Fossicking Hyden WA

[SuzG]

Hi there fellow enthusiasts.  Im off to Hyden for a few days an wondering if there is anything in the area worth fossicking? Ive not been able to find much info online.
Many thanks, Sue

[MakkyBrown]

Welcome to the forum SuzG,
Sorry I can help with WA fossicking, I think Bucket has spent a bit of time over there.
CheersMB

[RoughCreations]

Hi Sue,
The WA Dept of Mines Industry Regulation and Safety Mines and Mineral Deposits (MINEDEX) site is probably your best bet (use the Search By Map feature):

https://geoview.dmp.wa.gov.au/GeoView/?Viewer=GeoVIEW

It can be a little hard to drive the Minedex site, post details if you have problems using it.

Example near Hyden, there are a few deposits around the area.

[Bucket]

Hi SuzG, if you're coming into Hyden from Norseman, there is a public fossicking area about 5-6 kms out of Norseman on the Hyden road. Call in at the tourist info centre and they can direct you. What I call opalite is found there. It also goes under the name of dendritic agate and dendritic opal. It's quite nice and you can find it in the area without a lot of digging. Just off the Great Eastern highway at Yellowdine you can find quartz crystals. A member called Snowman has been there a couple of times and you can find more info here: http://aussielapidaryforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=803.msg12553#msg12553. As far as Hyden itself goes, Wave Rock is worth a look, it's made up of granite so in theory there could be stuff found in the area, but I'm yet to find any reports of anything. Western Australia Mineral Resources have a book out that's worth a look, you can get the digital copy here: https://dmpbookshop.eruditetechnologies.com.au//product/gemstones-of-western-australia-second-edition.do. Hope this all helps, while I have been there a few times, I haven't been recently so my info may be a little out of date.