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Author Topic: QLD - Mount Tamborine  (Read 9891 times)

Wwoofa

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QLD - Mount Tamborine
« on: January 23, 2016, 03:18:47 AM »
January's location is Mt Tamborine.

You may wish to change your "Next Location of the Month" vote now that this one has been covered ... http://aussielapidaryforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5028.0

Mt Tamborine is located in the Gold Coast hinterland (approx 40km from the coast) and is well known for Thundereggs.  Other material found in the area include many beautiful varieties of Jasper, Petrified Wood, Agate, Rhyolite and Perlite (a form of volcanic glass).

From Wikipedia ... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderegg)

A Thunderegg (or thunder egg) is a nodule-like rock, similar to a filled geode, that is formed within rhyolitic volcanic ash layers.  Thundereggs are rough spheres, most about the size of a baseball—though they can range from less than an inch to over a metre across.  They usually contain centres of chalcedony which may have been fractured followed by deposition of agate, jasper or opal.  Also frequently encountered are quartz and gypsum crystals, as well as various other mineral growths and inclusions.  Thundereggs usually look like ordinary rocks on the outside, but slicing them in half and polishing them may reveal intricate patterns and colours.  A characteristic feature of Thundereggs is that (like other agates) the individual beds they come from can vary in appearance, though they can maintain a certain specific identity within them.

Thunderegg is not synonymous with either geode or agate.  A geode is a simple term for a rock with a hollow in it, often with crystal formation/growth.  A Thunderegg on the other hand is a specific geological structure.  A Thunderegg may be referred to as a geode if it has a hollow in it but not all geodes are Thundereggs because there are many different ways for a hollow to form. Similarly, a Thunderegg is just one of the forms that agate can assume.

The easiest way to collect Thundereggs is to go to "Thunderbird Park".  I would suggest that you try to avoid rainy days (and recent rain) as the clay/mud does get very sticky.  It's much better when the ground is dry.  Here's what's included (from their website ...)

Entry fees include an informative explanation on thundereggs, how to find them, a mine safety talk, as well as the use of a pick and bucket to collect your treasures. Everyone gets to take home all the thundereggs that fit inside the rim of their buckets and will receive a Souvenir Miner’s Permit as a memento. Additional eggs (above the rim) are charged at $3.00 per kilo.
 
The fun continues when we cut open your thundereggs with our custom made diamond edged saw blades to reveal the beauty of your very own mined treasures. Cutting is only $2.20 per square inch. (e.g. $4.00 for golf ball size thunderegg).


Here's a link to their website ....
http://www.thunderbirdpark.com/products/activities/thunderegg-fossicking

If you have access to a cutting machine at your local lapidary club then it might be a good idea to wait until you get home to cut them.  You might get a better result?

Link to Frosty's excellent Aussie Adventure to Thunderbird Park ...
http://www.frostysaussieadventures.com/trip0801/day07.htm#day30

Lots of great info here including maps etc ...
http://www.discovertamborine.com.au/map-booklet/

Link to Tripadvisor ...
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g1424561-Mount_Tamborine_Scenic_Rim_Brisbane_Region_Queensland-Vacations.html

And finally, here's a Youtube video ...
https://youtu.be/DL0SttgQsgY
« Last Edit: January 23, 2016, 05:55:22 AM by Wwoofa »

KellyEarth132

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Re: QLD - Mount Tamborine
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2016, 01:47:50 PM »
Thanks heaps Wwoofa  :D
KellyEarth132
Dragons are about treasures, lets find treasures

Gemster

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Re: QLD - Mount Tamborine
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2016, 06:02:37 PM »
 You can also get them in Cedar Creek off Thunderbird Park property for Free ;D

 Back in 2011-12 they got hit with massive rains, just like Brisbane did and a fair portion of the lease area on the hill was a raging torrent and a lot of Goodies were swept downstream. ;D... The flooding washed up the hill and in a sweeping motion  :o washed a lot of stuff downstream and settled in the creek all the way down to the Cedar Falls.... I have been several times to the park as its a great camping spot, but do my fossicking ''Off Park'' as I have found better stuff away from the 'Mine area'...... A lot of this area is also a National Park so make sure you know where you are...... ::)

 I also heard that the Mine area has been extended and new stuff has been found further up the hill (New Deposit?), but I haven't been there in recent times so I don't know for sure.....

There are massive Eggs that would weigh several tonnes on Peoples properties in the area too... But please don't bother to ask as access will be Denied due to past Fossickers Actions.....  ::) ::)


       Gemster..... beers
« Last Edit: January 23, 2016, 06:09:20 PM by Gemster »
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