Looking for spots to fossick in Glen Innes area

[Renatab]

Hi there, We're planning a camping trip around Glen Innes to look for Saphirres and Rubys. We'll be there from April 10th-20th. Can anyone recommend good spots to camp and fossick? We have 3 kids under 7 so would like it to be near a swimming hole if possible

 

[Heatho]

Yep, Billabong Blue fossicking park. You most likely won't get any Rubies or Pink Sapphire there but you certainly will get Blue, Green, Yellow Sapphires and some very nice Zircons.

I wouldn't swim in most spots up there, the Tiger Leaches are big and ravenous. There is a tourist pile there or you can fossick basically anywhere on the 1000 acre property, been there numerous times myself and love it. There is camping available on the property with flush toilets.

It's not actually at Glen Innes it's closer to Inverell at a place called Sapphire funnily enough, out the Kings Plains Rd about 30km from Inverell.

Prices are reasonable, the owners are really awesome and will help you if you need a bit of a hand to get a feel for it. It is an operating Sapphire mine.

They had a website but it seems to be down, here's a link to their facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/BillabongBlueSapphires/

 

[Heatho]

Check out my thread of my adventures up there, few nice sapphire pics in it.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2906

 

[Pegleg]

If you want easy sapphires do what Heatho said. Billabong blue and 7 oaks are within a couple of KM's of each other, camping on site with basic amenitys and everything provide to pull stones out of the easy to dig pile.

My experience with both here https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14843

If your dead set on staying at glen there are a few public fossicking locations around BYO gear. ask at the info center and they will fill you in.
Only one i've been to is south of Glen Innis just past Glencoe just as you leave the town heading south, before you cross the small bridge there is a yellow cattle on the left this leads down to a small fenced of area on the creek where you can dig.
This is it I got a couple there but didn't spend much time as i was just passing through

 

[1969maddog]

there is a place called boolabinda just out of glen innes, great camping and found a lot of small sapphires over the years. there are also a lot of public fossicking areas but i havent found any big ones at any of them, last trip we went to billabong blue and got a few over 7crt and a lot of smaller ones.

 

[Pegleg]

this might help

 

[Renatab]

Thanks for everyones help. We're probably try Billabong Blue but was wondering about any free spots camping around Inverell with good access to sapphires

 

[Heatho]

Not sure of any free spots around Inverell, sorry. You can camp at Billabong Blue, I can't remember the prices for camping there but it is reasonable. There are flush toilets and a nice large and level camping area. You are basically camping on the Sapphires there. Give them a call, they are friendly and will let you know everything.