Trip Advice

[tinker]

Hi everyone, I am planning a trip in about a fortnight, heading to Bellata NSW to hunt down some of those agates up there, also to Bingara am basing myself at Narrabri and am also heading to Lightning Ridge for a couple of days have a mate that has a min there and has invited me to come up.  Can anybody suggest any spots around Bellata, Bingara, and Tingha that could be worth looking at.

[MrSydney]

Hi Tinker,

I'll be curious to see what people respond with.  Have you searched the threads using the search function?

I know people always talk about the guys at the Tingha Caravan park being really helpful as well as Sean from Jellybean Junction who I think is technically in Stannifer right near Tingha - so worth searching for Stannifer too.  Basically there is the reserve right near Stannifer you can go into but not all areas - been a lot on some of the Facebook groups about it but I can't give you any specifics sorry.  Tingha Sands used to be good but doesn't allow people in any more.

Looking forward to seeing if others add anything.

[MakkyBrown]

Could be worth a quick dig around the old Rhodonite mine near Bingara while you have some lunch one day.

MB

[fossickeract]

Hi Tinker, 
   I have made a few trips to that area some of my info may be out of date so follow at your own risk. Google maps should help, Before Bingara a couple of stops 3 Creeks goldmine and Ruby Hill. The latter is a fossicking reserve with a track around the back of a hill. Tiny garnets there although bigger ones reported in front facing the road. Needs sieves. Tourist Inf. in Bingara had a nice display of local diamonds as did Inverell.       A creek crossing the Bingara/ Copeton Rd  (Porcupine Creek according to Google) has boulders of red jasper and green serpentinite the later quite jade like. Closer to Inverell on the same road is Staggy Creek reserve, entry permission to fossicking reserve via Inverell Tourist Inf. There you may find zircons, topaz and diamonds very fine sieve needed for the latter. A story about Staggy Creek fossicking reserve it was a diamond mining site but the fossicking site was sold now in private paddock next door and a patch of forest proclaimed the fossicking reserve regardless of its merits or not. Cluff resources came to the rescue of a 1970's fossicking festival and dumped a truck load of diamond bearing ironstone conglomerate next to the litte dam on the hill top. Its still there. too hard to process without breaking anything in it. Still something may have weathered out in 50 years.
    Can recommend Billabong Blue for some sapphire/zircon  sieving. Revealed enough secrets for now! Will post a pic of the serpentinite.    Ted

[Findem]

Check out my blogs and videos. Sorry there are no recent additions. The Shoalhaven blogs are in a listing of their own.
https://johnsnewenglandminerals.blogspot.com/2013/12/list-of-all-blog-entries-to-date.html .
John Paix (otherwise findem)

[tinker]

Thanks for the information gents.

[Gemster]

Tingha Conservation has been closed down.....

 Gemster...

[Lapis Lupinus]

At Bellata check out the gravel roads for agate and petrified wood. Speaking of which, does anyone know what the mouse plague problem is like around Bellata as I'm toying with the idea of going up that way in a couple of months?

[Bucket]

Not sure about Bellata, Lapis, but we put a line through Broken Hill on our recent trip as we didn't want to risk damage to the van or car. Might be worth a phone call to the roadhouse to find out mate, they are very thick on the ground in places at the moment.

[Lapis Lupinus]

Thanks Bucket. I'll give a few calls.

[tinker]

Well thanks everybody for all the information, just got back from travelling up to NW New South Wales, Bellata didn't disappoint run into a couple of local farmers wives at the Bellata Roadhouse who were very helpful pointed me in the right direction or to places I hadn't heard of, found some nice Yellow Carnelian, Agate and Petrified Wood to the west of the township off Millie Road on Bakers Road, the Agate and Carnelian was everywhere, we then went to a spot east of the highway out to Bread Loaf Rd which one of the farmers told us about, the stuff was just shinning on the gravel road and off in the washes begging to take me, this was the yellow and Orange Agate.  It was getting late so decided to head back to Narrabri to where we were staying, the wife decided she liked hunting for the rocks that we went back to a track opposite the cemetry and found more orange agate.  Then back to a spot along Millie Rd, where there was an old abandoned Quarry, no fences no signs, so did a bit of specking in the red soil around the quarry and found a couple of beautiful pieces of red carnelian.  That was for a couple of hours in the morning, we then headed towards Bingara through the Kapitar National Park, checked out the Saw Rocks, then onto Bingara, went to Bingara State Forest on the Copetan Dam Rd and found some blood stone, then onto Tamworth to stay the night, then we headed to Nundle for the day, found some nice Serpintine in an old Quarry on the Main Rd into Hanging Rock, went looking for the Prase mine, but gave up, we then decided to look for Rock Crystals on the Lookout Road but only found a few points, the area was a bit of a disappointment other people had been there and dug holes big enough for a family of four to fit in and didn't refill the holes.  Went for a drive further into Hanging Rock and was speaking to a local that was walking along the road, he was a rock hound also, he took me to his house and showed me what he had found in the local area and pointed me in the right direction to the Prase Mine, it was getting late so decided to travel back to Tamworth up the next morning off to Nundle booked into the Fossickers Caravan Park there, the owner was great gave us info on where to find different gems and gold he does a bit of fossicking also the Peel River that runs past the the park and a stream that runs through the park are good for Gold panning, also had a smoko at the Misery Gold Mine Cafe and the manager there was very helpful.  We then headed up to hanging rock, found the Prase Mine and found some beautiful Prase and what I think is brown chalcedony, anyhow loaded two fish tubs up with Prase and then went onto Zircon Gully, but not luck.   The next day we headed to Bathurst with a view of going out to Sofala, but next morning it was -3 so my wife being a cold frog said no way, well headed south got to Blayney -5 so kept on heading hope, had a great time and will be back in the spring.

[Bucket]

Sounds like a somewhat productive trip Tinker. Glad to hear you got a bit of nearly everything. Did you notice any mice around or was the area pretty normal?

[MALACHI]

Congrats on a great fossick trip. Would be nice to see some pics posted of your best ones.

[tinker]

Hey Buckets to your answer, I only saw three live mice on my whole trip, when travelling south of Quirindi saw a haystack that had been completely destroyed by mice, but didn't see any of the little buggers, but they are giving the cockies a flogging. Malachi I would love to put some pictures up of my trip, but I have not been able to download photo's on this site for the past three years, any hints on how to do it.
 

[MALACHI]

Tinker I haven't posted pics in years. I'd be struggling to remember. Perhaps MakkyBrown will be able to assist?