Day 124 - Thursday 6 September 2012

We were up early again for the Garnet Tour today. We collected our tools at the shed then followed the guide down the Plenty Highway for 27 kms, then 4 kms of bush track to the garnet fields. After a demonstration we were again left to our own devices. This time we had two other couples from WA that we had first met at Banka Banka on the tour. This time we had to sift the sandy gravel, remove all the rubbish, then wash the end result in water. The way to find garnets is to hold the wash tray up to the sun and look for any red stones.

Our group at the garnet area

David on the chain gang

While we thought that we were not very successful, the sorting and testing back at the Gem Room proved otherwise. We had a 6 mm stone, two 5 mm stones, two 4.5 mm stones, two 4 mm stones, three 3.25 mm stones, nine 3 mm stones, and three 7 x 4 mm stones. Di decided with David’s assistance (no doubt thinking of his new camera) that Di should have her 6 mm stone set in a claw setting.

A 6 mm Garnet in a claw setting

Back at the camp we had a shower to remove another day’s red dust, put a load of washing on to get rid of the red dust from our clothes, and had a couple of beers with our fellow travellers from Perth, WA. Tomorrow we will be heading south to Erldunda, while they are going to Alice Springs for about five weeks for the Masters Games.