Nundle Fossicking

The rush for gold reached this village on the upper Peel River more than 150 years ago, and the ground still gives up colour. Public fossicking spots ring the town: the Swamp Creek camping reserve, the Crown reserve below Hanging Rock, and the sand and gravel bars of the Peel, where fine alluvial gold settles at the water's edge. Up toward Hanging Rock, Sheba Dams and the Zircon Gully area yield sapphire, zircon and other semi-precious stones. Panning needs only a dish and patience.