The Fossickers Way Visitor Guide Volume 1 | Page 6

A holiday
OUT of the

ordinary
HOW TO FOSSICK
What you need: A pair of sieves
(coarse and fine), a shovel, a
bucket, tweezers for picking
out gems, a cloth or hessian
bag, a plastic container
for findings, old clothes,
gumboots, sunscreen, fly
spray and a first aid kit.
Where to look: Sapphires, gold

and other gems, such as
zircon, black spinel, garnet,
quartz and more, can be

6

found in the sides of creeks
and in the creek itself.

How to fossick: Dig down

through the topsoil until you
find the gem ‘wash’, a stony
gravel which could vary in
depth from place to place.
Place the coarse sieve on
top, fine sieve on the bottom
and shovel some wash into
the top sieve. Wash this in
the creek water, then check
all the large stones for a
glossy appearance in the

top sieve before throwing
away those not required.
Then wash the contents of
the fine sieve separately,
removing all debris and silt.
Tip the contents onto a cloth
or hessian bag and closely
inspect for gems.

TOP TIP: Equipment can be
hired at several points along
the Fossickers Way, including
private fossicking sites,
caravan parks and a number
of visitor information centres.