Lava Plains fossicking area.

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
14
Reaction score
13
Has anyone visited - and dug - at the Lava Plains fossicking site (North Queensland on the Kennedy Development road)? It's meant to be a good site for sapphires but when I visited it recently I could see no signs of diggings - just a grass covered site with scattered trees! The site is difficult to find and there is no vehicle access, but if there were good sapphires to be found then I would have expected to see more signs of activity.

Bill
 
Its a pretty remote spot Bill.

I was out there last year in Winter and there was a few travellers pulling up for a scratch. Some of the most astonishing sapphires come out of the Lava Plains deposits but its hard yakka to get them. The over burden layer is anywhere from 30cm to 2 meters deep. I found the best way to go is to jump in someones else's abandoned dig and widen the hole a bit. If your on the clay layers then you're on the sapphires. (the clay's are the pyroclastic ashes that carried the sapphires) You have to bring your own water in so that limits the amount of soil you can wash and the clay sticks like glue to everything so you have to make sure you really look hard at every sieve. This time of the year its so bloody hot you'll probably carc it before finding anything good. Either that or the march flies will suck you dry.

I've always wanted to hit it during the Wet when there is plenty of water from the sky but the risk of being stuck out for days to weeks is very real. (I don't mind at all but the boss might :p )
 
Hi Sneaky,

Yes - that's what I intended to do - find an existing dig and extend it. However I didn't find any existing diggings. Thus my enquiry! Are the diggings (?) concentrated in a particular area which I may have missed?

There is a very great contrast between - say - Glenalva in the central gemfields (which is heavily dug) and the Lava Plains site (which seems virtually untouched)

Bill
 
According to the net there are 2 more general permission areas at Wyandotte Creek area with camping area ,120 hectare each .
Mines Hill is open but no camping
 
Never been myself but I saw a photo of some stones that supposedly came from there and they were the most stunning shade of blue, almost like London blue topaz.
 
Its possible much of the diggings have been washed by heavy rains. That area copped some pretty heavy out of season rain this year and last. It dosen't really matter where you dig out there. The site is one of the youngest in Australia so the stones will be found right where they were deposited. Its more a hit and miss thing unlike the gem feilds down south. Those are much older so the stones have had time to be consentrated in streams and gullys.
 
The place is on my list for a north QLD fossicking tour - when I eventually get there. My plan was to come up to the in-laws place at Atherton via the inland route and visit Chudleigh Park (now closed 8.( ), Moonstone Hill, Lava Plains, Mount Surprise and Agate Creek.

Those are much older so the stones have had time to be consentrated in streams and gullys.

Bloke I spoke to who has dug there told me that the stones at Lava Plains are often not in a distinct, recognisable wash band - which is ancient stream gravels - like they are down here but rather just sitting in a clayey material.
 
I lived up the road for lava plains for a few yrs, good spot, very hot and dry at times, get some nice blue stones there, it's way easier to spec after rain, there is an old sapphires mine dwn the back, red paired rocks are the end of the fossicking area, technically you are supposed to call the farmer 24 hrs before you go as it is on a working cattle station, the number is on the sign at the turnstile at the gate, best spot we found was walk in 500mtrs there is a track off to the left which leads you to the head of a all creek, the farmer does use machinery to fill in holes and the creek bank. Watch out for snakes, long way for help. Hope this helps.
 
Hi guys. I went last week on my way to mt surprise. I dug for about half hour before had to move on. I dry sived. Extremely clay. And scorpion dug up. I did find 2 very small stones. And 1 good size but was a bomb.
I seen someone setting up a tent.ony departure outside on the gate. It is 62 km.from the Lynd. Good feed and beer.
 
Top