Hi from Shepparton!

[Crox123]

Hello All,

My name is Ashlee,
A bit of background info on myself-

I have been interested in gems and minerals since I was quite young-
One day while walking with my mum through a paddock at her work and stumbled upon a crystal that a machine had dug up... after a lovely chat with Maurie at The Rockery, he'd informed me I'd found my first smoky quartz, and my fascination started there!

I started off collecting from shops and now starting to venture into collecting for myself-
I have been to Mooralla, Rushworth, Beechworth and would like to visit so many more locations!! (If only we all had trust funds )

As mentioned, I'm from the Goulburn Valley- would love to join in with people fossicking, as working with others helps build my knowledge (I'm still fairly new to fossicking )

Lovely to join such a kind and knowledgeable forum

 

[Way2go]

Welcome, I am sure you will find like minded people in your area.

 

[7.62marksman]

 

[Jaros]

Welcome Ashlee.

 

[user 4386]

Hello All,

My name is Ashlee,
A bit of background info on myself-

I have been interested in gems and minerals since I was quite young-
One day while walking with my mum through a paddock at her work and stumbled upon a crystal that a machine had dug up... after a lovely chat with Maurie at The Rockery, he'd informed me I'd found my first smoky quartz, and my fascination started there!

I started off collecting from shops and now starting to venture into collecting for myself-
I have been to Mooralla, Rushworth, Beechworth and would like to visit so many more locations!! (If only we all had trust funds )

As mentioned, I'm from the Goulburn Valley- would love to join in with people fossicking, as working with others helps build my knowledge (I'm still fairly new to fossicking )

Lovely to join such a kind and knowledgeable forum

Hi Ashley - welcome. I have seen perfect smoky quartz crystals from the granite areas of the Strathbogies turned up by ploughs (up to 30 cm diameter single crystals, perfectly terminated). They are not just from the Crystal King mine. Multicoloured tourmaline near the Violet Town Volcanics to the north of the granite. A skarn with coloured tourmaline near Dookie (also barite, a big calcite vein near Dookie). Stibnite at Cosgrove. Fluorite in the Warbie Ranges. Greta North has turquoise. To name a few closer than Beechworth (some partly restricted).

 

[Goldtarget]

GV gem club could point you in right direction....Gilchrist street or Google number.

 

[madhatter]

Welcome aboard

 

[Crox123]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome!
And thank you for all that valuable info Goldierocks- and here I was thinking our area wasn't very exciting!

Mum recently found a crystal on her property so hopefully she'll let me dig a nice hole
Yes, Bogie is lovely for Smokeys- My brother found some massive water worn points one summer! He certainly looked strange lugging this giant thing home
But how COOL would it be to find some of that tourmaline!!! I've also heard you can find some blues in the creek
I'm headed to Heathcote/Corop this weekend to hopefully find some jasper! (Fingers crossed).

 

[user 4386]

That was just a small list - the Tolmie Highlands has some nice blue sapphire (with gold), mostly small. In many creeks (eg around Toombullup). I forgot about Corop.

 

[Goldtarget]

If you don't already have a spot for jasper in Corp I can help. I know because at Brown Brothers vineyard and about 60% of the total other poles on the vinyards through those hills I spent a couple of my working years as a very young pup constructing.
The ground at Brown Brothers was rich with the most beautiful stones, I took bucket loads, predominantly reds and browns, but you got many colours, blue, green, yellow, stripped, a real treasure chest. The only place I know for certain without getting landholders permission is the road that runs east west on the north side of that property. There's still stones there on that roadside. I drop by in summer from time to time to see what's turned up.

Directions. Travel Midland hwy through Corp township toward Elmore. Go over channel and just up the first hill Turn left at Corop/Heathcote Road, it's well signed. That's the left just before Rochester turnoff on the right. Now heading south you will see an old farmhouse on the right a couple hundred meters ahead, it's the next right a dirt road. Not a great time of year quite boggy. This road runs up beside Brown Brothers vineyard. You will see as you go uphill some huge boulders on your left (south) like massive rocks just on the verge. As you get to the next ridge line in that range start looking around and there will be many reds around. South along that Ridge line in Brown Brothers was the best stones I collected along those entire hills by far, on the eastern side of the ridge. I never bothered to ask but there may well be some exposed stones still able to be collected with permission. It's been nearly 20 years since I was there drilling and ripping the ground I'm sure it's very different now with the established vines.

I watched those boulders come out of the ground, if only we had phones like we do now to capture that in action, quite a sight.

Best of luck, I'm sure others know some productive ground in the area.

 

[Crox123]

Thank you so so much OldDT, That is such a help!!

I purchased some crystals from a lady at a market a few weeks ago, and she said you could collect jasper off the roadside- but I didn't get the road name off her, so this helps immensely

Wow, I am absolutely jealous, that would have been an awesome experience! It's hard to get a good scope of colours- from what limited images I've seen on the net the most common colour seems to be the red, for sure but the blues and greens you talk about would be really cool to find

I've also read Ladys Pass mentioned a few times and I have had a look on the state forest prospecting map provided for the area. It says it's within the approved fossicking area- have you or has anyone else had a dig around there that can attest for it?

 

[Goldtarget]

I was talking to an old work mate who ran the caravan park on Lake Corop last night....This post kind of reminded me we hadn't spoken for a while.

In conversation I remembered something else. There's a large blue metal outcrop further south a (Heathcote direction) same ridge line that is actively being quarried. I would suggest if you looked at any of the outcrops between the quarry and Brown Brothers you m8ght do quite well. I am guessing, but fairly certain, that that mid point between the Reds and that blue metal is where and why there are yellows, greens and blues often mixed in striping with whites, if your lucky whole stones are a completely different colour to the earth reds.

I'd guess the red outcropping and blue quarry would be no more than a few 1000 metres apart, both on the east side of the range, try any road east west in between them, with some luck you'll find a few nice ones.

 

[Crox123]

I'll definitely let you know how I go-
I've been scoping out the maps so hopefully we find something...
I also forgot about my book 'Gemstones of Victoria'- it's the one published in the 60's and it has a whole section on heathcote! Woo-hoo!

 

[user 4386]

https://www.booktopia.com.au/gemstones-in-victoria-bill-birch/prod9781921833069.html

A later edition of Gemstones of Victoria

 

[Crox123]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice-
and to OldGT, THANK YOUUUUU!

Your directions were easy to follow and we managed to find some really nice pieces mostly reds/yellows but I also found a really cool piece which looks like it has blue squiggles (not very technical term, I know ) through it, so we are very happy

I've got a good night of scrubbing some rocks clean arty:

 

[Goldtarget]

No problem. Glad you got some good ones. :Y: