Gem Fossicking Area

It was ok. Found a little sapphire.Roads are closed around it, though.

For the novice it can be difficult to work out where you are allowed to dig and if it's worthwhile. This dam appears to be the only permanent water source in the area.

Interesting area filled with lots of holes. You really need to bring your own water. You can wash your goods 300m down the road at a dam but the water is dirty so it is harder to see anything. We weren't here long but I would have loved to have another go at this place.

The Vulcan State Forest at Black Springs has been a gem fossicking location for many years. The Fossicking reserve is located on the Riverview Road with signage to help find the area. There is a dam just a short distance along the same road from this area for the washing and screening of materials. Saphire Bend Road also has gem workings on either side of the road but can be a little harder to find with no signage. The main gemstone in the area is zircon and saphire with the occasional dog tooth stone been found.Plenty of shade is available during the warmer months but lack of water may be a issue if the washing dam is dry. There are no toilets at this location.

The Fossicking area is in the old creek bed about two hundred metres into the forest along the track. The track itself is very rough so leave your vehicle out on the access road. Plenty of holes around the site, if you're new to Fossicking it's easier to have a dig around in one of the existing holes than to start from scratch.

Made a roadtrip here in mid April 2019. Nice selection of Mushrooms - we saw 4 types. Make sure to do your research in what is edible. There is no reception so best to bring a walkie talkie. Bring scissors for cutting Mushrooms. Great for kids

This is a great spot to do some sapphiring , has a few dams but you need to bring water with you , i have found some nice small blue sapphires near sapphire bend rd , the sapphires are about 2 feet under the topsoil in a layer of gravel wash , some places are hard digging but for most part it is not bad going and you can fill a few buckets up with wash in an hour or two. lots of spiders because it is in the pine trees

Good place to get bogged, go prepared

We come for the mushrooms in Autumn. But we see a lot of people dig for Sapphires. No reception here so meet up with your friends somewhere else and drive in together.

A very beautiful place. Very heavily dug did not find any gems. The scenery and local animals, gems of their own.