Finding sapphires in oberon?

[Nicko98]

Hey guys,
I've been fossicking around Black Springs, NSW and am having some trouble. I've been digging in the vulcan state forest for all of my sapphires (not at sapphire bend, as i feel it has been picked too thoroughly and have purchased a permit). Generally i only dig about 20cm-50cm down but haven't been having much luck - only found about 5 small 1/8 inch sapphires in 3 trips (each of which have been about 5-6 hours digging). Just wondering if i can get some pointers or tips on knowing where to dig and how to identify the wash. I'm being thrown off by the fact i cant find any streams around either. Thanks for your time!

 

[Wally69]

It is great to see you have an adventurous spirit Nick, this should get you onto some interesting spots in the coming years.

If you can dig solidly for a good half a day, several days in a row, I would recommend you mix your efforts between finding new ground and expanding a hole in a known deposit.

Oberon produces lovely clear stones, mostly on the small side but some nice big ones come to the surface at Black Springs if you can process volume.

Spend some time trolling through the threads and you will add a few more names of places to try. Use the search function for different keywords and you will find plenty of Oberon district finds and posts on the area.

Good luck out there.

 

[Heatho]

Finding an actual wash layer there can be difficult as the forest ground was torn up to plant all of those pine trees. You really just need to keep trying and keep sampling different areas around near Sapphire Bend Rd. Quite a bit of luck is needed when fossicking. Generally speaking though the wash layer there is not very deep.

Some good info in this thread
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16128&p=1

Doing some research on this website should give you a better perspective on the area, it contains all the mining reports, test hole yields etc.
http://digsopen.minerals.nsw.gov.au/

 

[Nicko98]

Thanks for the information, it's all really appreciated!

 

[Dan088]

Thanks for the information, it's all really appreciated!

How did you go mate..Old thread I know,Wondering if you had any luck.