The Gladstone designated Fossicking Area is located on the northern slopes of Mount Cameron, in north-eastern Tasmania. In it you can fossick for gemstones such as topaz, smoky quartz, citrine, amethyst and clear quartz, as well as tin, possibly minor gold and other minerals. The main material that Mount Cameron is known for is its large smoky quartz.
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Weld River sapphires
Most people associate sapphires with Ceylon, Thailand, and Queensland, but did you know Tasmania has several areas where you can find them? There is even a dedicated Fossicking Area set aside just for sapphires and other gemstones.
Continue readingLune River Fossicking Area — Overview
The most popular fossicking area in southern Tasmania is Lune River, which produces mostly lapidary material. Lune River materials include agate, carnelian, onyx and sardonyx, jasper, petrified wood and petrified fern. Occasionally agate geodes have vughs with clear quartz crystals, rarely citrine or amethyst.
Continue readingTasmanian goldfields – north east
This week I’m writing about an area that contains some of our earliest gold discoveries — the north-east. I will discuss a bit of history, linking to newspaper articles from the times of the original discoveries. I also go over places worth a try if you want to find some gold, and finally there’s a section on how I go about finding information by searching online resources. There is quite a bit of information in this post, so I recommend grabbing yourself a cuppa before you start!
Continue readingWhat about Tunnel Marsh?
Back in 1996, when Tasmania’s Fossicking Areas were proclaimed into law, there were eleven, instead of the current ten. Tunnel Marsh was the 9th Fossicking Area proclaimed in the original order. However, it seems to have mysteriously dropped off the map, and is no longer recognised as an approved Fossicking Area. Since the area has reverted public land, and is unreserved, the Fossicking Area should be re-instated as soon as possible.
Continue readingGetting started – Where to go
As you can probably guess, you can’t just go anywhere and start digging up stuff. There are two main choices: to go to designated Fossicking Areas, or to get a Prospecting Licence and be able to go to most public, unreserved land.
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