I Want a Dirty Day Out Please

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DAY 278

It was a late night last night, but the early morning came easy, the sun was streaming through the mosquito netting, at 7.15 I jumped out of bed to go and shower in the hope that there was no queue.

As we are at a campsite at the back of the park there is a separate loo and laundry block, so perhaps less people use it. My hunch was right the showers were empty so in I went. The water was hot and lovely, even though we have bush showers there really is nothing like standing in a cubicle with plentiful hot water.

I return to find Andy has wandered over to the Wallaby Wanderers caravan, a cup of tea in hand and mine is on the table waiting for me. Andy is busy on the blog, but then when aren’t we? It seems that the Wallaby Wanderers are gloating over the cards last night and seem to think they kicked our butts at rummy, but there is such a thing as being lulled into a false sense of security.

During a breakfast of toast and marmite, we discuss our plans for the day Andy groans as he can see a day of shovelling ahead; secretly I think Darryl is looking forward to spending a day in the dirt. However a challenge is in hand a gauntlet was thrown down last night and the mini golf game needs to be had.

We popped into reception and asked for the golf balls, we chose our putters and on the tee we were, Darryl commenced the tee off and Sarah followed. Although Darryl had some great shots, the course was very much against him today, however Sarah “Ballystairrods” Howells seemed to be on a good streak.

The competition is going to be tough and it got tougher when Sarah “Ballystairrods” Howells downed a hole in one. Andy played a nice steady game, concentrating hard on each shot, my game was fairly steady and ensured that I kept up with Sarah especially when I downed a hole in 1.

Darryls game improved when he too got a hole in one, it was now left to Andy to try and do the same, he did not disappoint either in the second round in it went. On the 3rd hole in the second round I had a bad run, it took seven shots to get that ball in the hole, at that point I thought I was lost, but Sarah also had a bad run, so I was confident of being back in the frame.

After a competitive game the scores were in, so Andy sat down to total them up. Darryl and Sarah came joint third, followed by Andy in second place and yours truly in first, first meant that I could have an ice cream of my choice, however that had to wait until later as there was more important business in the offing.

We all jumped in the patrol, spades and sieves in hand off we drive to the Mount Surprise Gem shop. While Andy and Darryl play outside with Rocky (the dog!) Sarah and I wander it to sort out the business, “I’d like a dirty day please,” said Sarah just as all the eyes in the shop looked over their glasses and glowered at us, we both laughed.

We told her that we wanted to go and fossick on our own, “Do you have a licence?” “No!” we both replied. Sarah and I are soon in possession of a fossicking licence valid for one month from the Queensland Government - it costs $9.05 and it’s a family licence so it covers Andy too. I told Sarah that if we found any “booty” then we would share it to be fair, as we will all put in some hard work this afternoon.

With mud map in hand off we trot to O’Briens Creek some 38k’s away from Mount Surprise, the dirt track is long with plentiful cows on the side of the road waiting to jump out on you, well maybe they would if they did not take fright so easily and run in the opposite direction.

We see other people with shovels and sieves standing in empty creek beds, they are fossicking for sure, so wherever there were other people we decide we cannot go, the track gets smaller and more rugged, Andy has to engage 4 wheel drive in order to get over the rocks and the ravines in the road, he takes it slowly but the Patrol is more than capable and we arrive at what may be a suitable site but decide to have a sandwich first, when another Patrol comes towards us, we wind down the windows to speak to them, they show us their booty, they have some big pieces of Topaz and a piece of blue Topaz.

The thing about blue Topaz is that it can be found in the Blue Hills, and amazingly it is closed to the public, this chap tells us that he found it in one of the creek beds so it must have washed down from the Blue Hills. Sarah and my eyes are out on stalks at what we see and hope that we find the Topaz.

We eventually find the creek bed that we want, we park up, get our hiking boots on, spades and sieves out and away we go, we have been told where to look so the boys dutifully find a tree and start digging away at the roots, this is just one way of looking there are other tips that we have been given.

Andy soon has a pile of dirt that needed sieving so I started to sieve and the pile that Darryl dug Sarah got to work on. It was a hot day and fortunately the Esky was handy filled with much needed water to cool our fevered brows and quench our thirst. Andy dug, I sieved, Darryl dug and Sarah sieved. Soon I screamed, “Yes, I found one!” the team stopped and we all looked at this tiny piece of Topaz, we are so sure this is Topaz, it was clear and smooth on every side, it was just like looking at a piece of glass. We look at it with glee but it goes in the booty box to await confirmation back at the shop.

A while later a shout from Darryl reveals that he has found something a large smooth clear pebble, well maybe not quite clear it was a little misty on the edges but it looks like something good.

We all worked hard, we worked in the creek bed digging holes, and shifting rocks we even moved location to try further downstream, using the tip that the guy had given us earlier we looked downstream and moved more rocks, we found some bits and pieces but were not sure. I found another piece it was small but hey, it was a piece of Topaz that I was sure.

Andy and I moved to another area, we dug and found some other bits, but again we were not sure, a scream could be heard from the other side of the creek, we could not see them, so we popped over and Sarah was standing there grinning from ear to ear she was holding a small piece of topaz, this piece looked special it had some gold colour in it but also it seemed to have an insect trapped in it, a very nice piece indeed.

We found lots, but there was a certain amount of doubt over some of it but by 4.00 we were ready to pack it in. Well, ok we could have kept on going it is a bit like an addiction, you don’t really want to stop and because you find one piece it makes it more of an addiction.

