
Good quality sapphires have been found at Glenalva, located close to the Capricorn Highway.
The turn-off to Glenalva from the sealed Capricorn Highway is signposted 62km south from Emerald, or 20km from Anakie. An unsealed road leads for 1km to the boundary of the fossicking area and continues through the centre of the area along a ridge crest. Minor tracks lead from the road to various diggings. The boundaries are fenced.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents. There are no facilities, but there are many suitable camping spots along the lightly timbered ridges. The main camping area is near the western boundary.
There is no permanent water supply in the area, so visitors must carry water. The nearest supply is at Anakie. Water for treating the wash may be seasonally available from Blackboy Creek.
Shallow wash rarely exceeds 500mm. The workings have exposed 300mm of grey soily wash containing pebbles and cobbles of chert and silicified sandstone. This overlies a thin layer of light-grey clayey material, described locally as decomposed volcanic ash. The wash rests on a clay bottom, which overlies basement rocks.
There are separate digging areas, chiefly near the western boundary south of the road and at Paceys Ridge on the north side of the road. The McAuleys Hill diggings are to the east, on the southern side of the road.
Glenalva has produced a wide variety of stones, predominantly greens or blue-greens and yellows, with occasional black star sapphires, particolours, blues and pinks. The rare blues, and a fair proportion of the greens, are of high quality.
Although much of Glenalva has been hand-mined to some extent, there is still sufficient virgin wash to provide opportunities for fossickers. Areas that may yield sapphires are in the tops of gullies that drain off the central wash-capped ridge. These areas are good for specking, particularly after rain.
Middle Ridge offers the choice of finding sapphires either near the surface or at slightly greater depth.
Turn off the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, and take the sealed road through Sapphire to Rubyvale (18km). Follow the partly unsealed Goanna Flat road to the west for 3km to the signposted entrance of Middle Ridge on its eastern boundary. Minor tracks lead north to the Shotgun Hill diggings while the main track continues to cross Policeman Creek. From there it disperses into minor tracks leading in several directions to the diggings of Policemans Flat and Russian Gully.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents. There are no facilities, but there are several good shady spots under clumps of trees. A suitable clear flat area is west of Shotgun Hill.
Water needs to be carried as there is no local supply. The nearest public facility is at Sapphire.
At Shotgun Hill at the eastern end, 2 separate washes occur within 2m of the surface. A surface wash 400mm deep, consisting of rubbly, pebbly soil, is secondary and rarely contains gems. Beneath this is a 200–500mm thick layer of tight brown clay, then 500mm of the bottom wash. This is very clayey and generally needs soaking for some time to break it down prior to sieving. Digging is quite hard, and there are some very large billy boulders in places. Some good sapphire stones, mostly blues, have been found and are often large. Large pieces of corundum (bombs) are common, as are zircons. Beneath the bottom wash is a 300mm thick layer of heavy blue-grey clay, described locally as decomposed volcanic ash.
In the central section, shallow surface wash 400mm deep has been worked on Policemans Flat. A reddish-brown bouldery wash 600mm thick beneath 1.7m of soil and sand has been worked in deeper pits. There is also a deeper wash reported at a maximum depth of 6m.
Around Russian Gully in the south-west, extensive potholing has occurred, but depths and the type of wash are not apparent. South of Russian Gully, granitic basement crops out. A thin layer of rubbly soil covers it but although not a true wash, it may yield the odd sapphire.
Although Big Bessie is a small area that has been extensively worked in the past, it remains popular because of its proximity to Sapphire township and its shallow wash.
Turn off the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, and take the sealed road for 10km to Sapphire. From there take the unsealed road to the west for 2km to the signposted entrance. Minor tracks lead north to the Big Bessie diggings and to the south to the Little Bessie diggings. The main track continues to skirt the Rifle Range Reserve to the south, and then branches left to Graves Hill and right to Reward designated fossicking land (4WD only).
While roads are unformed they are suitable for conventional vehicles except in wet weather.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents.
There are no facilities and water needs to be carried in.
Sapphire-bearing wash covers most of the area and is generally less than 500mm from the surface.
West of the Rifle Range, shallow wash consisting of pebbles and boulders in a red-brown soil extends to a depth of 500mm. In places it is overlain by 300mm of chocolate soil.
