We are keen fossickers and always goes out with Keith and we always find gems. Met the guide at designated place and followed him to a fossicking site. Save your $90 and buy couple bags of washed stones. A terrific, if warm, morning. Don't forget your camera! From and About the Central Queensland Gemfields, BROUGHT TO YOU BY FASCINATION GEMS & CRYSTALS, RUBYVALE, QLD AUSTRALIA, Fascination Jason and the gang really looked after us and we feel confident we now have the knowledge to be successful and environmentally conscious sapphire fossickers. 8. Now sieve the soil to get rid of all the dust. I am taking my own found gemstones to rubyvale end sept.and want to know who would be best to go too Great family service. Fossicking gear can be hired and licenses purchased locally, detailed maps and Information available from - Dept of Mines & Energy. 10. When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Let us know in the comments below. Love that sunset too, A great excuse to visit Australia then :), A true bushy experience :) You can find a huge selection of cut, polished and set Sapphires, ready for purchase. As of mid 2014 were digging a new location in the Glenalva fossicking area here are a few photos to give you a feel for the place and the experience. I definitely recommend going for a drive around the local streets and dont forget to explore the Mining Claims youre in for a treat! Keith will teach you to identify where to dig, to screen & sieve your wash. You will learn valuable secrets for your next expedition with your friends or on your own. After the Tour spend some time in our underground museum. Spotted around are plenty of DO NOT ENTER, DANGER, MINING CLAIM signs at every turn, so be sure to stick to the road. Wear your OLDEST cloths (this is no fashion parade you will get your hands and clothes a bit dirty). A great morning 24/3/2021 with Keith on a Tag-a-long Tour to one of the local public fossicking areas. It ends up being hot, sweaty work. Pour the sieved soil into another sieve ready for washing. Keith was not very forthcoming when asked questions and could not give advice about other fossicking areas for when we wanted to venture out on our own. We did the mine tour and bought a bucket and did some panning. Visit Lyon. We collect your Name & Email Address for the sole purpose of Email correspondence from our website. You will get to see first hand, how the miners actually live. So if it rains while youre visiting Rubyvale you may not even need to do any digging, just walk around with your eyes trained to the ground! Visitor Information Centres will have a map of the Gemfields, particularly QLD Info Centres and the ones closer to Central Qld. I'm the new business owner and would love for you to visit again . Rude from the outset. Of course, its not all hard work Relax in our luxurious smoko lounge for a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit. This post contains affiliate links. Bobby Dazzler Mine Rubyvale is located at 1688 Rubyvale Rd, The Gemfields QLD 4702, Australia What days are Bobby Dazzler Mine Rubyvale open? Guided Underground Mine Tour. Its best done right after a downpour of rain because thats when you can easily see their little, shiny heads poking up. Told underground tour would be suitable but the number of steps quoted was not true unable to do tour as my disability would not allow. It really wasnt hard to convince them that a holiday fossicking for special sparkly rocks would be fun. We went for a wander and had a chat to a local who told us about some of the Tag-Along tours you can do where they show you how to dig go fossicking for gems onsite. Copyright 2023 Visit Capricorn | Designed in the Capricorn Region by Almost Anything | Privacy Policy. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Have you found any sapphires? There are a range of ways to obtain Sapphires (besides fossicking) it would be pretty difficult to leave The Gemfields without a Sapphire in your pocket! At the ages of five and three years, my kids often collect special rocks. New Royal Rubyvale Hotel Pub, food and accommodation. TAYLORS FINE SAPPHIRES. Sifting through the ground and finding gems is fun for everyone of all ages especially children. Miles from civilisation and while its a great opportunity to get close to nature, theres still that possibility of hitting the jackpot :). #1 of 1 Tours & Activities in Rubyvale Eco Tours Open now 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Write a review See all photos About Tourist Attraction - Guided Fossicking Trail you walk and get to dig your own wash, we then show you how to fossick for Sapphires & Zircons. Things to Experience Fossicking Grenoble is rich in museums and historic landmarks with its Place Notre-Dame, a 13th-century cathedral, the Muse de l'Ancien vch and Fontaine des Trois Ordres, which commemorates the 1788 events leading to the French Revolution. to have these set. The job is of outstanding quality, and the costs are reasonable. Thanks in advance for your help Whilst here you can embark on an underground tour of our mine, spend time in our park fossicking for your own gems, browse our range of Australian Sapphire