Need a day to recover from your mountain biking? Fossicking is an amazing activity to get the whole family involved in. This particular region is known for its semi-precious stones such as the beautiful Tasmanian sapphires.
Firstly, you should know that fossicking for gemstones in Tasmania requires a license.
However, there are 11 fossicking zones set aside in Tasmania that are available to the public without a license. One is an area just down the road from the cabins, a 2km sq area on the Weld River, adjacent to the Tasman Highway at Moorina.
Fortunately for us, all of the rivers in the immediate vicinity of the cabins are known for Tasmanian Sapphires, clear and coloured Topaz, an amber colour Zircon, and plenty of black Spinel or Blackjack, a known indicator of the presence of semi-precious stones.
What you’ll need
All that is required is a shovel and a set of sieves (one fine mesh, one coarse mesh)
which we have available to borrow in the barbecue area. Waders or a wet suit could be a good idea depending on how long you intend to spend in the creek. There is a bit of a knack to shaking the sieves, like a side-to-side shuffling movement just below the surface of the water.
Here is a video for some inspiration!
Where to go
The Weld River
Main Creek, just below Mutual Rd.,
The Ringarooma River, in town, and on Mutual Road just past the concrete bridge on the way in.
The Frome River leads into the Frome Dam, turn right onto the Tasman Highway from Mutual Road and turn left opposite the Moorina golf course, Frome Rd.
You can also stop by the lapidary club on the main road in the middle of Derby which is another good source of information. Please note they are only open Wednesdays and Saturdays.
43 Main St, Derby TAS 7264