While jasper is a fairly common gemstone, the coast between the towns of Penguin and Ulverstone in north-western Tasmania is a particularly good place to find high-quality stones. There is even a dedicated Fossicking Area in Penguin, which is a great place to get started, and where you can still find some great quality material.
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Tasmanian Topaz
Second to sapphires, topaz is the most common and widespread gemstone found in Tasmania. It has a very strong association with Devonian granites in northern and western Tasmania, but can be found in other rock types. Flinders Island, the Blue Tier area and the Gladstone area are the most important occurrences, but topaz is also known from plenty of other localities, such as Bicheno, Coles Bay, the Stanley River, Moina and Mount Bischoff.
Continue readingOsmiridium in Tasmania
Did you know that, in the first half of the 20th Century, if you owned a fountain pen, you most likely wrote using a tiny little piece of Tasmania? Fountain pen tips were made of gold, but gold and its alloys are too soft to write with: the tip or nib wears too quickly and would be too expensive to replace. Osmiridium was the answer.
Continue readingDarwin Glass in Tasmania
Darwin glass is made up of earth crust material that was ejected into the atmosphere and melted by a meteorite impact. It cooled quickly as it fell back to earth, and formed a glassy material. It is mostly green in colour, and is uniquely Tasmanian.
Continue readingPetrified wood in Tasmania
Petrified wood is a common material in Tertiary-age gravel beds and ancient river channels in Tasmania. It’s particularly common in areas with Tertiary basalt flows. Petrified wood is a good lapidary material and can take a great polish.
Continue readingTasmanian agates
Agates have been found in a large number of localities around Tasmania, though only some places, such as Lune River, Little Swanport, Penstock Lagoon, Carrick and Calder are well known for their agates. Have a look at some images of Tasmanian agates.
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