Oberon area

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Joined
Feb 18, 2014
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Location
, NSW
Just wondering if anyone has had any luck chasing sapphires around there recently. I was at porters retreat today because in the past it's produced some nice stones but since then and now it seems to be pretty cleaned out, few zircons and a tiny sapphire chip. Only thing that gives me hope for its future is the 20carat or so spinel I found. Sapphire bend I assume is still producing the small but often clear blues, any other spots in the area worth having a look at?
 
I really wanted to try Reggie's Flat in Black Springs Vulcan State Forest. It was a spot where several diamonds were found including possibly the largest diamond found in NSW. The richest pit of sapphire found by any mining company is also there. Evidence of the test pit is still visible at the side of the.

I only got to visit once after I did my research and my young daughters thought every hole I attempted to dig was a sand pit for their leisure. Moved shortly after that. The ground is supposed to be an old creek bed and has many large boulders. When I visited I did notice someone had been drilling holes with an auger.

It's been a few years now but I'm sure the spot is. 3352'4.83"S 14946'39.69"E. You will know as on the west side of the road the ground shows a lot of disturbance. This I believe to be the test pits.

-33.868286,149.777553

Sample date - December 1991
Sample depth - 0.0 - 1.0M
Sample weight - 1 tonne
Sapphires -
Sapphire weight - 30.0g
Notes - Good blue, green and party colours up to 18cts

Did I find anything on the day with my daughters? Only one sapphire chip specked on the road.

Good luck.
 
I'm heading back to the area in the not so distant future and plan to do some test sieving in a few areas, thank you very much for your suggestion Magoo. I'll definitely have to give this area a look and I'll let you know how it goes.

As a side note for anyone wanting to visit Porter's Retreat (Little river), make sure you don't touch the stinging nettles :lol: I've always been sceptical about their existence in Australia and one of the plants by the creek showed very close resemblance, so I did what any mildly enthusiastic person would do which was to touch it... they pack a decent sting that's for sure :p
 
Just don't greet the broad leaf stinging trees with the same enthusiasm.... You thought the nettles packed a punch :eek:

As kids we were always told to scrunch up a bit of bracken fern and rub it on the sting, not sure if it actually did anything or was just ment to make us feel better.
 
Under the Broad leaf Stinging Trees grows the Antidote... Well it does in QLD/ Nth NSW anyhow... Rub this on the affected area and the sting soon disappears... just make sure this plant looks different from the Stinging Tree.... :Y:

LW...
 
This is the diamond I'm talking about.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228585034?searchTerm=Diamond oberon&searchLimits=

Apparently the Mt Werong location was a cover used to avoid the true location being revealed at the time. Well that is the story behind the reasoning of sinking the pits in Reg's flat.

AFYI Mt Werong is another Sapphire location. Went for a mosey once and found a big (and I mean big) fresh pit there (about 15 years ago). Didn't do any digging as I wasn't sure of the legal position. And never returned, too far from western Sydney.

I'll do some more digging.
 
Would be great to have a go out at Mt Werong at some time, real pity that it's in a national park. There is a creek named "Ruby Creek" there too, can only guess why. :)
 
We are off to Oberon in the morning, just for the day. Hoping to have a dig around a creek area this time. Does anyone have suggestions on where. We have been to Black Springs, back breaking difficult work with the clay. We are hoping for a more laid back spot this time.
:) :) :)
 
We are off to Oberon in the morning, just for the day. Hoping to have a dig around a creek area this time. Does anyone have suggestions on where. We have been to Black Springs, back breaking difficult work with the clay. We are hoping for a more laid back spot this time.
:) :) :)
 
Heatho said:
Would be great to have a go out at Mt Werong at some time, real pity that it's in a national park. There is a creek named "Ruby Creek" there too, can only guess why. :)

Yes. I was thinking that was the case, couldn't quite remember. But now you have said it, if I recall correctly the state forests ends a few of K's before Mt Werong.

I remember that big dig was not that far off the road. Hidden by a rise and I was skeptical about it's legality. There's also some old mine tunnels (drives) on the left past Mt Werong, just off the road (above a creek???). Didn't go in them and now can't remember what they were mining (if I ever knew???), but all in all an interesting area that is definitely worthy of an explore even if you can't fossick there.

Disclaimer - well that's how I remember it in my aging memory (or is it addled) so I'll not add the guarantee to any of it. Though I'm usually right, just ask the wife.
 
Ausdigfam said:
We are off to Oberon in the morning, just for the day. Hoping to have a dig around a creek area this time. Does anyone have suggestions on where. We have been to Black Springs, back breaking difficult work with the clay. We are hoping for a more laid back spot this time.
:) :) :)

Head waters of the Fish River. Another spot I wanted to try. Water does flow through there although not a lot. Again been a while. Past SB, past the dam and next left, IIRC. It's a bit rugged a road and is a bit of a maze if you get disorientated.
It has had a bit of digging done in the creek. But else where close by should produce. I had only about an hour there but again children just don't get it, well not my three year old at the time. Then she fell into some pr@t$ unfilled hole.
Again found nothing apart from one speck of gold in the 'grub steak'.

The best luck I ever had was at SB by the large pines. Every pan resulted in sapphires. Eventually my spot was discovered and was cleaned out. TBH I think SB is a bit patchy. The test pits at SB may be worth a scratch.

The trouble with me is I spend far too long driving around in there.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for those links Dr Duck.

I have actually read of an even larger diamond found in NSW but the gold digger who found it out it on an anvil and belted with a hammer because he thought if it were a diamond it wouldn't break. It was only after showing someone the broken remains that it was actually confirmed as a diamond, wish I could find the info, was about 15 years ago that I read this.
 
Invested in a fossicking permit for the state forests just in case I get hassled by some ranger :8 going to be down there for the next few days so I'll let you guys know how it went after I'm done. Pretty much just plan to check out all the local spots and see which one is more productive for future occasions so I don't expect to find a whole lot, but ya know... wouldn't mind a nice big blue to say hello :lol:
 
DrDuck said:

I wonder how many poor diggers destroyed their beautiful diamonds...... They will generally shatter as they are so brittle, I guess depending on how hard they are struck. Actually diamonds from the Copeton/Inverell area are the hardest that have been discovered anywhere. To facet them you need to make paste from the same diamonds from the same area, well so I have heard.

I havent belted a sapphire with a hammer yet, though I did belt a piece of spinel one time with a hammer on concrete, first whack didn't do much, second whack it sounded a bit different and third whack sent razor sharp small shards flying everywhere, the whole stone basically disintegrated.
 
Had about five hours to look around today. Focused around the Vulcan state forest but didn't have a whole lot of luck... few chips and quartz crystals. Went to Campbell's river for about 15minutes, the shale exposed right next to the road would reveal a couple flakes of gold and several garnets per pan but no sapphires. Ended up quickly looking at the blue hill quarry just before it got dark. The veins are easy to see but they look a little bit dangerous to dig in due to the risk of falling rocks... kind of tempted to risk it however due to a few small but incredibly clear crystals I found just in the dirt. :lol:
 
hey guys. going to oberon region in 2 weekends time. and looking at camping there. is there any rules and regulations to us camping on or towards the campbells river. would like to stay local to where I plan on fossicking but have never been there before. cgeers for any info
 

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