PMAT May Field Trip to the Weld River

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016 PMAT fossicking, gemstones, Moorina, PMAT, prospecting, sapphires

The Prospectors and Miners Association of Tasmania Inc. held it’s second field trip at the Weld River Fossicking Area on Saturday the 7th of May.

Thirty or so people made it despite the wet weather on the lead-up, with people arriving and leaving at different times during the day. The week leading up the date of the field trip saw a massive change in the weather from warm and sunny enough to feel like summer, to wet, windy and cold. Some of us were anxiously watching the level of the Ringarooma River at Moorina, ready to pull the plug if it looked like the water might be high enough to be dangerous.

As luck would have it, the rain eased off a couple of days before, and the river was back to normal just in time for our trip.

Arriving at the Fossicking Area (Jo Knox)

We started congregating at the Weld River bridge in Moorina at about 8:30, and by 9:00 we had a fair old queue of cars along the roadside. We trudged up to the camping area just above the bridge, and had a short meeting to greet everyone and welcome a dozen new members. This was our first regular (non-AGM) meeting, so our President Miguel de Salas gave a short run-down of the Association, and what it’s been up to in the last few months since we formed, and a summary for new members of what went on at the AGM.

Coral cleaning out a slot under the bridge (Jo Knox)

Digging in the gravels below the bridge (Jo Knox)

Access to the River from the Frome Road bridge (Jo Knox)

Sapphire from the field trip (Coral Saward)

Zircons from the field trip (Coral Saward)

The meet and greet done, we donned our gear and made our way along the river to do some fossicking. The water was quite a bit colder than it had been even a week before, after all that rain, but still comfortable enough not to need gloves.

The weather fined up and the afternoon was bright, if still overcast. After spending the day in the River, some of our members repaired back up the hill to the Weldborough pub for a few drinks and dinner, and some show and and tell.

Pretty much everyone, newcomers and children included, managed to find some gemstones!

Finally, thank you to Jo Knox, Coral Saward and Neil McClymont for the photos. Also if anyone has suggestions about where you’d like to go for a field trip, let us know! You can get in touch through the contact form. Happy fossicking!