Day 52: Wed 16 Aug 23 - Rubyvale

Wed 16 Aug 23 - Rubyvale

Weather: 11 Deg, clear and sunny reaching 31 Deg and no wind all day - it was hot and dry.

Rubyvale is very quiet, and we both had an excellent sleep. I climbed out of bed and went for a walk around the township at sunrise, then returned for breakfast and what turned out to be a very relaxing day. While Noel spent the morning washing and cleaning, I completed yesterday's blog, then I ran a few more loads of dirt through the sieve and wash at the back of the caravan park, where a dedicated wash point is set up. At 10am, I ventured back to the van where Noel had just also just finished baking a batch of scones for morning tea, so I invited Chris and Des to join us - and they jumped at the invitation. We met Chris and Des from Coffin Bay, yesterday while sieving (the couple in the photos). It was nice sitting under the shade of our awning and a big tree, just chatting about lots of things and sharing stories - it was very enjoyable, as we haven't had the opportunity to meet many new people on this trip (most of our time has been with family and friends). After morno's, I went back and finished my bag of dirt. I didn't expect to find anything of quality or value, and I wasn't disappointed. It was very relaxing going through the process though, and I thoroughly enjoyed the morning. 

After lunch, we went for a short drive around the Rubyvale district then into Sapphire. First stop in Sapphire was at Pat's where I asked a few questions about gemstones, and the owner (not Pat as it’s a new owner), was very accommodating and told me everything I needed to know about sapphires (and more), including about his business (since Dec 2022), and general information about the district and looking for gems. He turned out to be an absolute gem of a bloke himself. Afterwards, we decided to repay him by spending some money on a cold drink (Noel an iced chocolate, and me an ice cold beer). The owner gave us a lot of useful tips, but tomorrow morning we will return and get him to show us through the process in more detail so we can go out fossicking on our own. Apparently between 9am and 2pm is the ideal time of day to search for sapphires due to the angle of the sun. There are dedicated areas for fossicking, and so long as we aren't using tools, we don't need a permit. On the way back to Rubyvale, we stopped at Sapphire Gemfields Wetland Reserve. It was too hot for Noel, so I set off on my own for this 3.8km walk at pace to check out the wetlands. In my mind, there was one crucial element missing for this to be called a Wetlands though - water. It was very dry, but I can imagine it would be nice after rain. On the walk, I did see an old Miners Hut, a Bird Hide in the bush and an old Aboriginal Scar Tree. Afterwards we returned to the van where I made an early start on the blog while the internet is available, and so I can watch the Matildas play their semi-final later tonight. Thankfully, we have internet outside the van, so we hope to watch the game being streamed. 

PS. The internet dropped out after the game started, so we watched the game on a small TV in the laundry/communal area. Bad luck to the Tillies, they were a bit off the pace tonight, England deserved winners 3-1.

Morning Walk past Bobby Dazzler Mine in Ruby Vale

A story about Darky Garnett who arrived in the Gemfields in the 1900s, pushing his wheelbarrow loaded with his worldly possessions. Apparently he made and lost fortunes. Ultimately he left town, and a gruelling 18.3km wheelbarrow race starting from Anakie and finishing at Rubyvale was started in his honour.  Wheelbarrows were loaded with tools at Anakie and replaced with soil wash at Sapphire - all across rugged corrugated road.

Pat's Gems - Sapphire

Refreshment at Pat's Gems

Pat's Gems - Sapphire

Another gem

Sapphire Wetlands!! Walk

Sapphire Wetlands Walk. Old Miners Hut

Sapphire Wetlands Walk (31 Deg - hot and dry)

Sapphire Wetlands Walk - Aboriginal scar tree

A bit hard to see the colour without holding up against the light, but this is the reward of one bag of dirt - enjoyable, but I'm sure everyone is a winner. I suspect bags are filled from material that has already been processed and only unwanted stones, or stones of no value are discarded. Having said that, I found more sapphires in one small bag, than I remember ever finding with my father on several occasions visiting the Gemfields as a kid. I only ever remember him finding one big blue sapphire that was cuttable. 



 

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