Gem Tree is an outback station that facilitates a hands-on fossicking experience in the nearby Central Australian gem fields. The dirt where we are taken to dig yields Garnet, an unassuming stone that shines a deep red when held up to the sun. We depart early for a tutorial on site about the tools and process, and are then left on our own to find our fortune. It is hot and tiring work, Budge's back buckles under the strain by late morning, and by lunchtime we are home. But we are not empty handed. All up we find 13 stones, which - uncut and unfaceted - are valued at approximately $500 in total. Not a bad result for a mornings work. We have no plans to hock them to a jeweller anytime soon, but it's helpful to know that the funds are there should the chiropractor's bills blow out.
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| Early in the day and it's all hands on deck with picks, shovels and seives. |
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| Once a jolly swagman... pulled his back muscle... and was forced to keep digging whilst sitting under shade of the coolabah tree... |
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| Rikki and dad keep hunting for gems... whilst Benji keeps himself entertained... |
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| When we pulled over for a wee Wee stop in the MacDonnell Ranges, Jack found his second lucky horseshoe. No better excuse for a game of horse shoe throw once we set up camp at Gem Tree. |
