Sapphire Bend, Oberon NSW

[Digginholes]

Awesome, well I bet your glad you battled that concrete wash layer now :lol: great stones.
Good to see some decent size stuff still coming from the Forrest : )

 

[Conan]

Thanks. I be heading back in the next couple of weeks, not sure which day as I have gone through all of my buckets and need to replenish. Yes the concrete was worth it but limits the amount of wash you can get out in the time I had. By some miracle this weekends rain might have softened it up a little. ower:

 

[jimnyjerry]

Was still rock hard on Sunday.

 

[Conan]

Was there much rain out there over the weekend Jimny.

 

[jimnyjerry]

9 mm on Saturday east of Oberon. Then more over night. Not sure of the total as we did not look at the gauge.
Spotty rain as in some areas really got it west of Black Springs while others got light showers.
The hole was very slippery on Sunday and showers continued.

Might bump into you out that way some time.

At present trying to get warm and help a cramping calf muscle recover.

 

[Folgore_202]

Nice finds! This place might well be the one I'll be going to on my trip to Australia this winter (well, summer for you guys) ; can you find "only" sapphire there, or gold and/or other things as well?

 

[Nicko98]

Ive found a few flecks of gold in the pan from sapphire bend, nothing substantial.
You pick up zircon, sapphire and the occasional quartz crystal.
You guys have me hungry again, might have to brave the cold sometime soon!

 

[Conan]

Nice finds! This place might well be the one I'll be going to on my trip to Australia this winter (well, summer for you guys) ; can you find "only" sapphire there, or gold and/or other things as well?

Mainly Sapphire, Zircon, quartz crystals and minimal gold. There has been reported diamonds there but unless you know what your looking for it makes it hard to identify. I've dug in holes there when I have turned the sieve over the middle of the sieve pile was white instead of the usual dark coloured. Full of small crystal and quartz. I called it the crystal hole. Got jackshit in that hole. no sapphire or any other source material. The hole was only 15 metres away from sapphire producing holes so you just never know what you are going to find.

 

[jimnyjerry]

Folgore for that area in NSW you will need a Fossicking Permit from State Forestry which you can get online. If you are going to be here in our summer expect it to be hot. Nearest camp spot is at Black Springs otherwise a motel in Oberon. Expect flies and maybe a snake or roo.

 

[Chiron52]

I'm heading out to Oberon for a dig this coming weekend.
Plan to search for some new areas around Sapphire Bend and through the Vulcan Forest.
I want to have a look at Native Dog Creek too but not sure where to dig. Although, looking at Mr. Googles Earth map, there are some very interesting looking locations.
AND, With the ever increasing size and number of State Forests in this part of the world I believe it gives us (with our permits) potentially more places to fossick.
All being well, I hope to find some much softer and more productive ground than Sapphire Bend for my old bones to dig.

 

[jimnyjerry]

Enjoy

 

[Jaros]

Take it slow, enjoying the landscape and fresh air. Even if you only pick up a few little'uns its better than being in an office hey! ickshovel:

 

[Chiron52]

Thanks guys.
I'm taking a cousin with me this trip and he's a fossicking virgin.
So, besides teaching him the basics, I hope to sample a few new areas.
Weather looks OK for the 3 days we'll be out in the bush.
As it's been a while since my last dig, I am expecting a few sore muscles.
Cheers.

 

[Conan]

Good luck, I was out there yesterday, beautiful clear blue skies and weather early 20's. As a bonus got a bit of colour.

 

[Chiron52]

Just returned from Oberon.
Friday - spent most of the day at B H Quarry. First time there. Met a nice Asian couple and showed them what to look for. Brought some crystal samples home and after I
clean them I will post photos.
Saturday - spent the day in Sapphire Bend area. No sapphires and only found a pretty little (very little) clear crystal.
Today - stayed most of the day at another part of Sapphire Bend - "The big hole"? Found about a dozen very small sapphires. Hardly worth all the hard digging and blisters.
Later spent a couple of hours at Porters Retreat. No luck with our dig but great talking to the 3 couples camped there. Long drive home via Abercrombie Rd to Goulburn then up the Hume Hwy.

Note: a cop was parked in the bush in the middle of the Hume Hwy with his radar. The afternoon sun was reflecting off the orange stripes on his patrol car and everyone could see the car from 2 kilometers back up the highway. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Chiron52]

Some pics from our recent Oberon trip.
Last pic is a few little crystals from the BH quarry - top left is a nice smokey but it didn't photograph too well, sorry. (have more but they are soaking, trying to remove brown staining).

 

[Conan]

What are you using to soak your crystals in. I have quiet a few brown stained crystals but not sure what to put them in.

 

[Chiron52]

What are you using to soak your crystals in. I have quiet a few brown stained crystals but not sure what to put them in.

At the moment they are soaking in Napisan, mostly to get dirt and caked in mud off them.
Next I was thinking of trying CLR which supposedly gets rust stains off concrete.
Also - I've read that Oxalic Acid (obtainable from Bunnings) is also good on rust stained specimens. (must be kept out of reach of children)

After a good soak in Napisan (and a scrub with a toothbrush) -

The larger rock has greyish parent rock top and bottom and a vein of quartz with crystals through the center.
I hacked this out of a large quartz vein in the quarry mentioned above. (I should buy a portable diamond saw if I wish to do this again. It was hard work with a hammer and chisel.) :N:

The rock at top right clearly shows 2 pinkish/white quartz crystals.

The smaller rock displays a mass of very small crystals, but not clear in the photo.
Cheers.

 

[Conan]

Hi All

I noticed that there are going to be road closures or limited access around and near Sapphire Bend on the 3rd November due to a car rally.

 

[jimnyjerry]

Hi All

I noticed that there are going to be road closures or limited access around and near Sapphire Bend on the 3rd November due to a car rally.

That is good to know. Will keep away from the area.