"morning all. Looking for some advice and helpful hints for a trip to the gemfields. Have the required gear and have read a bit but looking for first hand hints. Not looking to make a fortune or to discover a monster gem but rather the experience.
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
Sorry, nothing gem related because the last time I was out there it never stopped raining.
On the up side we went wild goat hunting and got a couple of trophy goats.
They wreck fences and eat anything. The farmer got the meat for his dogs,
we got the trophy grade horns.
After doing all the hard yards like digging in riverbeds etc. we had more luck buying a bag of stones at Armfest and sorting them. Actually got a nice 2 carat blue sapphire worth about $200, had it cut there.
All the small stones you find in the bags you can send to Thailand to be cut. You will get all the info there.
Yep, that is plan B, depending on the weather. Sounds like the Glenalva field is the best prospect by the research and reading I've done. The wash is fairly deep at the other and I don't want to dig all day just to get to the wash. Also intend to do a little fossicking in NSW on my way home
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
Have just been talking with a friend who has been to Rubyvale recently. You can either buy 3 buckets for $30 and get small stuff (and send to Thailand for cutting) or do what she is doing next time - there is a company that takes you on a bus further out in the bush and you do your own little bit of digging with their equipment. She's hoping to get some bigger stuff that way and experience the thrill of digging like you are after too.
Hmmmmm..that sounds like plan A, my original plan could become plan C.Logically, that would work, dependent on cost. I take it that orginization works from Rubyvale. Thanks so much for that info,
Cheers
Bob
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
You might want to send a personel mesage to Diesel. He is a saphire local and also a member on here. In a recent thread he seemed like a very helpful peron. Landy
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In life it is important to know when to stop arguing with people
and simply let them be wrong.
Thanks for the info Landy. Once I figure a time slot I will do as you suggest. Heading north to Townsville for a three week visit, back to Yeppoon and then over to the Keppels for a week. So it will be some time after that, probably into the New Year
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
Thanks for the back link, Landy. Willow , somebody has to do it mate, lol. Looked at Tomahawk(online) and noted it was basically 4x4, which my FG.ute is not. That is the restricting factor. Anyway, will figure it out when the time comes
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
"morning all. Looking for some advice and helpful hints for a trip to the gemfields. Have the required gear and have read a bit but looking for first hand hints. Not looking to make a fortune or to discover a monster gem but rather the experience. 
Yep, that is plan B, depending on the weather. Sounds like the Glenalva field is the best prospect by the research and reading I've done. The wash is fairly deep at the other and I don't want to dig all day just to get to the wash. Also intend to do a little fossicking in NSW on my way home
