Day 9
After spending the night at the free camp in Emerald, we headed off early to visit the Fairbairn Dam (Lake Maraboon). The breeze was rather cold up on top of the dam, but the view was awesome.
Next, we headed toward the Gemfields. We pulled into the Anakie Caravan Park and purchased a $10 bucket of wash. The manager was kind enough to show us how to search for the sapphires and we spent the next couple of hours getting all dirty and muddy which the boys loved!
We were also lucky enough to find some amazing sapphires!!
After a biscuit (or two) with the managers, we washed up and headed to Barcaldine.
My mum grew up in Barcaldine, so we headed past her old house.
And a few shops on the corner of the street.
We spent the night at the free camp just outside Barcaldine, at the Weir. This is an awesome free camp with toilets, a dump spot, picnic tables and lots of bins. The only thing is that it fills up very quickly. We arrived just after lunch and were lucky enough to one of the last spots available.
Places of Interest: Emerald
- Fairbairn Dam
- Emerald Botanic Gardens
- Emerald Historic Railway Station
- Van Gogh Sunflower Painting
- Fossilised Tree
Places of Interest: Barcaldine