Day 51: Tue 15 Aug 23 - Capella to Rubyvale via Emerald

Tue 15 Aug 23 - Capella to Rubyvale via Emerald (Towed 114km)

Weather: 7 Deg feels like 5 Deg - a surprisingly fresh start to the day with no wind, at Capella, climbing to a very hot (for this time of year) 31 Deg at Rubyvale. 

After an early walk back to the Lighthorse Monument and around town, I returned for breakfast and then we packed slowly for a 9am departure. We drove along a very bumpy, at times dangerous, Gregory Development Road from Capella to Emerald. We could have turned right at Capella and driven directly to Rubyvale via the Capella - Rubyvale Road (61km), but drove an extra 53km via Emerald to do some shopping, and to have a look around town. 


We arrived in Emerald shortly after 9.40, immediately calling in to the Visitor Information Centre, then walked around the historical village, along the mosaic trail to the Big Easel - a tribute to Van Gogh’s sunflowers. The Easel contains 13.6 tons of steel and is 25m high. From here Noel went of to buy some groceries, while I headed in the opposite direction to check out some street art in the town centre. The ANZAC Mural and Reggae Street Art works were particularly good. I also stopped in at the Art Gallery which was showcasing some vey good local and travelling exhibitions.  Afterwards, I met Noel at Woolworths to carry the groceries back to the car, then we continued on our way to Rubyvale. It was only a short 61km drive, but it was a very cautious drive, thankfully with very little traffic, along a very bumpy and uneven road.


We arrived at Rubyvale Caravan Park and were quickly setup by 12.40pm. We sat outside under a very shady tree, and had lunch while we considered our plan of attack for the next few days. After we recovered from the heat, we set off for a walk to have coffee and Apple Strudel up the road at a local ‘famous’ Strudel House. Both the coffee and strudel were OK (just), certainly the popularity couldn't be based on what we were served. Needless to say, we won’t be going back. While discussing our plans over coffee, we decided to stay an extra night (we booked for 3, but will now stay for 4 nights), to do a Fossicking Tour on  Friday. I don’t expect we will find gemstones of any great value, but I’m sure it will an interesting experience. The guided tour we have booked has a very good reputation. Back at the van while strolling around the park, I noticed people sieving bags of gravel wash purchased from the office. After watching them for a while, and seeing that they were indeed finding lots of colour, we decided to give it a go as well. I purchased a bag and we worked through 2 sieve loads before calling it the day. In 2 loads, we found a surprising number of stones, nothing of any size or quality that can be cut, but it was exciting.  We’ll finish our bag sometime tomorrow, who knows we may be sitting on a fortune. 


Unfortunately, there is very poor internet and no TV reception here, so another early night, and the blog will be delivered late again, today and for the next few days.


Capella - Morning visit to the Lighthorse Monument 

Capella - A lovely park and pleasant overnight stay

Emerald - Visitor Information Centre

Emerald - Mosaic Trail and Big Easel

Emerald - Happy Tourists and Big Easel

Emerald - Historic Homestead

Emerald - Historic Homestead

Emerald - CBD Cenotaph

Emerald - ANZAC Mural

Emerald - ANZAC Mural

Emerald - CBD Monument

Emerald - Council Building and Art Gallery

Emerald - CBD


Emerald - Reggae Mural

Emerald - Reggae Mural

Emerald - CBD Street Mural

Emerald - CBD

Emerald - Art Exhibition

Emerald - Art Exhibition

Emerald - Art Exhibition


Emerald - Council Building and Art Gallery


Rubyvale - Coffee and Strudel (Save your money)

Rubyvale - Sieving for some precious stone

Rubyvale - Sieving for some precious stone



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