Emerald - Sapphire - Alpha

Our start this morning was slowed down by the lorikeets that we fed last night. They now asked for their breakfast ;)

The Rainbow Lorikeet, (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the Rainbow Lorikeet are increasingly treated as separate species.

Rainbow Lorikeets are true parrots, within the Psittacoidea superfamily in the order Psittaciformes.

The Rainbow Lorikeet is a medium sized parrot, with the length ranging from 25–30 cm (9.8-11.8 in) in size, and has a wingspan of about 17 cm (6.7 in). The weight varies from 75–157 g (2.6–5.5 oz).
Rainbow Lorikeets often travel together in pairs and occasionally respond to calls to fly as a flock, then disperse again into pairs. Rainbow Lorikeet pairs defend their feeding and nesting areas aggressively against other Rainbow Lorikeets and other bird species. They chase off not only smaller birds such as the Noisy Miner, but also larger and more powerful birds such as the Australian Magpie.

Rainbow Lorikeets feed mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. In many places, including campsites and suburban gardens, wild lorikeets are so used to humans that they can be hand-fed. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia, is noted for its thousands of lorikeets. Around 8am and 4pm each day the birds gather in a huge, noisy flock in the park's main area. Visitors are encouraged to feed them a specially prepared nectar, and the birds will happily settle on people's arms and heads to consume it. Wild Rainbow Lorikeets can also be hand-fed by visitors at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

There was also a Kingfisher at the campground.

We then took the Capricorn Highway in the direction of Longreach. After about 40km we take the junction to Sapphire, a village named after the gems found here.

There are many claims around Sapphire and Rubyvale.

Sapphire is situated in a region called the Gemfields, sapphires are mined extensively in the area. At the 2006 census, Sapphire had a population of 550.


However, there are a lot people coming here only in winter to dig for sapphires.


In Rubyvale we visit the Miners Heritage Center.

Here one can visit an underground mine.

More than 400m of underground can be explored.

With some displays


After the underground walk, we were up for a bucket of dirt to be washed.
Jonah fills it into the sieve.

Jeremia starts filtering the sand.

After washing we all look out for sapphires.

These are some example sapphires we found, we also found some zircon.

Jonah posing as a real Aussi sapphire miner.


Another gemfield are the Willows.

The Central Queensland Gemfields, formerly known as the Anakie Gemfields, have become legendary amongst tourists, miners, and gem buyers alike, having gained worldwide recognition for their top quality golden yellow Sapphires. Some of the largest gem quality Sapphires have been found in the Gemfields and many a fortunes where made and lost. To this day, miners and fossickers alike come up with the most outstanding finds and many Australians have a story or two to tell about the "Fields".
Because the Gemfields attract so many tourists, visitors will find general information easy to come by out here, and plenty of people willing and able to advise how and where to find gems. The best time to visit the Gemfields is in winter, or at least between March and October. During summer the area is very hot and also can be very wet. Armed with a Department of Minerals & Energy fossicking license and a camping permit, you are allowed to camp in a number of areas on the fields. These permits are readily available on the fields when you arrive, or beforehand from the Department's offices in Brisbane or Emerald. Camping is allowed at Big Bessie and Graves Hill, near Sapphire; at Reward and Middle Ridge, near Rubyvale; at Glenalva, just south of the highway 22 km west of Anakie; and at Tomahawk Creek, 70 km north west of Anakie. None of these areas has any man-made facilities, so you must be self-contained. fields when you arrive, or beforehand from the Department's offices in Brisbane or Emerald. Camping is allowed at Big Bessie and Graves Hill, near Sapphire; at Reward and Middle Ridge, near Rubyvale; at Glenalva, just south of the highway 22 km west of Anakie; and at Tomahawk Creek, 70 km north west of Anakie. None of these areas has any man-made facilities, so you must be self-contained.
Sapphire, is one of the six areas of Designated Fossicking Land on the central Queensland sapphire fields where recreational and tourist fossicking is possible under simple Fossickers Licences without the need to contact the relevant landowners.
Sapphire occurences - A diagonal strip of wash extends across the area from southwest to northeast. Shallow surface wash is best developed from the town towards the northern boundary. It is a red clayey gravel, with fragments of metamorphics and rare billy in a red-orange-brown sandy clay. It has produced large quantities of fine blue stones, although greens and yellows are not uncommon. Much of the area has been extensively mined by both old machine operations and small-scale workings. Although many have been abandoned, the area is still extensively held under mining claims and there are numerous residential tenures, limiting opportunities for fossickers.
Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months on any one area, except within 1.5km of the Sapphire and Rubyvale Post Offices. A camping permit is required, which can be obtained for the payment of a small fee from the Emerald, Rockhampton, Mackay and Brisbane offices of the Department or the local businesses that issue the Fossickers Licences.

(c) Dirk Frantzen 2012 — published via iPad

Position:Hooper St,Alpha,Australien