Before leaving Carnarvon Gorge something went wrong with our fridge. Just when we hoped to head to warmer latitudes, this! We spent the drive to Emerald madly phoning Caravan, Caravan repair and qualifying plumbing companies. Finally, in the late afternoon, we found a business who would be able to help us - on Monday - in Mackay! Feeling we had no choice, we made our way slowly towards Mackay, saying good bye to our aspiration of finding a sapphire or ruby in the gem fields of the so aptly named towns Sapphire and Rubyvale.
Halfway towards the coast, during our afternoon nap at a rest stop, Austin had an epiphany! He googled for a while and then found the problem was simply caused by a temperamental circuit board and just needed the electrics resetting; “Eureka”! The fridge gave us the green light. So we turned around immediately driving the 200+ km back to the gem fields, and organised a fossicking tour for the next morning.
8.30 am sharp, Keith and his dog turned up in a dust-covered ute. We and another three hopeful couples followed him in our cars to his claim about 20km west. Bouncing over a rugged dirt road we saw several caravans scattered around the gravel covered bushland. Apparently anyone can get a fossicking permit for a 30mx30m claim for approximately $14.-, valid for 3 months. However the permit prevents people from putting up any permanent dwelling, so a caravans or a lean-to has to do. 
A couple from a nearby caravan joined us as we were handed pick axes,shovels and buckets, and were pointed each to an area to start with our quest. We were astonished that sapphires could be found just a few centimetres under the topsoil in a sand/gravel layer. Soon we were covered in dust and mud as we shovelled gravel into buckets, fed it into a trommel, separating dirt from rocks, and from there into sieves for the wash. I had seen a sign on the way saying”Willy Wash”, but Austin thought it was rude and didn’t let me take a photo. Now I found out, that the washing tub for the gravel is called a “willoughby”! Phew, that explains it!
The excitement starts when flipping the gravel filled sieves over onto a sack cloth. Apparently the sapphires will then be laying on the top, sparkling like glass in the sunlight. W
e were thrilled to find a few tiny specks from our first bucket load. Can you see it?!
We now have a very small plastic bag full of mini gems. Unfortunately none were of a cuttable seize, sorry Lisa, Julie and Nina!
We also visited an underground mine and some of the many, many gem shops in the area to see what the real thing looks like! 
Some people have next to their gem shop a little side business, like the Austrian of the “Muggachino Strudel Hut”, who offers delicious home-made apple, cherry or rhubarb strudels. A sign in the garden cafe says: "Don’t steal! The government doesn’t like competition!” I don’t know whether the “mugga” in muggachino refers to that, or to the excellent coffee in a mug?
After observing locals and travelling fossickers, we could well imagine that there is an addictive side to waiting for the next bucket of dirt to reveal a rock of big fortune.
Even we had to have another go at it on the morning we left the gem fields. The caravan park had a fossicking area, where for $10 you got a bucket of gravel and the sieves for washing the rocks. We got another few little green sapphire bits and off we went down the Highway back to the city of Emerald.