Hi all, just posted the below in another thread and thought i would post it here under a better topic heading. most of the info has been posted on this site at one time or another however is a bit spread out. this site has a plethora of info so use the site search function for the area you are interested in as there is alot more info already posted on this forum than the brief info that i have put below. also if anyone has anything to add please post away below
Black Springs or Porters retreat near Oberon are good easy places to start with fossicking for sapphires,
If you stop in at the visitor centre in oberon, the staff there can fill you in on where to go and will show you some sapphires so you know what to look out for.
the also have some maps to help you find the spots. this map is similar to the one they provide at the visitor centre although the one they will give you has a legend as well as brief driving instructions to get to each of the numbered locations.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com ingmap.pdf
Black springs is good when there hasn't been much rain as when it is wet it is very boggy and all the dig holes fill with water.
On our first visit there we just jumped in someone elses hole and extended it out and followed the wash layer.
you have a good chance in coming back from there with some small sapphires or sapphire chips or zircons as we have found some almost every time we have been there.
if you look at all the unfilled thumbsdown sad dig holes there you will get an idea of how deep the wash layer is, if you are lucky some of the bigger holes might have water in them for panning otherwise you can classify your material into a bucket and take it down to the dam down the road to wash it - or bring your own water.
there is a campground nearby, note; if you want to venture outside of the designated fossicking area here you will need to get a State forest fossicking permit online before you go. there are some productive spots away from the main area once you are a bit more experienced with what to look for in finding the wash layers.
Porters Retreat is a bit further out from oberon but is another nice spot, known for bigger sapphs however not as numerous, i have been here a few times with limited success although you can also get some gold here too. porters retreat is a bit of a puzzle as it has been dug and filled so many times and can be hard to find the wash layers to work and they can be quite deep. All but one of my sapphs from here have come from within the creek itself, in winter this creek can freeze over and is very cold so i suggest taking some gloves for washing. i have a pair of neoprene fishing gloves that work well. classify your wash over your pan here as there is a chance of gold.
Isabella SF is another spot that you can get both sapphires and gold however you will need to buy a state forest fossicking permit online before you go as it does not have any designated areas for fossicking. you will need to drive on the state forest roads and it is a fair bit further again away from oberon.
Check out the Adventure Gold channel on youtube, Andrew has posted some good videos of the areas up there and also shows what areas to look for once you are there and you will get an idea of the area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BxZ0fqRx0
good luck and remember to backfill your holes when finished thumbsup
Black Springs or Porters retreat near Oberon are good easy places to start with fossicking for sapphires,
If you stop in at the visitor centre in oberon, the staff there can fill you in on where to go and will show you some sapphires so you know what to look out for.
the also have some maps to help you find the spots. this map is similar to the one they provide at the visitor centre although the one they will give you has a legend as well as brief driving instructions to get to each of the numbered locations.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com ingmap.pdf
Black springs is good when there hasn't been much rain as when it is wet it is very boggy and all the dig holes fill with water.
On our first visit there we just jumped in someone elses hole and extended it out and followed the wash layer.
you have a good chance in coming back from there with some small sapphires or sapphire chips or zircons as we have found some almost every time we have been there.
if you look at all the unfilled thumbsdown sad dig holes there you will get an idea of how deep the wash layer is, if you are lucky some of the bigger holes might have water in them for panning otherwise you can classify your material into a bucket and take it down to the dam down the road to wash it - or bring your own water.
there is a campground nearby, note; if you want to venture outside of the designated fossicking area here you will need to get a State forest fossicking permit online before you go. there are some productive spots away from the main area once you are a bit more experienced with what to look for in finding the wash layers.
Porters Retreat is a bit further out from oberon but is another nice spot, known for bigger sapphs however not as numerous, i have been here a few times with limited success although you can also get some gold here too. porters retreat is a bit of a puzzle as it has been dug and filled so many times and can be hard to find the wash layers to work and they can be quite deep. All but one of my sapphs from here have come from within the creek itself, in winter this creek can freeze over and is very cold so i suggest taking some gloves for washing. i have a pair of neoprene fishing gloves that work well. classify your wash over your pan here as there is a chance of gold.
Isabella SF is another spot that you can get both sapphires and gold however you will need to buy a state forest fossicking permit online before you go as it does not have any designated areas for fossicking. you will need to drive on the state forest roads and it is a fair bit further again away from oberon.
Check out the Adventure Gold channel on youtube, Andrew has posted some good videos of the areas up there and also shows what areas to look for once you are there and you will get an idea of the area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BxZ0fqRx0
good luck and remember to backfill your holes when finished thumbsup
