  Rubyvale
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 14 Rubyvale Tips.22 Rubyvale Photos.0 Rubyvale Videos. Rubyvale Pages by thedouglas
| Page Views: 748 Last Visit to Rubyvale: September, 1998 | Rubyvale - Sapphire Country Queensland! by thedouglas - last update: Aug 26, 2006 |
Character City in the Aussie Bush! This wonderful place is about 80kms west of Emerald - and has become an increasingly popular tourist destination. The Gemfields are made up of 4 small towns - Rubyvale, Anakie, Sapphite and The Willows.
We first visited the Central Queensland Gemfields about 16 years ago - and have been back a few times. I have never found my fortune in sapphire there - but have some wonderful memories, stories about the locals, and a few gorgeous purchases.
I have a beautiful 2+ carat golden yellow sapphire ring - this is the crowning glory of Central Queensland sapphire - a so-called "fancy" stone. Bought it off a guy who had kept it in a bit of cotton wool in a matchbox for 15 years! It was worth a few thousand $$, but got is for a bargain. Eyes nearly popped out when I saw the valuation of the ring. You KNOW you've got a good one when the locals grab your hand and rave about your sapphire! |
|  | History of the Gemfields The first recorded find of sapphire in Central Queensland was at Retreat Creek in the 1870's - and it is said that you could "ground speck" - just walk around like an emu looking at the ground - and the glints of sapphire and zircons were all around! The red zircon was first thought to be ruby - hence Rubyvale.
In 1878 (or thereabouts - exact history not a priority at that stage), the first commercial production commenced, and an area of 80 acres was granted at Reward.
By 1903, there were two major mining areas - at Sapphire and Rubyvale - occupied by a lot of Europeans as well as Aussies.
Machinery mining and real commercialism didn't really hot up until the mid 1900's - but not allowed anymore, and sapphire has again become relatively less abundant.
There have been many fortunes made and lost in the Gemfields - and stories abound about the characters who have shaped the fields we see today. |
Central Queensland Sapphire The sapphire mined in Central Queensland is regarded as the finest in the world - and, as I said earlier, the elusive golden yellow is the most valuable. Other so-called "fancy" stones are the parti-colours (a mix of blue, yellow and green usually), orange, pink and even red. It is said that sapphire comes in all the colours of the rainbow - although many people think of them as a blue stone only.
The market for Australian sapphire was European countries, hence the number of European people flocking to the fields. For anyone who visits Thailand, take heed that the biggest buyers of Australian sapphire are Thai buyers - who can be seen in their little "stalls" in the town streets, buying from the local miners.
I recall visiting with a miner who we met up there, and, when we entered his "makeshift" home, there he was mining under his kitchen! Any bit of dirt must be dug and turned over to seek a fortune in stones. | | |
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| Pros: | "Unique piece of Australia" | | Cons: | "Hot and dusty in summer" | | In A Nutshell: | "If you want a real Aussie experience - come to the gemfields of Central Queensland" |
thedouglas' Rubyvale Travel Tips
 Comments for thedouglas about Rubyvale | | | | |
mavl Tue Jun 10, 2008 09:57 UTC
i'm sure it looks good on you - or, rather, you make it look good when you wear it! hope all/s well! | Jerelis Fri May 30, 2008 12:03 UTC
Nice pictures and interesting tips. Thanx for sharing! | craic Thu Dec 6, 2007 14:28 UTC
oh what a fun thing to do - looking for colour | deecat Wed Sep 5, 2007 02:46 UTC
What a unique and interesting group of tips. Although I would probably never do this to this extreme, I certainly enjoy learning about it vicariously. Very well written and great photos. |
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