#rubyvale

[unteriors]

Zircon Avenue, Rubyvale, Queensland.

[redrcs]

I went in to look at gemstones, and the miner graciously let me photograph the jewels he was most proud of, Rubyvale.

On my travels

[birdsvilleroundtrip]

Not quite finished with Rubyvale but the internet is too unstable now to upload photos. I can’t imagine it’s going to get any better as we head west so I may not be able to add anything for about a week. Check back then if you’d like to continue our journey with us.

[charlesandmartine]

Monday 6th March 2023

Emerald is a reasonable sized town of 15,000, certainly big enough to have a McDonalds. It was a British Colony from 1859 and takes its name from the precious stone deposits found in the area and around the region and also the pastoral run Emerald Downs. We passed through the Gem Fields on route to Emerald known for the mining of Sapphires. The two main towns there are Sapphire and Rubyvale. I expect I'm the only person on the planet who didn't realise that a ruby is simply a Sapphire that is red These days it is a popular tourist spot where you can go fossicking if you feel lucky. It's not clear if Emeralds were ever found in or around the town though. I certainly haven't found any, but it is a reminder of the riches that this amazing country has within its shores.

We had a slight hiatus first thing. I switched their toaster on and the entire block of chalets switched off. Well we all laughed about it afterwards.

Before beginning our journey we took a look at the local Fairbairn Dam at one end of Lake Maraboon which was 50 years old last year. Statistics show that the reservoir level now is at 44% of operating capacity and locals are beginning to be just a little concerned. However, the lake was a huge 16,320 square kilometers, and really quite beautiful.

We rejoined the Capricorn Highway and headed due East to our final destination some 270kms away in the Nissan, Rockhampton. Our route was to take us first to Blackwater (pop. 4700) a vast area containing seven massive open cut coal mines which although not entirely visible, dominate the town economically and socially. All the mined coal is transported by electric train to Gladstone on the coast ready for export. These trains are approximately 1km in length and roughly 100 trucks, removing some 33 road trains per train off the highway. Coal is used for power generation domestically but mainly for export to eastern Asia and Japan. An interesting comment from Dave our cattle station owner was that all this coal mining is fine because Australia doesn't actually use it, they just export it! Blackwater was good for a flat white or two and a cream filled lamington. That was tasty, then on passing another mine or two ever closer to our destination. It was an interesting journey taking us from beef country, through coal mining towns, to wheat production and back to beef again with the important saleyard in Rockhampton.

Rockhampton seems a nice town and we look forward to a couple of days here. The apartment for once is massive and extremely comfortable. It makes such a change from the Motels we have had to stay in recently. We have a choice of cooking methodologies and tonight we shall choose BBQ. Apart from the fact we are just over a week from having to go home, we think we shall enjoy it here. We are about 30 minutes from the coast so tomorrow we might plod down there. In the meantime, we made do this evening with a trip to Woolworths and Liquorland for some SB.

[danielhickeymedia]

New Royal Hotel, Rubyvale Queensland

[seeker372011]

Day 5

The Sapphire Gemfields, one of the largest sapphire bearing areas of the world covers the townships of Rubyvale, Sapphire, Anakie and Willows,

The Sapphire deposit was discovered in 1875 by Archibald John Richardson the assistant Government Surveyor. Mining commenced in 1881, and by 1893 Sapphires valued at 9000 Pounds sterling were reported to have been produced.

The fortunes of the industry however fluctuated over the next half a century and at its nadir only 12 miners were left by 1950.

Interest and activity picked up in the 1960s; the first mechanised mining operations commenced, made possible by a rise in the price of sapphires; but the 1970s boom was followed by a bust, and only a few big miners survive today.

However the Queensland Government set aside large tracts of the most productive Sapphire bearing areas for small ( hand ) miners and prospectors .. there are also a number of areas specifically for fossicking. Anyone can buy a licence and go look for sapphires.

All of which is a long winded way to explain why this is one of the best areas in Australia, maybe the world, to fossick for sapphires.

Which is what drew us here …and we did indeed spend all afternoon fossicking.

For the first hour or more we had no luck at all. We had little idea what to look for. Then a kind lady in our caravan park put out her cigarette and came along and showed us how to recognise sapphires in the rough; another friendly fellow camper showed us how to spot zircons ; and we emerged an hour or two later hot,sweaty and dirty but with a handful of small sapphires (most too small to cut

so the effect on our net assets is minuscule)

We are camped tonight in Sapphire a tiny little township where camels appear to roam free; the sky is clear though the moon is waxing; and we found some sapphires which is always good to bring a smile to the dial.

Tomorrow we head further west.

[lawsongems]

Fresh off the lap! 6 newly cut and polished, gorgeous sapphires from the Rubyvale Sapphire Gemfields (the big center stone is 6.18ct). A big shoutout to Peter Brown from @rubyvalegemgallery for cutting these beauties for me. All stones are available, DM for details. #lawsongems #gem #gemstones #gemmology #gemology #jewelry #Jewellery #jewellerydesign #jewelrydesign #handemadejewellery #handemadejewelry #lapidary #gemcutting #sapphire #Rubyvale #tealsapphire #partisapphire (at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8zyNvNBUvN/?igshid=p2izyosa7st0

[jackstar1973]

These horses were walking down the main street of Rubyvale. @charlottewhitelol_ was keen for something me more animal encounters. #friendlywiththelocals #roadtripqueensland #griswhitequeenslandroadtrip #rubyvale #queensland #touristinmyownstate (at Rubyvale Caravan Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQmgwrALT_R/?utm_medium=tumblr

[unteriors]

Zircon Avenue, Rubyvale, Queensland.

[redrcs]

This is the cow with crumpled horn ..

on my travels

[birdsvilleroundtrip]

Back in Rubyvale for Apfel Strudel at Muggachino's. Gunter's homemade Austrian recipe. I told him it was fabulous and he kissed my hand and told me the recipe will die with him.......... :(

[johntheaussie]

Boot And Kettle Creek Between Capella and RubyVale sure lives up to it's name. #Boot #Kettle #Creek #Travel @Australia #Australia #Queensland @tourism_au #Capella #Rubyvale #Gemfields @travelqld #ThisIsQueensland #Outback #Funny #Ironic #OurQld (at Rubyvale, Queensland)

[micallysbigtrip]

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Down & dirty at the Gemfields

We stayed at Emerald which is not named after a gem and visited Sapphire and Rubyvale to do a bit of fossicking.  I never knew Sapphires came in a range of colours from yellow, red, green and blue and everything in between and that Rubies were just red Sapphires.

The collection is care of Rubyvale Gem Gallery.  Our rough finds, including a Zircon, are not to scale!

[lawsongems]

New film up on YouTube! Hey everyone, I have just put a great new documentary showing the mine to market story for Queensland sapphires. Jump on to the Lawson Gems YouTube channel and check out "Australian Sapphires: Follow a gem all the way from the mine all the way to finished jewellery" #lawsongems #gem #gemstones #gemmology #gemology #geology #mineralogy #responsiblemining #responsiblesourcing #Rubyvale #Rubyvalegemgallery #sapphire #partisapphire #lapidary #gemcutting (at Brisbane Arcade) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OJ0S_hBwi/?igshid=1uc3n0ol3kvzb

[jackstar1973]

An afternoon fossicking for sapphires and site seeing around #rubyvale #griswhitequeenslandroadtrip #queensland #sapphirefossicking #bobbydazzler (at Bobby Dazzler Sapphire Mine Tours) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQlK5uQrSSO/?utm_medium=tumblr

[guqu]

Wir sind in Rubyvale unter die Saphierschürfer gegangen