Jewellery, there's something for everyone you can even pack a lunch and enjoy our undercover area. Bobby Dazzler Mine Rubyvale is open: Monday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Tuesday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Wednesday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Thursday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Friday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Saturday:8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Specking (just scouring the surface for Sapphires lying exposed) is a common method for finding Sapphires particularly after rain. Not very happy about this as we weren't told of the changes. We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location. That should throw people for a loop! Click on each for more info. Check out the local Jewellers around the place to see some stunning pieces. Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page. Get a set of Sapphire Fossicking Sieves (eBay). Not impressed with management. Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, 72 Keilambete Road, Rubyvale, Queensland 4702 Australia. The process to get the sapphires did sound easy. The Gemfields is approximately 330km West of Rockhampton, Queensland Australia. I will be looking to just have some fun and maybe find a nice place to spend a few months every year. Very interesting commentary. Bullwinkle, check out this mob - I've heard good things about them. Sapphire Fossicking Tip: After heavy rains sapphires wash down the creeks and are often found nestled aroundwashed out tree roots. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. We found one! They locate old creek beds, which is where all of those gems are sitting. Specking and fossicking I just learned two new words, thank you. They were leasing the business and have now left. Miners Heritage was established in 1982 as a working mine , it was then decided to run Mine Tours , after the mine entry & underground showroom were completed Miners Heritage was officially opened for it's first Tour in 1984. We even came away with a couple of sapphires and zircons. You can find them here (Ive updated the link in the article) http://www.lambert.co.th/, I have just bought a house in Willows, and the missus and I are quite keen to get stuck in and hopefully finding some good sapphires. Of course, Id probably get my hands so grubby, eating a scone might become a bit of a gritty affair. Dave and Jason were very knowledgeable. Now we have the gem bug! Of course, we didnt have a clue how to fossick for gems when we first arrived. No joke! Its the perfect way to do something you all enjoy that has a super cool outcome. WOW how fabulous we usually mine Opal at Lightning Ridge Thought lets look at the Sapphire and Ruby areas .It is fabulous too walking with a friend and I found an amazing Sapphire just lying on the track It wasnt obvious till I saw a sparkle after I had stepped over it Give it a go anyone I happy with my find $300 worth having it made into a pendant It is theVirgo gemstone ? Best I found was a nice 14.2ct beaut parti colour sapphire. Not every shiny thing is a sapphire. If we were ever in Jaipur again, we will bring our friends here and buy more jewelery. Choose from taking a Tag-along tour or head to a Fossicking Park where youre guaranteed to walk away with a little bag of sapphires to take home. 2nd trip after a long break. Where to Find Sapphires in The Gemfields, QLD. The summer is far too hot to be standing in the hot sun fossicking for Sapphires. Under New Management Unfortunately, we didnt have time to stop and I was really disappointed. Enjoy the bush where treasures are found. While we enjoyed learning how to sieve the wash for sapphires our first afternoon, the boot camp fossick next morning was a highlight. Pat's Gems Tourist Fossicking Park . To the well-trained eye, those two rocks are worlds apart! The modern day miners are digging down to the bedrock layer in the earth. We have the most amazing array of loose Sapphires in every colour of the rainbow. We were even thinking of mailing some of our stones to him for setting. You can take a underground sapphire mine tour & go down 15 metres underground to discover the amazing world of sapphires. What hotels are near Fascination Gems & Crystals? We were so happy we went again for a second day. Elaine and her team were very helpful. Send them to Lambert Gems to be cut by machine. As a bonus, I plan to use fossicking at least once per day here in the American Midwest. At the end of the lease, if the claim isnt renewed, then the tenant has just 48 hours to vacate the site and put a large percentage of dirt back into the mine to get their bond money back. Back after a break from PA with a tale to tell Warwick QLD Area Beginner - Dipping toes in the water; literally. Extremely well run and affordable tour- established since the 1980s. Fully guided tour takes approx 30 minutes , learn how sapphires are formed in nature , view a video of our mining process & learn some of the history to this amazing area. The Sapphire Gemfields is a huge area to explore with many bush tracks, gullies and old mining areas. Head to the Sapphire