In the Little Bessie section, shallow surface wash containing white quartz fragments and billy cobbles in reddish to chocolate sandy soil overlies basement schist and limestone. The area has been extensively worked and some parts have been scraped to basement by machinery. Very little virgin ground remains and the area has only limited potential in disturbed ground.
In the Big Bessie section, surface wash to 300mm deep ranges from pebbles to boulders of billy and silicified pebbly sandstone, and lies on basement rocks. Much of this area also has been worked, but there are patches of virgin ground that are likely to contain sapphires.
Fossickers must not enter the Rifle Range Reserve and MHP leases to the north of the area.
Graves Hill is popular because of its proximity to Sapphire township and its shallow wash.
Turn off the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, and take the sealed Sapphire road for 8km to a signpost indicating Graves Hill to the left. Continue on this unsealed road along the southern side of Retreat Creek for 4km to the signposted entrance.
Alternatively continue to Sapphire and take the road to the west, passing through Big Bessie to the Graves Hill entrance.
The main track passes along the length of the area through Mount Clifford; midway a track to the right passes Millionaires Hill before crossing Ruby Creek to continue to Reward designated fossicking land.
While roads are unformed they are suitable for conventional vehicles, except in wet weather.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents. There are no facilities, but there are several good shady spots.
Water needs to be carried from Sapphire.
The popular Mount Clifford diggings in the centre and south of the area have extensive shallow workings. Generally these are 300–400mm deep and expose a wash composed of angular to rounded pebbles and cobbles of billy, silicified sandstone and quartz set in a friable brown soil. Greens and yellows have been found here as well as blues.
The wash continues to the north and north-east around an outcrop of granite. At Millionaires Hill, there is a small area of shallow diggings where the wash, 200–300mm deep, comprises a dark-red to chocolate coloured soil containing billy cobbles and pebbles.
At the eastern boundary of the area, there is a series of deeper workings, both open cut and underground, which are up to 3m deep. They have exploited a bouldery wash which may be a lead formed by a former channel of Ruby Creek. The boulders are mostly billy, silicified sandstone and conglomerate.
Near the south-western boundary there was an area of shallow wash that was previously stripped by machinery and treated on site. It does not appear to extend beyond the worked area.
This area of undulating bushland is ideal for those wishing to try their luck 'away from it all'.
Although heavily worked in places, the area remains popular because it still contains large areas of unworked ground.
Turn off the Capricorn Highway for Sapphire and Rubyvale. From Rubyvale take the unsealed Clermont road for 27km to the Reklaw Park/Mount Mica homesteads turn-off. Turn left, then left again almost immediately onto the Reklaw Park track, and follow through a series of grids for 17km to the signposted entrance on the north-east boundary of the fossicking area.
A minor track on the right leads to the Featherbed Run diggings. The main track then crosses Hut Creek and veers left to follow the eastern edge of Oak Ridge to Zircon Gully, Ironstone Gully and Mount Hoy diggings.
Tracks are rough but generally suitable for conventional vehicles except in wet weather. Caravans are not recommended. Seek advice locally and check conditions before setting out.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents. There are no facilities except for a solar telephone near the entrance. The area is remote and visitors must be self-sufficient.
Water needs to be carried from Sapphire or from waterholes in Tomahawk Creek (boil before use). These holes are the supply for some local residents and must not be polluted.
Wash of different types is extensive. Oak Ridge is blanketed by deep wash but its depth and a cover of large billy boulders renders it impossible to mine by hand.
Shallow secondary wash covers Oak Flats; it is only between 300mm and 1m deep and although bouldery makes this area popular with visitors.
In Zircon Gully, thin (100–200mm), hard, almost cemented wash lies beneath up to 2m of sandy soil overburden.
Ironstone Gully is the next to the south and has also proved popular.
The Mount Hoy diggings in the far south lie east of the volcanic plug of Mount Hoy. The shallow wash to 500mm deep consists of white quartz pebbles and cobbles of sandstone and conglomerate; few billy boulders are present.
A short distance to the north, in the area known as the Ash, the wash comprises 70–100mm of topsoil underlain by 250–300mm of loose pebbly grey soil with rare cobbles, resting on an irregular clay bottom. Some good blues, as well as fancy stones, have been found here.
