Day 14 - Belyando Crossing - Sapphire - Cania Gorge

Following a great breakfast at Belyando Crossing, it was not too far to the towns of Rubyvale, Sapphire and Emerald.

We stopped at Pat's Gems and did some real fossicking with the kids out back. Lori, being the mark of efficiency, did her fossicking in the shop.

Pat's was recommended to us as you can sift through first cut diggings to find your prize - no 'seeded' gravel or trailings here. The cost is $6 for 1 bucket or about $25 for 6 buckets of dirt. The kids actually found some very small blue, yellow and green sapphire fragments.

It takes a fairly large rough stone for gem quality as about 2/3 of it is cleaved to to produce the final product. Anything less than about 5 mm is too small to produce a useful gem.

The rest of the day was driving, arriving at Cania Gorge about 8 pm. As dusk grew into dark our road speed reduced from 100 kph to about 50 kph. Again, driving the back roads at night is NOT RECOMMENDED.

HOME >> DAY 15

Organics of OZ

Quick Facts

Distance 703 km

Temp 22 - 29C

Accommodation
Cania Gorge Resort
: ) : ) : )

Fuel (3 stops)
Belyando Crossing
36 liter @ $1.00
Emerald
36 liter @ $0.82
Biloela
36 liter @ $0.81

Attractions
Pats Gems
Sapphire, Qld