Gemfields of Central Queensland You can drive to Rubyvale from Brisbane in about 11 hours but if you're short on time it's a one hour flight from Brisbane to Emerald and then a one hour drive from Emerald to Rubyvale. And . This is a tag along tour. Can you see the little green number here? JavaScript is disabled. Have a look through the various ways below to get an idea of the different sources of Sapphires in The Gemfields. more, Tourist Attraction - Guided Fossicking Trail you walk and get to dig your own wash, we then show you how to fossick for Sapphires & Zircons. Everyone here has a story, and its worth taking the time to strike up a conversation with both the local residents and visitors to hear of their gemstone discoveries. At least now we can swap the gravel in the special rock bucket under Mr Fives bed with some nicer specimens! Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Most of the local businesses also have set stones for sale as well. Upon leaving with your days reward you are more than welcome to call in to see Dave at the Fascination booking office where he will spend time with you for an on-the-spot detailed inspection, under powerful lights and magnifying lenses, to accurately advise you on cutting and facetting of your stones turning them into truly valuable mementos of your days work. It all went down in a time long ago, even dinosaurs were roaming the Earth. The new above ground Air-Conditioned Showroom was completed in 2004 for our 20th Anniversary. 3. You may be interested to read an information sheet about Glenalva prepared by the Queensland Department of Mines & Energy. Took them to Fascination and getting cut and set into earrings, necklace and a ring. 5. Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. I havent yet worked out their criteria for special. 2. 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! He's hopeless. Better yet, combine your visit with a road trip to the beautiful Carnarvon Gorge like we did! Peak season in outback Queensland is nothing like peak season on the coast. Thank you for you lovely review, it was a pleasure having you visit. Bobby Dazzlers should be a mandatory experience for anyone interested in fossicking. You wont have any trouble located Gem Shops and Jewellers as they are spotted everywhere throughout the region, just look for the signs. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Your email address will not be published. Our first afternoon was spent going for a drive to have a look around the local area of Rubyvale and Sapphire. Tour is way long enough, digging and washing dirt to find gems is pretty hard work and we were exhausted by 1pm. Be prepared for this unforgettable highlight of your visit to the Central Queensland Gem Fields. If you require any further information please phone 07 49854444. The days are sunny and pleasant, and the nights are cool but not freezing. Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our. We had a great underground tour, very informative. Miners Heritage 205 Speciality & Gift Shops History Museums By mcgarryheaton We had a great tour with Jill, who was a wealth of information. Rubyvale - Things to Do Bobby Dazzler Sapphire Mine Tours Bobby Dazzler Sapphire Mine Tours 54 Reviews #2 of 8 things to do in Rubyvale Tours, Outdoor Activities, Eco Tours 1688 Rubyvale Rd, Rubyvale, Queensland 4702, Australia Open today: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Save Review Highlights "Learning to fossick at Bobby Dazzlers" 1. Keith was amazing, very knowledgeable and showed us everything we needed to know to find sapphires. To the untrained eye, Sapphires in the rough can very easily pass for a bunch of gravel. So why not join Keith and dig your own? We had a great time and every came away with some nice sapphires . Youll learn all about it if you do a Tag-along Tour or go to a Fossicking Park, which I highly recommend doing before trying it yourself out in the field. When is the best time of year to visit the gem fields? . Keith kept checking on us to make sure we weren't missing any gems. All the equipment is supplied and some basic instruction then you are set free to use some muscles which don't get much workout. Fossicking Trail Workshop (walk down to the creek with the miner & dig your own dirt 3 hours), Bobby Dazzler Cafe (lunch, coffee & sweets available). Thank you for your review we loved having you here and hope to see you again . Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information. This is where we initially learnt all about Sapphires and fossicking. Can't recommend enough. We only spent a few hours fossicking but all that digging, lifting and sieving is hard dirty work. for us, social responsibility is a way of life. There are other things to do in The Gemfields besides Sapphire fossicking. This is why I try to avoid being tied to a schedule. Indulge yourself or just enjoy. Is is a little dusty and not for claustrophobic. They have a jewellery shop and cafe too. specialising in Fine Unique Australian Sapphire Jewellery are a must. This looks like such a fun little adventure! 72 Keilambete Road, RUBYVALE Queensland 4702 Australia, For prices, enquiries & bookings telephone: