Sapphire Fossicking in QLD is Sure-Fire Family Fun
Who knew sapphire fossicking in QLD would be a whole heap of fun? I mean, what kid doesn’t like a treasure hunt? What adult doesn’t secretly like the idea of stumbling over their very own sapphire gemstone?
Sapphire fossicking in the QLD outback towns of Sapphire and Rubyvale is a great way to spend a few days of the school holidays. Better yet, combine your visit with a road trip to the beautiful Carnarvon Gorge like we did!
My kids often collect “special rocks” and although I haven’t yet worked out their criteria for ”special”, it really wasn’t hard to convince them that a holiday fossicking for ”special sparkly rocks” would be fun.
Check out our YouTube Clip on Sapphire Fossicking in QLD With Kids
We had passed by the Central Queensland Gemfields on the way through to Central Australia 18 months earlier. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stop and I was really disappointed. Well, I wasn’t disappointed this time! Sapphire fossicking in Queensland turned out to be a great family activity and as an added bonus, it was budget-friendly.
We even scored 11 tiny gems out of it!
If you like the idea of fossicking but don’t want to stray too far from the city, check out our post on Thunderegg Fossicking at Thunderbird Park.
Learning How To Fossick For Sapphires In Queensland
Of course, we didn’t have a clue how to fossick for sapphires when we first arrived. A morning spent with Fascination Gems on a Tag-A-Long sapphire fossicking tour soon had us up to speed.
There are plenty of places that can show you the ropes in Rubyvale or Sapphire, but we went with this particular Tag-A-Long tour as you stay as long as you like, and you get to keep everything you find. There were no extra costs, and all equipment and expert tuition was supplied. All we needed to bring was our own sandwiches and drinks.
I loved that this was a casual tour where you just leave when you’ve had enough. Trillian was at an age where she was still fairly spirited (cough…awful) when tired, so I didn’t want to be tied to a schedule in case it all went pear-shaped. She loved it so much that she happily shovelled dirt for 2.5 hours!
Our Youngest Lasted Until Mid-Day
Around mid-day it starting going something like this, “Muuuuum, Ripley is looooooking at me!” and, “Muuuum, Ripley went fiiiiiiiirst”. Imagine this in a loud whiny tone with a fair amount of foot-stomping. This is why I try to avoid being tied to a schedule.
Not long after, we called it quits and were the proud owners of a handful of tiny gems and the knowledge of how to fossick for sapphires in QLD ourselves!
A nap and an ice-cream sorted out our youngest member’s mood. We checked out the town, watched amused as a herd of cows wandered down the main street, and even fit in a leisurely stroll along the dry river bed behind our caravan park.
Everyone Has An Interesting Story
From the elderly couple in the huge bus beside us who stay here three months out of every year, to the lady we met buying ice-creams who purchased a mining lease to retire on. Everyone here has a story, and it’s worth taking the time to strike up a conversation with both the local residents and visitors to hear of their gemstone discoveries.
If you do strike it lucky in the sapphire fields, there are a few options in town for having your gem cut and made into a unique piece of jewelry.
Now that we were officially experts at sapphire fossicking in QLD, we took a small sieve and bucket of water down to the currently dry Retreat Creek. One tiny green gem was discovered on the first bucket, and then a whole lot of nice round river rocks and small quartz chunks for the next hour.
At least now we can swap the gravel in the special rock bucket under Ripley’s bed with some nicer specimens!
There is more to do here than just digging around in the dirt for or the dry sandy creek for sapphires. Tour an underground sapphire mine, check out one of the many local gems shops, observe the night sky at the observatory (or even from the dry creek bed like we did), or enjoy the local hospitality at one of the cafes.
When To Fossick the Sapphire Fields in QLD
You are more than welcome to visit any time of course! However, It gets pretty hot in outback Queensland so it’s worth considering visiting in Winter.
Even though Winter is technically peak season in Rubyvale and Sapphire, it’s really not crowded. Peak season in outback Queensland is nothing like peak season on the coast. The roads are far from busy and there is no waiting in line….anywhere. Unless you count one or two people in front of you at the convenience store. The days are sunny and pleasant, and the nights are cool but not freezing.
The June school holidays is really a lovely time to visit and the kids are guaranteed to find a few other kids to play with! I would suggest booking accommodation before you leave just in case though.
The Official Stuff
You need a license to do gem fossicking in QLD. Don’t worry though, it’s really cheap. Information on how to get one can be found here on the QLD Government Website.
If you join the tag-a-long tour with fascination gems, they take care of it for you for the day.
How To Get There
The Sapphire fields are serviced by the small towns of Rubyvale and Sapphire and there is only about 8km between them. They are located off the Capricorn Highway in Queensland’s Central Highlands.
If flying, head to Emerald and it’s a 45 min drive from there. Find a cheap flight to Emerald here.
If driving, it’s approximately 869km (9.5hours) from Brisbane. If you don’t have your own vehicle, score a great deal on car hire here.
Where To Stay
We stayed at the Blue Gem Tourist Park in Sapphire as we were travelling with our Jayco Swan Camper. This park is a caravan park but has a couple of cabins, a small shop with the lot, and clean facilities. It’s located on the banks of Retreat Creek in which you can also try your luck at finding gems. We found one!
If we were to stay in hotel/motel type accommodation, I would stay at the Rubyvale Motel and Holiday Units as it has a cool observatory (the outback night sky is magnificent), a pool, and is within walking distance of fossicking sites.
Looking for More Awesome Family Holiday Destinations
For more information on visiting Outback Queensland with kids, head on over to our Outback Queensland page. Alternatively, head back to the home page for inspiration on destinations worldwide.
Got FOMO? Sign up to our monthly newsletter so you don’t miss out on the good stuff … like competitions, great deals, inspiration and our FREE quarterly magazine on family travel!
