Where to fossick in tassie?

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Hi all, I've been absent for quite a while due to ill health, but im back and running again and i have the itch to get out something fierce!
I moved to tassie nearly 3 years ago, but fell ill pretty soon after arriving and haven't had a chance to get out there really yet.
I don't know where to go! Could anybody point me in the direction of some gem spots please? Would be really greatful.
Cheers, hope you are all well!
 
which part of the state are you in?
if you live in the north then there are plenty of places, from derby through to the blue tier and across to gladstone.
if you are in the south your best bet might be to go to lune river to look for petrified wood or fern, also some nice agate there as well.
 
Heatho said:
The Weld River would be a good area to start researching for Sapphire.

Is that in the public fossicking area or further down stream?
 
goldierocks said:
Northeast tinfields are good for sapphires, but I am probably telling grandma how to suck eggs. Have you looked at the Geological Survey photo pubication on minerals?

http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/a-catalogue-of-the-minerals-of-tasmania (costs)

http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/occurrences-of-gemstone-minerals-in-tasmania (free download)

http://www.mrt.tas.gov.au/portal/fossicking-areas-in-tasmania (free download)

Cheers for the links! Yeah i was thinking tin fields, just not sure about access. Also don't want to get shot by any crazy land owners :p
 
Wishful Thinkin' said:
which part of the state are you in?
if you live in the north then there are plenty of places, from derby through to the blue tier and across to gladstone.
if you are in the south your best bet might be to go to lune river to look for petrified wood or fern, also some nice agate there as well.

Im just north of launceston but happy to travel if the prospects are decent. Im thinking of joining the local lapidary club in hopes of meeting some locals that might want to part with some wisdoms. Just a matter of finding the time.
 
Joining the lapidary club is an excellent idea. I have not been involved with one for a while, but my experience is that they are great folks who have lots of good information. Most clubs have regular field trips, and are pretty good at negotiating with landholders for access, etc, as they have the requisite public liability insurance and good contacts.
 
Jessiy said:
Wishful Thinkin' said:
which part of the state are you in?
if you live in the north then there are plenty of places, from derby through to the blue tier and across to gladstone.
if you are in the south your best bet might be to go to lune river to look for petrified wood or fern, also some nice agate there as well.

Im just north of launceston but happy to travel if the prospects are decent. Im thinking of joining the local lapidary club in hopes of meeting some locals that might want to part with some wisdoms. Just a matter of finding the time.

joining local clubs is a good idea, they will have organised field trips.
also go to the mineral resources tasmania site, they have some very good information on what you can expect to find, and where to look for it......another good source of info is to call into the local pubs and ask the locals, usually they don't mind giving people directions on good places to go.
i grew up at derby so i know a lot of excellent places to look, but unless you knew the area well you wouldn't have any idea of where i'm talking about if i told you, so i can't give you any x marks the spot on a map....
 
I'm in Derby these days and I'm getting plenty.Its a cold hard slog but ive got a bag full.The one thing I did wrong was read a post about pricing sapphires only to find ive got a bag of rocks.No worries though,big blue is out there somewhere and sooner or later ill trip over it.Lapidary club opens in Derby early in the new year so ill keep you posted.
 
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