Aussie Lapidary Forum
Fossicking and Rockhounding => Trip Talk => Topic started by: Bucket on August 09, 2012, 08:32:09 PM
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Hi all,
Just back from the Kimberley and can highly recommend to anyone passing through Kununurra, a vist to the Rock Doc's museum. As previously mentioned by others on the forum, Jimmy can talk the handle of an iron pot, but he's a character and has a fantastic collection of locally collected agates and other gems. Someof the agates he has are on par with those found at Agate Creek. Due to time constraints he couldn't take me out but he assured me that 'most' of the river and creek beds in the area will produce agates, they proved elusive with the short time I had.
Bow River will be further investigated next time I'm through, it looked promising.
Garry
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If you are looking for agate around Kununurra, go no further than The Ord. Agates are literally next to the Bridge over the river on the town side.
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Yes, there's a few agates along the Ord River bed. Most are small and take keen observation to spot them among the river rocks. You will also find low grade prehnite.
Cheers,
Fullerton
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Hi
I read this post on Kununurra and thought I'd put my bit in .
I worked with a prospecting Co , based there . Our camp was at Buttons crossing /Buttons gap on the Parry ck Rd , which is accessed via the Valentines spring Rd . We were searching for Diamonds ..
I f you go there you will find a number of old concrete pads . These are from our Plant site , down near the water . And our camp , up on the high bank .
Agates can be found on any of the stony flood planes and if you have a Boat there are some good ones down stream .
Where the River is shallow , there used to be an old Tree stump . We used to Pan for , and find small Garnets there .
Quite a bit of Wash from the area was put through our Plant to test it on occasions , and Diamonds were always found . All the Geologists considered them not worn down enough to have come from Argyle , so great lengths were taken by many companies to find there source . As far as I know the consensus was that the Kimberlite pipe must be under the Argyle lake itself . Forever lost ..
Back to Buttons gap . Upstream , past the big sand hill are good rock bars that must trap the heavies . Across the River there is a rock bar that continues down stream for quite a way . this was marked as a Fossil bar on our Geologists maps , but we never tested it out .
We used to Fish in our spare time in those days , and Rocks were just something we worked with , or Spec'd by accident , so I've never really fossicked the place by hand .
I don't know what the access is like these days as I haven't been back in almost 20 years . But you do need a 4wd if you're going to go down the hill to the Riverside and the sand upstream can be treacherous .
It's a beautiful spot , and the Fishing excellent when I lived there .
Don't camp right next to the water in case they open the Diversion Dam gates . And be Crocodile aware . Those snapping Handbags are real !
Good Fossicking
iainw22