Blue Hill Quarry, Vulcan State Forest Oberon NSW

[phantom83]

Hi All

I was wondering if anyone knows whether Blue Hills Quarry in the Vulcan State Forest, Oberon, is presently open to the public?

I stopped by a couple of years ago late in the afternoon and specked a couple of small pieces of smokey quartz, but didn't get a chance to do any digging. I will be by that way again soon and was thinking of stopping by.

The main quartz veins were easy enough to locate when I was last there but I wasn't sure where I needed to dig for the smokey quartz - the veins that I poked my head into were solid quartz / rock - any hints on where to locate a vugh? Do you need to dig directly in the quartz vein (ie. smash some of the solid quartz) or will there be vughs in the dirt/clay around the quartz vein?

Also, are there any other quarries etc in the State Forests around the Oberon area where you can find smokey quartz or any other mineral specimens?

I am still very much a notice, really appreciate any help.

Cheers

Phantom83

 

[bwalker21]

Hi All
I was wondering if anyone knows whether Blue Hills Quarry in the Vulcan State Forest, Oberon, is presently open to the public?
I stopped by a couple of years ago late in the afternoon and specked a couple of small pieces of smokey quartz, but didn't get a chance to do any digging. I will be by that way again soon and was thinking of stopping by.
The main quartz veins were easy enough to locate when I was last there but I wasn't sure where I needed to dig for the smokey quartz - the veins that I poked my head into were solid quartz / rock - any hints on where to locate a vugh? Do you need to dig directly in the quartz vein (ie. smash some of the solid quartz) or will there be vughs in the dirt/clay around the quartz vein?
Also, are there any other quarries etc in the State Forests around the Oberon area where you can find smokey quartz or any other mineral specimens?
I am still very much a notice, really appreciate any help.

Cheers

Phantom83

Hi Phantom83,
I went out to an area to the north of Oberon with a lapidary club some years back and an old bloke told me to look for the smaller loose crystals on the surface and then dig down following the crystals and he dug about a metre down before he got to real good smokey quartz up to a couple of inches thick and about 6+ inches long. He mentioned the biggest trap was not digging the hole wide enough to be able to dislodge it when you got down that deep. I actually think someone had found the location previously but could not get much because hole too narrow. I will try and see if I can pinpoint the location a bit better and let you know. Maybe Oberon Council could help you re Blue Hills Quarry.

bob

 

[phantom83]

Great, thanks Bob - really appreciate the info.

I went to Blue Hills Quarry on the weekend for a sticky beak. I drove up around the back as someone on the forum had suggested and then walked about 2 min through the pines to the top of the quarry. It was pretty steep and dangerous so we didn't do any digging in the quarry. I speckled some small quartz terminations on the surface. Next time I head back I might try digging up the back of the quarry in amongst the pines.

Thanks again.

Pete

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Hello there.
For anyone who has been to the blue hill quarry. I was wondering where to dig. Either in the quartz veins that are in the southern side? Or dig in the embankments on the sides? Or dig in the bottom of the pit? Or simply in the Forrest that surrounds the pit. Will be going tomorrow so I need to know!
Thanks

 

[RedDirtDigger]

Hi, the bedrock in the quarry is too hard to dig. Try the tracks that are south and south west of the quarry right back to the tarred road to the west. Look for crystals on the roads and for quartz veins crossing the roads. There are pockets of brown limonite along most veins that hold the crystals.you should dig along the veins looking for depressions/brown limonite rock. Be sure to fill any holes in the tracks really well when you are done. You will see where I and others have chased veins into the sides of road cuttings. When you find few little crystals on the track together it is a sign that a vein is near by.
Anothr spot is west of the main sealed road. Instead of turning east off the main road and going to the quarry, go another 400 metres and turn right on the edge of the pines,go 1km and swing left and follow the track to the top of the hill where there is another track going left. Farm land will be on your right side all the way as you drive in. Look along these tracks for 300 metres on each for smokey and clear crystals.
Cheers RDD

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Ok thanks you very much. I went there yesterday and just didn't really know where to go we explored all over the quarry and picked some quartz crystals that were just laying around. We explored the quartz veins that are on The southern side and saw that people had dug in and around the vein. Thank you heaps RDD

 

[Jukebox]

Hi Fossicking Kid,

Any luck finding any smokies?
I am keen to get out there one day.

Jukey

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Nah I didn't find any on the first day but I'm going there today and hopefully will find some smokey quartz. Ill get some pics and videos of the quarry and hopefully some clips of digging.

 

[Jukebox]

Goodluck with the hunt and digging out there!

 

[phantom83]

Good luck TFK - hope you dig up some beuties.

I haven't had much luck there - but only because of not knowing where to dig.

Would be great to get a mud map together for PA members.

Cheers

Pete

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Went out there today with much better success. I have to clean them all up a little later and will post them all up later.

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Rock 1

Rock 2

Rock 3

Rock 4

Rock 5

 

[Jukebox]

nice work mate

 

[BIGRED]

I've worked the exposed vein in the pit it's super hard but if you keep bashing away you come across pockets and get some nice smokeys and I found some of that galea silver stuff

 

[LD.]

Afternoon!
Anyone know if the quarry is open to fossicking? Have seen some mind blowing smoky crystals from there on Instagram.

 

[TheFossickingKid]

The quarry is open.

 

[LD.]

The quarry is open.

Cheers, thanks for that Angus, have you had a dig there?

 

[TheFossickingKid]

Yea been there plenty of times. Will be going up there in a couple of months. I'll post some pics of the crystals I've gotten from there.

 

[LD.]

Cheers, be great to see some

 

[TheFossickingKid]

These are some of them. I'll post more of them tomorrow when I have better light. Not as good as the one on Instagram