Fossicking

Lookout above Undara campground

Sunset at lookout over Undara

Conor holding the moon

We had a great morning today fossicking near Mt Surprise - the only downer was that we forgot our camera! Couldn't believe it. We were on a tour from Mt Surprise Gems which was just us and one other person which was great. We drove to the shop’s claim at O’Brien’s Creek where they provided us with gear and stuck a free topaz sample into our first bucket that we sieved so that we would know what we were looking for.

After that it was shovelling buckets full of dirt/rocks, carting them up a small slope and tipping them into a big sieve which we then shook around to let all the dirt fall through, before sifting through the remaining rocks. Daniel and I worked together and found four pieces of topaz, two which they later said would be suitable for cutting and polishing, and a piece of smokey quartz which looks pretty cool. Nick and Conor found seven pieces of topaz, three or four of which would be suitable for cutting and polishing at some later date. We had a great time anyway, and it was nice to know that, apart from the first piece, none of it was planted for us, it was literally in the dirt and rocks we hacked off the little wall and sifted.

Our guide said that a couple of weeks ago they had a Japanese reality show filming there, which was a contest between five 18 or 20 year old girls (who are singers apparently, and each had their own camera operator plus hangers on) and the first one to find a blue topaz won. He said it took them about an hour but they were really working and churning through the stuff. None of us found an elusive blue topaz, but we were pretty happy with what we did find. After lunch back at Mt Surprise we drove in the afternoon to Undara to stay. We are going on yet another tour here in the morning of the lava tubes (by guided tour only unfortunately) and then hopefully will fit in some walks as well.