While jasper is a fairly common gemstone, the coast between the towns of Penguin and Ulverstone in north-western Tasmania is a particularly good place to find high-quality stones. There is even a dedicated Fossicking Area in Penguin, which is a great place to get started, and where you can still find some great quality material.
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Petrified wood in Tasmania
Petrified wood is a common material in Tertiary-age gravel beds and ancient river channels in Tasmania. It’s particularly common in areas with Tertiary basalt flows. Petrified wood is a good lapidary material and can take a great polish.
Continue readingDrip Beach agates
One of the classic locations to fossick in southern Tasmania is Drip Beach, in Lymington, where you can find pebbles of grey lace agate scattered around the beach. Find out where it is, how to find lace agate, and what you can do with it.
Continue readingGetting started – Where to go
As you can probably guess, you can’t just go anywhere and start digging up stuff. There are two main choices: to go to designated Fossicking Areas, or to get a Prospecting Licence and be able to go to most public, unreserved land.
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