Black Springs

[KarlS]

Beside sapphires, zircon and maybe rarely diamonds what else can be found in Vulcan state forest? Reason I ask is that I pan tailings from the sieves looking for gold. What I found was some black sand, mini size colored zircon and very small transparent bits looking like quartz. But it should not be quartz because only heavier stuff should be there. No gold and surprisingly no small sapphire bits. Found few small 2.5 to 3.5mm sapphires in the sieve.
Did anyone found topaz or other gems here?
Karl

 

[Mr Magoo]

Hi Karl

(Yet to do my intro, but....). Yes Topaz has been found in Vulcan state forest. Gold is also present but in very small quantities.

HTH
Mr Magoo

 

[Greg&Nat]

Hi Karl,

Spent a lot of time out at sapphire bend found a lot of terminated quartz, sapphires and a few zircons will post up some photos.

Also used pan on some of my tailings just to have a look as I wad told there was no gold and was surprised to find lots of tiny sapphires and zircons.

There were a lot of colourless stones which I couldn't identify quartz, topaz maybe even was told people have found diamonds in the area.

 

[Mr Magoo]

even was told people have found diamonds in the area.

Yes, a few have been found. The largest was a 22 carat rock.

 

[KarlS]

Yes, I'm finding quite few small sapphires and even smaller zircons in the tailings. Spoke to the guy over there who got 1.3 carat diamond in Vulcan forest. But even if I got one in the pan I'm not sure that I will recognize it.
Karl

 

[Greg&Nat]

22 carat.......that's a boulder!!

Karl, I also found those hanging in my black sand when I was panning. but like yourself I have no idea how to identify.

 

[Greg&Nat]

Found these in a few pan of our tailings from sapphire bend.

 

[isolation]

I was going to start a new thread, but this one seems relevant...

I was also wondering about gold in the Black Springs/Vulcan SF areas. I have only been to the main fossicking area once, and did find a small sapphire for our minimal effort. Was just wodering if that is the only place people find gems, or do the creeks produce also? And does anyone ever detect in the area?

 

[Wally69]

Yep, gold in the there hills.

Stories of nuggets in sapphire sieves and gold in my pan in the creeks. Highbanker produced gold and sapphires from black springs wash. Stories of detectors producing nuggets but mine only produced lead and plenty of it.

Got to give it a go to get a show.

 

[isolation]

Thanks Wally, am definitely keen to give it a go, but with just a day trip planned, am just trying to maximise our time there

 

[Heatho]

Hey Karl, maybe the tiny clear stones are different colour Zircons? I've seen, them from Brown, Red, Red wine, slight Orange, Pink, Champaigne, clear and extra clear to Whiteish clear.

I know the tiny bits you mean though.

 

[KarlS]

I have not been to Black Springs for months. I had been chasing gold elsewhere . But I can confirm that after panning tallings from 3 to 5 buckets of saphire bearing wash on serval occasions last year, I haven't found not even one spec of gold.
Although the old timer what digs there told me that he found few nuggets there.
Heatho, the tiny stones are mostly very clear. For all I know some of the could be diamonds. But they are too small to do any kind of conventional tests on them. I have found only very few zircons around Sapphire Bend. Quite few small quartz crystals. And no Spinel at all.
Karl

 

[Matturbo]

I'm finding a lot of small clear stones near black springs too, very bright under light, it looks different to the Quartz around

 

[Conan]

Just wondering if anyone has been out lately and whether the rain of the last couple of weeks has affected the area.

 

[Matturbo]

Not really affected mate, the roads are ok in the forest to my farm, I haven't been to sapphire bend for a while but the roads are usually better there

 

[Conan]

Is the Black Springs store still operational and do they still sell petrol. I had a feeling they closed the bowsers down but haven't been there in awhile.

 

[headbut]

Hi Conan , no the shop shut down some years ago , Oberon is the closest store/petrol

 

[Conan]

I thought so and what a shame. Every time I went there it was always full of people. I guess the bottom line wasn't high enough to continue. Its now a bit of a hike if your down porters way to get a feed or a snack.

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Last time I was out there we looked through the door window and there was all these crystals inside. Anyone know why they were in there?

 

[BikeSandals]

Is anybody still out the Oberon are? Heading out tomorrow from Narromine and I have absolutely no idea where to even start looking!