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All appear to be varieties off quartz. Beautiful spot there at Grabben Gullen. There are sapphires to be found if you put in the work and have a little luck. :)

Great job Lefty, very nice. :)

Cam&chen There is quartz, citrine, smokey quartz, tourmaline and if you are lucky topaz in the creeks out near Powelltown. A lot of the Melbourne Lapidary Clubs head out that way , so if you were to join one they could show you the ropes. Good luck.

Welcome to the forum & welcome to Vic. Hope you get some nice finds.

The two "M's" represent the names of Forrest E. Mars Sr., the founder of Newark Company and Bruce Murrie (son of Hershey's Chocolate president William F. R. Murrie)[4] who had a 20 percent share in the product.

Nice haul of Sapphires. Thanks for the photos Heatho :)

Adam, oxalic acid is usually in powdered form. Probably about a cup full in a half a bucket, use hot water to dissolve it, then throw your stones in and leave for a couple of days. Check the instructions also (although I know us blokes aren't always good at doing that). Cheers

Adam Get hold of some oxalic acid from your local hardware store. It is used for cleaning bricks and I believe it works a treat on quartz crystals. Of course always read the instructions as it is acid. Good luck

Steve A great book to get hold of (only about 100 pages) is Gem Minerals of Victoria. It gives detailed descriptions of where Gems are found in Vic. In my mind well worth getting hold of and persevering. It is easy to use simply look at the Index of localities in the back and go to the relevant...

Welcome onespecSteve. Starting with a gem club is the best way to go. Good luck on the hunt!

A definitive way to test whether it is topaz or glass is a specific gravity test. This is done by weighing the stone in air on a set of gem scales. Then to way the stone again suspended on a wire into a glass of water. Stones weigh lighter in water. Then by a bit of simple maths you can...

onespecSteve, I have the same book as you and it is a good starting point. The best bet is to get into a gem/lapidary club in your area. They usually do field trips and can take you into an area and get you started. I've found sapphires at a few spots here in vic, however all the stones have...

Gems are what I love chasing. Would love to join you guys, I'm down in Gippsland but won't be available until at least later Jan. Hope you do well. :)

Got a great BBQ set in post Christmas sales. I know not technically not a Chrissy present, but what I like best. Came in an aluminium case at 1/4 of its pre-Christmas cost ... bargain!!! Looking forward to firing up the bbq!

Yes, I'd say glass too. Still nice though!

There is weekly fossicking trips out at Glenn Innes every Friday. Touch base with the Tourist Info Centre at GI and they will be able to put you in touch with the tour leader. Cheers

Welcome Dropbear Good to have some one from the Boonies joining us :)

I'm with you Billabong. Cats supporter myself and I reckon Freo could get up over the Hawks. Any team that can beat the Cats at home is a strong contender for the flag. Come on Freo!

Welcome Midknight, do show pics of any of your finds ... thanks :)

2nd try ... Adolph Hitler?