This was the day we were going to make it BIG!! We were up early and had completed the morning routine in record time. We thought the mine “Miners Heritage” was within walking distance, and it probably was, if we had researched it a bit more. However, like all tourist maps, things are not drawn to scale. So, after a short walk to where we thought the mine should be, and after consulting “Google Maps”, we decided that if we wanted to make it to the 10:15am tour, we would have to drive. So, it was back to the van park and into the BT50 for the relatively short 2km drive. We arrived with some minutes to spare so perused the shop - lots of sparkly things, but none that got the attention of anyone.
We bought our tickets and were soon taking a tour of the once active mine, for about an hour. The tour was really informative and at the end we were all really excited that we could actually find something that would change our lives forever. So, each couple bought a bucket of “wash” (dirt and stones from a working mine which may contain gems) for $20 each, were given a quick demo on how to “sieve” (wash the dirt from the stones) and sort the rubbish from the good stuff. Fischers were a lot more pedantic and careful with their bucket and managed to find a few more “jewels” than we did, but after half an hour, both Wendy and Greg were a bit over the novelty. After taking our find to be “graded” we quickly decided that this was not the way to make a million bucks quickly. We did, however, find some stones that were worth keeping, but could not be cut (so we were told). Oh well, at least the stuff we did find might have gotten us $5 and could be used to make sandpaper! It was then back home for lunch and a nana nap.
Greg then went for a ride to explore more of the local area and came across a deserted dry creek bed and thought be might get even luckier if he “fossicked” for a bit. As the place was in the middle of nowhere, Greg thought he would be quite safe and would not be intruding on anyone's lease. So, you can imagine his surprise when not long after starting to scratch around, he heard footsteps behind him. He innocently looked around to find a woman walking her dog; “Hi” she said and kept walking!!
Whilst Greg was out trying to find the big one, Wendy did a bit more Army work to get on top of the audit reports before getting home and having to prepare for Dusseldorf.
The usual night time routine followed; pre-dinner drinks at 5pm with dinner at 6:30pm. We had a tasty mince, with smashed veggies and spelt pasts spirals dish. We think we both ate far too much, but went to bed feeling quite comfortable..
No comments:
Post a Comment