Some finds from Lowmead

[Lefty]

I reckon Kman is probably right Ben - it looks like the chunks of stuff lying on the old mullock heaps at the old Norton gold field in the Boyne valley.

Watalgan? I can recall seeing signs to it - it's in the Gin Gin area?

 

[Bundy Ben]

Watalgan is up around the area you turn off to Winfield Lefty.
Will run a bit of that rock/reef through the dolly & see what pans out when I get a chance. Off to explore a bit more today further up past lowmead.

 

[Sleek001]

Hey Bundy Ben. I am based in Bundy also and coincidently was at Watalgan yesterday trying to find the old thunder egg patch going off my memory from last visiting it 30 years ago. Explains all the fresh diggings we spotted where you had been !!!. Also went out to native dog creek after that and was surprised at the amount of shafts over a vast area that I was completely unaware of. Definitely worth going back again to spend more time. Pretty sure it was Tungsten mined there.

 

[Lefty]

I've heard of the thunderegg patch near Winfield but I thought it was in state forest.

A bloke who my father worked with on construction here in Gladstone many years ago (who subsequently moved to Rubyvale where he spent the rest of his days) did some work in that area between Gladstone and Bundaberg and I think he did work on a tungsten or rutile or ilmenite mine, dunno which. He showed dad some blue crystals he said came from the area.

Our local central QLD area really is likely to be full of mineral surprises I reckon.

 

[ktmman]

Hey guys,does anyone have pic's of the thunder eggs from the Watalgan area?
I used to ride up in the forest there and I kick myself now for not looking at the ground more closely.
Could of used my bike to dig some holes

 

[Sleek001]

No pics sorry as we didn't do any digging yet as it was just a recon mission to find the place. Figure some good ones must of been found over the years by the extent of the diggings

 

[Bundy Ben]

Wasn't me who did the digging, the only ones I picked up were roadside. I noticed even fresh scratching in the creek & I too was surprised at the amount of workings there over the years.
I have seen a few from there and they mostly seem to differ from other areas/types I have seen in the past. Most seem to have more like a jasper internally rather than agate. Seen some "bullseye" type ones from there that look really cool, bit like the target logo.
Give me a few minutes and I will track down the ones I found and take a few pics (complete, not cut)

 

[Bundy Ben]

Green crystals...hmmm, saw nothing that looked close to green at native dog & sure had my eyes out for crystals. There were lots of very small quarts crystals but best grade was amongst that reef material pictured earlier.
This was the biggest I could find & retrieve

KTMan, this is all I picked up while having a quick look.

 

[Bundy Ben]

Hey sleek, missed you by a day, we did them both Sunday. Sure surprised me too, the amount of workings there & we didn't have time to scout the whole field. I poked further up into the big hills yesterday starting to look for a few gemstones/crystals up in them thar ranges.
At this stage I will be doing something on Sunday, not sure which direction yet, to many places I want to scout or re-visit & not enough days off.
Lefty, as far as I have researched & driven so far, there are 3 areas that thunder eggs are found one is forestry, one is now private land and the one I looked at the other day I am unsure of. I know the forestry is up a few ks but don't know if it covers the area I was at. I will be looking before I put pick to ground that's for sure.
Cheers everyone.

 

[Bundy Ben]

Back to Lowmead,
Here is a few shots I have taken from different holes to follow up from earlier in the thread about ground types versus finds at Lowmead.
Some of you may be able to shed some light on this and if you have found amethyst in the 2 ground types that I haven't?

This is the finer whiter gravel near the road and where it looks like most of the heaviest digging has been, all my finds been in this.

This is from the western side, a lot more reddish in colour, no finds in this yet.

from the northern end, a mixture of both, chunky quarts and looks great, no finds in this....yet

 

[Lefty]

I used to ride up in the forest there and I kick myself now for not looking at the ground more closely.
Could of used my bike to dig some holes

Now that's using your head Richard!

Sure surprised me too, the amount of workings there & we didn't have time to scout the whole field.

Sounds like the site is reasonably well known. Might be some better, agate-filled ones there somewhere. There's a spot just near my place on the road to Tannum Sands where we used to pick up agate when I was a kid - now off limits Most of it was pretty crappy (though still had interesting patterns) but we did pick up a few good bits that almost resembled Agate creek stuff.

At Lowmead I have found crystals in both the fine stuff and the chunky quartz but nothing in the reddish stuff - I think it's decomposed granite - on the other side of the road, despite several attempts. Doesn't necessarily mean there is nothing there though.

 

[Heatho]

Good to hear Lefty... But take it easy.
I have ro work till 1 next Saturday or else I would join you.
Spent 10 hours today checking out accessibility to the 3 thunder egg deposits of watalgan & Waterloo. Nailed down only one. Then we poked off NW & checked out some old gold prospects up diamond hill rd. Spent all arvo scrub walking the native dog mines, lot bigger area than what I expected. Found some interesting pieces on the mullock heaps but needs another day or 2 ro check it all out properly.

This is some form of conglomerate that is made up of Quartz crystals, some nearly clear but just not quite.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/5203/1433666258_image.jpg

Looks like a piece of a Pegmatite to me, have a read up on Pegmatites, can be some very interesting crystals and other minerals associated with them.

 

[Bundy Ben]

Thanks Heatho, will have a read. Out of the area a few hundred meters square the was only a few pieces of that stuff, it only seemed to be from near the surface. Will get the good camera out and take some decent pics of it. My dolly is not here or I would crush a bit up as well... Cheers.

 

[Lefty]

Has anyone heard of a place called Mineral road in the Lowmead/Rosedale area? Someone mentioned it but no search I've done brings it up.

 

[Lefty]

Also went out to native dog creek after that and was surprised at the amount of shafts over a vast area that I was completely unaware of. Definitely worth going back again to spend more time. Pretty sure it was Tungsten mined there.

Hey Sleek, you can get access to the area by the sounds? I'd be interested in having a stickybeak some time. You can still get into the old Norton gold field in the Boyne valley but they will chase you off the current mining leave apparently, so you can't go up to where the old smelter stack was anymore. I've had a look around the site of old Norton township jst across the creek from the lease but the most intersting things I found were old bottles, old bricks and huge old nails.

 

[Lefty]

Oh, and at this stage I will be heading down to Lowmead for a dig tomorrow

 

[ktmman]

Good luck tomorrow Lefty, I'm heading over to Windera on Sunday chasing Agate and such.
Will be making my next trip up to lowmead in a couple of weeks.

The Amethyst you cut looks blood fantastic.Wife might commision you to cut a peridot for her in the future if you want to go pro

 

[Bundy Ben]

Windera, was just reading a few old books and that popped up twice, was thinking of a run down that way myself on Sunday. I know the area through my other hobby but haven't been looking down at the same time. I was just going to start poking around the road edges from Cloyna. Any tips would be much appreciated KTMman but understand if you don't/can't.

I work tomorrow or I might of headed to lowmead myself Lefty. Maybe I will just have a late arvo poke around Bucca.

 

[ktmman]

Hey Ben, my brother and I will be doing the same as you,checking some road edges we haven't looked at before.
I know some one on facebook who's parents have a property there ,but can't get on to them at the moment.
Will have to see if we can all meet up at Lowmead for a dig in a few weeks and compare notes on the local area.

By the way,what is your other hobby if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Bundy Ben]

For sure KTMman, well, I will be in me old red forrester, black bullbar. Don't hesitate to say g'day.