Warialda - Opalised Wood

[phantom83]

Hi All,

I am heading up to Inverell for a few days next week. I am going to get plenty of sapphire fossicking in and also try and find some smokey quartz up in Torrington, but I have come across a particular place in my research that has gotten me really interested.

I have found references to being able to find "Opalised Wood" at a place called Tiger's Gap near Warialda. (See extract below)

Does anyone have any personal experience fossicking at this location please? I would love to see some pictures of people's finds if you have them. I am particularly keen on the prospect of finding Opalised Wood.

Cheers

Pete

>

Opalised and petrified wood are particularly prevalent in the Warialda area and can be found around Tigers Gap, 5km east of the town on the Gwydir Highway. Ironised and other woods, jasper quartz and chert agate can be found in old gravel quarries either side of the road leading to the airstrip road. Free mud maps are available from the Information Centre or Gwydir Shire Council office, both in Hope Street.

 

[Wally69]

I'll ask my brother, he lived there once-upon-a-time

Maybe he has a fairy tail or two to share

 

[Heatho]

Best of luck Phantom, I couldn't find much info on Warrialda and the minerals you mention, though there are a couple of Sapphire deposits nearby there too.

Where are going to try at Iverell? Public spots or private pay to dig sites?

216746 - Warialda Creek
(Warialda Creek)
Coords: -29.560113,150.668409
Mga_coordsys: MGA_56S
Mga_north: 6727688
Mga_east: 274106
Loc_method: GISLYR
Accuracy: 500
Grid_loc: Warialda Creek
Major_comm: sapphire
Size_code: OCC
Comm_type: GEM
Met_prefix: Unknown
Geo_province: Great Australian Basin
Metal_dist: not assigned
Op_status: intermittent
Op_method: alluvial workings
Lga: Yallaroi
Compiler: GP MacRae 6/08/2002
Last_update: 2002-08-06
Occur_size: Occurrence only
Notes: Sapphire fossicking noted on Warialda Creek (R McEvilly pers comm). Derived from volcanicastics known to occur beneath basalt. Local vents known in area (e.g. Gragin Peak). More detailed assessment required to determine extent of volcaniclastics in area.
Commodities
sapphire MAJOR

216745 - Mosquito Creek
(Mosquito Creek)
Coords: -29.445440,150.513345
Mga_coordsys: MGA_56S
Mga_north: 6740088
Mga_east: 258806
Loc_method: GISLYR
Accuracy: 500
Grid_loc: Mosquito Creek
Major_comm: sapphire
Size_code: OCC
Comm_type: GEM
Met_prefix: Unknown
Geo_province: Great Australian Basin
Metal_dist: not assigned
Op_status: intermittent
Op_method: alluvial workings
Lga: Yallaroi
Compiler: GP MacRae 6/08/2002
Last_update: 2002-08-06
Occur_size: Occurrence only
Notes: Sapphires reported from Mosquito Creek (R McEvilly pers comm). Derived from volcanicastics known to occur beneath basalt. Local vents known in area (e.g. Gragin Peak). More detailed assessment required to determine extent of volcaniclastics in area.
Commodities

 

[phantom83]

Thanks Wally69, that would be great.

Thanks Heatho too. I have 2 days lined up to hit Billabong Blue. I spent 2 days there with the missus in Jan 2015 (pretty sure it was on your recommendation) and had an absolutely amazing time. I have been aching to get back ever since. I got a cheap flight up to Armidale, and going to hire a car there to drive to Inverell.

I was also going to hit Nullamanna first thing in the morning before Billabong Blue opens. I hear it has been flogged pretty hard, but I am keen to check it out and see since I haven't fossicked in Frazers Creek yet, we kept to the Billabong Blue wash pile last time.

Cheers

Pete

 

[Heatho]

Sounds like a good plan Pete, I've found a few stones at Nullamanna before and had a chat with some young local blokes one time who showed me a few stones they'd found there that day but they had wandered up the creek a bit. Frazers Creek actually runs through Billabong Blue all the way down through Nullamanna, that dam and gully behind the small fossicking pile area at BB is actually Frazers too.

If you head to the camping area on the property the big gully/creek area near there is all Frazers too, you can pretty much dig anywhere along the creek and go speccing along the gentle slope on the other side, just keep clear of the wash plant and you'll have no probs at all.

If you see the owner Bill try and have a bit of a chat with him, he'll let you know of any good recent finds and point you in the right direction. The creek is hard going but 1 nice stone can make it all worthwhile. Wish I was coming. I won't probably get up there until Spring now.

 

[phantom83]

Awesome, thanks for the tips Heatho. I fill report back after the trip. I can't wait.

 

[travelergold]

Hi phantom83,
there is opalised wood in the area. We have an uncle that has opalised wood (also petrified wood) on his farm and colected some a few years ago. We know that he will NOT let anybody on there to collect / fossick as he told us was his retirement fund.
We has a small bit cut and it is outstanding, much like real opal. The opal goes right through the lumps. In one spot you could basically see the whole tree laying there with dirt washed out over the millions of years leaving it very exposed. The larger bits would have been nearly a foot thick and longest bits about 20 inches long, the limbs and trunk was all broken up like it had been dropped from a height and was just laying there.
I am sure if you look around the area there will be lots more, just a matter of getting permission to enter private ground. TG

 

[Wally69]

That has wet the whistle TG

No precise intel from my brother yet P83, but he said he would call a few old friends over the coming weeks.

 

[phantom83]

No worries Wally69, appreciate the help!