These 5 areas encompass mainly deeper wash of more commercial interest, and some parts have been extensively mined. However, patches of ground suitable for shallow hand excavation occur in places.
The sealed road from the Capricorn Highway at Anakie leading to Sapphire and Rubyvale townships passes through Sapphire and Scrub Lead to Rubyvale.
Divide is 4km west of Rubyvale on the partly unsealed Goanna Flat Road.
Reward is reached from Rubyvale by heading south-west along the unsealed Keilambete Road for 1km to the signposted Reward road on the left, then for another 4.3 km to the entrance of Reward on its eastern boundary (Sign 52). The track leads west through the Reward diggings, to eventually rejoin Keilambete Road. At a further 1km on this road (Sign 54) a second track leads to the south to cross Retreat Creek before heading west to the Washpool diggings.
Alternatively, for Washpool stay on the Keilambete Road from Rubyvale.
Other tracks leading from Sapphire township to the south-east may require 4WD vehicles.
Provisions, fuel, accommodation, caravan/camping parks and other tourist facilities are available in Sapphire and Rubyvale. Drinking water is available from the Sapphire water facility.
There are no facilities at Reward except for a solar telephone and water needs to be carried from the public supply at Sapphire. Reward is relatively remote and visitors must be self-sufficient. Holes in Retreat Creek near the Washpool track crossing may contain water suitable for washing gravel.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months on any one area, except within 1.5km of the Sapphire and Rubyvale post offices. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents.
A diagonal strip of wash extends across the area from south-west to north-east. Shallow surface wash is best developed from the town towards the northern boundary. It is a red clayey gravel, with fragments of metamorphics and rare billy in a red-orange-brown sandy clay. It has produced large quantities of fine blue stones, although greens and yellows are not uncommon. Much of the area has been extensively mined by old machine operations and small-scale workings. Although many claims have been abandoned, the area is still extensively held under mining claims and there are numerous residential tenures, limiting opportunities for fossickers.
The main wash here occurs in an arc around the eastern side of the area trending towards Rubyvale town. It consists of a gravelly sand at the base of friable to semi-consolidated sand and varies in depth from 3m to more than 12m. It has been extensively worked by machine mining, and has yielded some of the best stones, especially blues, of the fields. There are few places to fossick because of the extent of the disturbed ground and excavations, the depth of the wash and current mining tenures.
Wash extends north-west, west and south-west from Rubyvale. However, much of the ground is deep, and shallower material has been extensively worked. Near the town, the wash averages 2m in depth but may be up to 8m; it consists of boulders of billy and schist in a clayey matrix. South-west of the town a black soil wash, up to 5m thick, contains good sapphires.
At Bedford Hill and Normans Hill, the depth to the sapphire zone is variable and can exceed 20m, but it has been worked extensively by shafts. The wash, composed of fragments of billy and metamorphics in a sandy clay matrix, is overlain by sand and clay and rests on a granite basement. The sapphires are found in narrow runs on the basement. Good quality sapphires have been recovered.
There appear to be few opportunities for fossickers because of the depth of the wash and extensive mining tenures. However, some miners do not object to their dumps being scavenged if requested. Some underground tourist mines are open to the public in this area.
This area encompasses a large area of wash south of Policemans Creek known as the Divide and the old mining area of Goanna Flat.
Secondary wash occurs on the western side of the Divide, and varies from surface material to strata up to 6m thick; it is usually 2–3m. The sapphires occur at the base of this wash, among cobbles and pebbles of weathered basalt and silcrete in a granular to clayey matrix.
Similar wash, 3–10m deep, is found in the Goanna Flat area. Good sapphires have been recovered from this area, with small stones subordinate. Corundum is common.
The best area for shallow ground for fossickers is on the western side of the ridge west from Divide.
Wash around the Reward diggings in the eastern part of the area is relatively deep and generally unsuitable for fossickers, although there may be some shallower material between there and the main road to the north-west.
The most popular area for fossickers is the Washpool digging near the western boundary, where the wash is shallow.
Fossicking and camping are not permitted on the numerous mining leases and claims in these areas without the permission of the holders. Details of these tenures can be obtained from the local mining registrar.
Central Queensland gemfields, 04 Dec 2023, [https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/areas-facilities/fossicking/fossicking-areas-in-queensland/central-qld]
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