I just spent a few weeks on Flinders Island. Lots of walking, taking photos and digging topaz. Since visiting about 10 years ago it has become really hard to find topaz around the Diamond Gully area. When digging ground I where found topaz last trip, it appears, the sea replenishes it a bit. But it has been turned over so many time by fossickers the topaz in the area is getting increasingly scarce. The photos below are a results of a fair bit of effort at really low tides/calm sea. I ran out of ideas on where I could dig. Much of the topaz I found came from digging an area missed by precious fossickers where the topaz was sort of enbeded in decomposing granite. Water as about waist deep. I spent a lot of time looking but really struggled to find anywhere else good to dig. Sieving the gravels near the diamond gully granite gravel beach would still yield a few but it represent little return for the effort.
I had a look around the Tanners Creek mine site. It still yields small topaz especially down stream from the mine site, but most are really small and go though a 1/4inch sieve.I'm am still really happy with my finds as there a quite a number of peachy/pink ones, a party very light blue/pink, and some nice blues. One green what probably won't cut. Even if you don't find any topaz it is still such a beautiful place around Mt Killicrankie, Stackies Bight, Old man Head, The Docks. If visiting I recommenced going for a walk up Mt Killicrankie as it is a really good track from the car park above The Docks. Compared to Mt Strzelecki it is a really easy walk with awesome views from so many points along the trail, not just the summit. Mt Strzelecki was really hard and do not believe the recommended times unless you are really fit and not taking photos along the way. Biggest stone was 85ct, the peachy pink one pictured 45ct. CheersMB
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