Central Queensland gemfields

Graves Hill is popular because of its proximity to Sapphire township and its shallow wash.

Access

Turn off the Capricorn Highway at Anakie, and take the sealed Sapphire road for 8km to a signpost indicating Graves Hill to the left. Continue on this unsealed road along the southern side of Retreat Creek for 4km to the signposted entrance.

Alternatively continue to Sapphire and take the road to the west, passing through Big Bessie to the Graves Hill entrance.

The main track passes along the length of the area through Mount Clifford; midway a track to the right passes Millionaires Hill before crossing Ruby Creek to continue to Reward designated fossicking land.

While roads are unformed they are suitable for conventional vehicles, except in wet weather.

Map

• Graves Hill fossicking area map (PDF, 587.9 KB)

Facilities

Camping is allowed for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained from our regional offices or fossicking licence agents. There are no facilities, but there are several good shady spots.

Water needs to be carried from Sapphire.

Fossicking notes

The popular Mount Clifford diggings in the centre and south of the area have extensive shallow workings. Generally these are 300–400mm deep and expose a wash composed of angular to rounded pebbles and cobbles of billy, silicified sandstone and quartz set in a friable brown soil. Greens and yellows have been found here as well as blues.

The wash continues to the north and north-east around an outcrop of granite. At Millionaires Hill, there is a small area of shallow diggings where the wash, 200–300mm deep, comprises a dark-red to chocolate coloured soil containing billy cobbles and pebbles.

At the eastern boundary of the area, there is a series of deeper workings, both open cut and underground, which are up to 3m deep. They have exploited a bouldery wash which may be a lead formed by a former channel of Ruby Creek. The boulders are mostly billy, silicified sandstone and conglomerate.

Near the south-western boundary there was an area of shallow wash that was previously stripped by machinery and treated on site. It does not appear to extend beyond the worked area.