porsha replied:

Hi, iam born and bred at the gemfields, to experience fossicking you need to get out there, i hear there is a great caravan park at rubyvale. Ask a local for a good spot. Good Luck

Tony replied:

Not sure about close to Emerald. We spent a week out at Tommahawk Creek, NW of Rubyvale. While we didnt find big gems, we did get some nice small ones worth keeping.

Patrol22 replied:

...and don't forget to 'get your nuts tightened' at the Big Spanner on the Anakie/Rubyvale Rd :-))

Member - Roger B (VIC) replied:

Two good caravan parks at Rubyvale, plus a good pub. Especially at happy hour on Friday nights. Plenty of cheap camping on the public gemfields in the vicinity. Sometimes free. Depends on whether the Ranger visits or not. No water though. Public water point in Sapphire though. Good place to spend a Southern Winter, and there's always a few good stones found. But the big ones have eluded me so far. Then again there's still this Winter to come. Good luck.
Roger B.