Glenn innis area for sapphires

[darryn63]

Hi all and hope someone can help us.
We are heading north from Victoria and we want to do some sapphire fossicking in the Glen innis area.
We know very little of the area but have experienced the Gemfields in QLD.
We understand that most of the fossicking in in the rivers and creeks.
We would like to find a guide who can take us to areas given our short time there.
We have contacted billabong blue and they have been helpful but we need to find more info.
In particular we need a local guide.
Any ideas out there or suggestions on how we move forward?
Any lapidary clubs that can help us?
One last question is how does this area compare to the gemfields?

[Bucket]

The big difference at this time of year is the temperature. Glen Innes is a lovely area but at this time of the year nights can be down into the minus figures and the days are also no heat wave. I can't help you with the guides, there are others on here that may be able to. There are public fossicking areas, the visitor information centre will be able to help you with that. A lot of the popular areas in the New England area are now either worked very well or on private property. good luck and don't freeze to death!

[MrSydney]

Hi Darryn,

As Bucket mentions - the water will be nice and cold - it's at about 1100 metres above sea level.

In terms of a local guide, you'd have to just try ask on one of the Facebook forums and hope.  There is one for New England NSW Fossicking and Glen Innes Lapidary club (Glen Innes Mineral & Gem Club) also have one.

The only private property you can get on besides Billabong Blue is Aroona Glen to the east of Glen Innes - but you must be an overnight camper now, no day fossicking.  Look at Aroona Glen Fossicking and Nature Retreat on Facebook (It is a beautiful location in itself if you are camping).

The rest is just working hard and getting lucky in the various public spots available around Glen Innes and Inverell.