Fossicking for topaz is different to fossicking for Sapphire, if you remember in January I fossicked around Glenn Innes for Sapphire, but when you search for sapphire you need water, but for Topaz you don’t need water and this is proven as you just need to look for something that resembles ice, they glisten in the sunshine and once revealed they are easy to spot.

We had such fun doing it, Sarah’s face was just a picture covered in dirt, she had truly had a dirty day just liked she had asked for earlier, I was happy that Sarah looked happy, it is hard work and not everyone’s cup of tea I enjoyed fossicking in Glenn Innes and thankfully Sarah was keen too, she had wanted to fossick at Emerald (I wonder what gems you can find there?) but unfortunately they were not heading down that route.

We chatted all the way back down the track, 4wd engaged for the tricky bits and soon we were back at Elizabeth Creek crossing, Andy stopped the truck half way across, we wanted to wash off and cool our feet down from our hard days fossick, so we were about calf deep in water that was running fast, there was even cow p** drifting past us in the water while we paddled.

The water was actually quite warm and very pleasant, the cows on the other side of the creek looked at us with some disdain wondering what we were up too. We were having fun but another 4wd came down the track so Andy had to jump in the Patrol and carry on driving through, the rest of us just carried on paddling through.

Andy joined us and we all jumped in, we see a few people packing up their fossicking for the day, but ironically this is probably the best part of the day as it is getting cooler. We see lots of kangaroos on the side of the road they have all come from nowhere as they weren’t around earlier.

We see a long legged bird and stop for a photo, it is a Bustard, there are a few around and it is the first that we have seen.

We arrive back in the centre of Mount Surprise and drive straight round to the Gem shop so that we can have our booty examined, they come to greet us and we open the box to show them what we found. Andy is not really interested and I turn to find him lying on the ground chatting to Rocky the dog. Pam soon tells us, quartz, quartz, that’s quartz, each time picking up a stone and putting it down and the finally she picks up the ones that we think are most interesting, the large one that Darryl picked up she is unsure but Peter and another colleague of theirs soon confirms that it is also quartz, one of them being a particularly nice piece as it still has the pointed shape, it is Smokey at the top and clear at the bottom. But finally they pick up the first piece that we found and yes, confirmation is soon with us that it is a piece of Topaz, ok not a huge piece but it is Topaz, there are a further two pieces on piece in particular that Sarah found they confirm is Topaz, but they cannot do anything with the smaller pieces, i.e. they cannot facet either of those pieces.

The good news is the slightly larger piece can be split into two and Sarah and I will each have a 5mm piece of Topaz faceted so that we can do what we like with it, either have it set into a ring or in a setting for a necklace.

We are secretly gutted that the large piece that Darryl found was not Topaz, but nonetheless we have had great time fossicking today and when all is said and done we did come away with more than what we started with, we do agree that we could not do it for a living.

While Pam sorts out some paperwork we speak to Peter about the faceting process, he quite happily shows us a computer programme that he uses in order to design the cut, which also then shows how much light will shine through, ideally it should be cut so that 100% light will come through.

We had agreed earlier in the day to split what we had found so I am thrilled that we found a piece big enough to be cut into two, it will be a very special memento to have one half of a piece of Topaz and know that the other half belongs to Sarah a great memento of a great trip

Andy and I have had such a special time with Darryl and Sarah, we were only going to meet up for one night before moving on but they have been such fun, we have so much in common it has been a laugh a minute with them. Tomorrow they will head of toward Normanton so Andy and I will be on our own again and we will be sure to miss their great company.

With the business done Sarah and I go back outside only to find Darryl and Andy sprawled out on the grass drinking beer, well we cannot grumble they deserve it after all that digging.

We are back at camp and apart from a well deserved cup of tea a shower is in order we all feel completely kn*ck*rd. Before that though there was one thing that needed to be done, an ice cream was needed, it was my prize for winning the mini golf, but as with all these type of prizes we all had an ice cream anyway, well I was allowed two scoops! A couple of other campers passed comment on the ice cream but they are only jealous as they don’t have one.

Darryl and Andy put a piece of lamb in the camp oven along with some vegetables, concerned that dinner will be ruined as we have all had a big ice cream but no danger there dinner will be knock out tonight.

While we wait we blog and chat and laugh about the day and our great find, only still disappointed that piece that Darryl picked up was not Topaz.

When dinner was ready we sat round the table in the Wallaby Wanderers caravan and ate this hearty meal, only to find a little black face appeared at the door, this expectant looking face said “you had lamb tonight, please can I have the bone?” How could we resist this little face that lit up when it found us, she was a beautiful big dog and if I am being honest a little bit on the tubby side, but then if she has the run of the caravan park then she must ask for bones all the time.

She ate the bone, the whole lot had gone then she sat by the door again and said “I know you have some more,” So Andy dug deeper and found the other half of the bone and gave it to her, before long that bone had gone too, but as she had eaten with us tonight she felt compelled to stay just to be sociable so she just curled up on the door mat and went to sleep.

We discussed onward plans and we suggested that Darryl and Sarah stay another day, so after some consideration they decided that another day would be a good idea, just to relax of course as the last few days have been busy, it would be nice to have a swim and enjoy Bedrock Village, perhaps have a walk down by the creek and as we are all competitive a game of mini golf could be in order again.

Sarah and I hang out the washing just before bed, a couple wander past and I hear them pass comment “This must be the midnight laundry club.” I chuckle because sometimes this is the only quiet laundry time.

It looks like Darryl and Sarah have adopted her; she remains on the doormat when we all go to bed. We wonder if she will still be there in the morning.

to find out Darryl and Sarah's story for the day then you can catch up on

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Photos

Mucky Chops
Sarah after Fossiking