TRAVEL | QLD GREAT ESCAPE
QLD GREAT ESCAPE | TRAVEL
field of gleams STORY AND PHOTOS KERRY HEANEY & Tourism and Events Queensland
ON CENTRAL QUEENSLAND’S GEMFIELDS, IT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE YOU’LL STUB YOUR TOE ON A SAPPHIRE. IT’S HEAD DOWN and eyes wide open as you walk around Queensland’s Sapphire Gemfields, always with the hope that this will be your lucky day. Spewed from the depths of a rumbling volcano 50 million years ago, there’s buried treasure in the ancient and underground creek beds around the towns of Rubyvale, Sapphire, Anakie and Willows Gemfields, all about an hour’s drive from the central Queensland town of Emerald. The thrill of the hunt and the chance to find a small gleaming fortune in a bucket of dirt has seduced many a visitor, turning traveller into miner for at least part of the year. This is hard country in summer, when the temperature can soar over 40 degrees Celsius. But while southern Australia shivers in winter, the locals here bask in warm 25 degree days and cool nights. “You should have been here yesterday” is the line that greets me as I travel around the gemfields. I might
think that it’s all a tall tale except for the family I meet at Pats Gems busily washing another bucket of dirt in the hope of replicating the previous day’s jackpot. Washing dirt sounds like a contradiction but it’s the best way to pick out the sparking sapphires from the rocks, clay and mud. It’s the gleam that gives them away but the search can be long and fruitless. I start my gemfields exploration in the Emerald Visitor Centre and leave armed with plenty of brochures plus some sound advice on where to find a good cup of coffee. Taking a sip from my cappuccino at the Rubyvale Gem Gallery Cafe, I discover that sapphires are not the only gems here. Along with great coffee there’s also Nette’s legendary scones and local art on the wall. Gallery owner Peter Brown has been hooked on sapphire prospecting since 1974 when, at the age of 21, he first held a stone to the sun and saw the vibrant blue colour. He didn’t
‘speck’ (find) the largest sapphire in the world, the 2020-carat Centenary Stone, which was unearthed on an oversized heap around here in 1979, but he has unearthed many of the gems turned into covetable jewellery in his shop. You can take a guided walk through Australia’s largest underground sapphire mine at Miners Heritage, where hourly tours will give you an insight into how underground mining works and where sapphires are found. A jewellery shop and fossicking park are also on site. If you really get the bug to find your own gems, head out on a taga-long tour with laconic Keith, who has been prospecting in the area for 25 years. The equipment is supplied but the work is all your own and yesterday’s prospectors found a nine-carat green sapphire, according to Keith. RACQ members Charlie and Irena are back for another day of digging to add to their collection of sapphires and it doesn’t take long before their stash has grown. You’ll need a fossicking licence, which can be purchased on line or at the Blue Gem Caravan Park at Sapphire for $7.25 for a month, to head out onto the fields. If it’s been raining, check out the creek behind the park for gems on the banks. Under the Fossicking Act, the gemfields are designated as a miners’
You won’t go hungry on the gemfields. Rubyvale’s Royal Hotel prides itself on its tender local steaks... common, which allows residents the right to own livestock that can forage freely throughout the townships. Add a few camels, a couple of horses and a herd of goats to the mix and motorists need to be careful while driving, especially at night. You won’t go hungry on the gemfields. Rubyvale’s Royal Hotel prides itself on its tender local steaks from Clermont, while the Scrub Blush Café next to Pats Gems in Sapphire sources its seafood from the local Capricorn Coast. This café also has a courtesy bus service that means you don’t have to drink and drive.
Add the authentic Austrian strudel at the Strudel Shack where Gunter also serves Merlo coffee to your dining list. Stay at Ramboda Homestead on the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, bed and breakfast accommodation where you’ll experience genuine country hospitality from hosts Jim and Anne Hatte. Anne’s breakfasts are legendary. If you’re bitten by the sapphire bug you’ll be back to try your luck many times over or, if you are like me, you’ll go prospecting in the jewellery shops with your wallet in hand. There’s a ring there with my name on it!
Festival of Gems From August 6 to 9, the area fills with visitors for the annual four-day Gemfest in Anakie. It’s a showcase for local and international gemstones, jewellery, clothing and artwork, plus lots of entertainment. Daily entry $10 per adult; four-day pass $20. Children under 12 free; under 16 $2. For more information visit www.capricornholidays.com.au and www.gemfest.com.au. Note: The writer travelled as a guest of Gemfest.
IMAGES from top: Is that a sapphire?; Peter Brown with his prospecting machinery; racq member, irenA finds a sapphire; gems on display at rubyvale gem gallery; gemfields lifestyle. 46
THE ROAD AHEAD JUN/JUL 2015
roadahead.com.au
IMAGEs left to right: nette's legendary scones, uncut sapphire gems. Plan your trip to Queensland’s gemfields using RACQ’s online Trip Planner at racq.com. Queensland’s largest club
JUN/JUL 2015 THE ROAD AHEAD
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