Sapphire Bend, Oberon NSW

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Laurence
Joined
Feb 24, 2014
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Hello, I've been fossicking a total of two times, both at Sapphire Bend & looking at all the holes in the ground I am having difficulty identifying the wash layer, any advice on what should be an obvious sign?

If you get to dense mud is the wash layer directly above it or is it all a bit mashed up due to the digging history of sapphire bend?

Due to lack of experience a friend & I were happily digging a very easily accessed wash layer about 20cm down, it did have a grass & soil cover but the pebbles were (on reflection) too uniformly packed & when washing at the dam we found a pair of plastic tweezers in the mix.

Happily it wasn't all for nothing because by some lucky twist over the 2 trips we found 10 small blue sapphires (from ridiculously small to reasonably small & 1, 2 carat clear blue which in a prior post Wal kindly advised).

I have become addicted to spending too much time on this forum & thanks to all it is a great place for learning & entertainment. I hope to one day enjoy the ability to answer a newbies questions.

Thank you,
Laurence
 
G'day, I have dug a few holes around there and found wash layer in the fossicking area (from centre to the back) is inconsistent ,some times disappearing totally :eek: so this tells me it is not natural ground,and since then been told this area was mined,washed and place back there,I don't know if this is true but it would explain my finds...
I found if you go into the area at the front and in the big trees to the left you can find more consistent wash/grey white clay is directly under and wash layer is only about 2/3 inches thick,they clay carries a few goodies as well,tiny saphs in the centre up to about 4ct in the tree area

This is my experience only
Good luck( I got some nice stones there after I learnt a bit )

Varts.....
 
G'day Varts, thank you SO much, all well noted! I'll follow your recommendation & should have some luck. Instead of staring hopelessly into the hole I'll be on the lookout for grey white clay.

I'll owe you one, ok!

Laurence
 
I found out there if you are getting real corse volcanic rock you won't get saphs n zircs

And a tip if you see an old guy in a ute ,have a yarn to him!

Tex is his name if you have not met him yet

Varts
 
:D Thank's a heap Varts! 1st trip there saw a white single cab hilux 4x4 heading down side road (Tex?), but quiet otherwise. Is Tex a long time custodian of the area? A yarn would be nice indeed.

:lol: cheers Headbut, something else to keep an eye out for now, bloody hell!!
 
Nah ,old two wheel drive hilux with alloy tray,white ,the bloke digs and knows all who dig .you are bound to see him a
 
Tex is the man!! he was a great help when we first started out......He always pops in for a chat when were out at sapphire bend
 
Hey everyone. We got out to Black Springs on Saturday and went to sapphire Bend.

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We even saw snow in the Forrest but didn't get a pic of it. Sadly no sapphires were found.
 
Nice photos kid,... Gotta be in to win it so to speak, might not have brought home the goods this time, but the experience is invaluable, and there is always next time.
Silver. :)
 
Glad to See you have the beast in action Mate. :) :)
Well done and Keep it up. :D
.
I do not think they are his Jaros. ;)
 
Gawd, I hope this doesn't happen at Tuena. 8)
Still very pretty for the Aussie bush. The pine tree's
give it that European flavor. :D
 
TFK,is that the public fossicking area?Or are those diggings in the state forest where you require a permit?
 
Eldorado the fossiking area is actually in the state Forrest but is public and no permit needed, the public area has been flogged though and there's better spots not far from it in the Forrest where you will need the permit.
For the cost of the permit per year it's definitely worth getting.
Cheers
 
Hey guys, I'm a newbie on fossicking and since I am planning to head out to Oberon on my wife's birthday, might as well try it as she is dying to experience on getting some dig.

Thing is im driving a FWD asx and wondering if any of the fossick location allows a non-4WD to get through?

Appreciate your advise on this! :)
 

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