Lyla Lindsey
Agate is a variety of chalcedony, a type of quartz, and belongs to a large group of minerals. It is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica and displays patterns of coloured bands, layers, or scenes. Agates are found in most states across Australia, with the best-known types and locations being Agate Creek Agates from Agate Creek in North Queensland, Northern Territory Agates from the Wave Hill, Camfield and Victoria River Downs areas, Pilbara Agates from locations near Nullagine and Newman, and Lune River Agate from Tasmania. Agate Creek in Queensland is a popular fossicking area for collecting agates, covering an area of approximately 45 square kilometres.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composition | Microcrystalline fibrous silica |
| Patterns | Coloured bands, layers, or scenes |
| Colours | Presence of Iron, Copper, Chromium, Nickel, and Manganese |
| Hardness | 6.5 – 7 |
| Occurrence | Nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas |
| Location | Agate Creek, North Queensland; Northern Territory; Pilbara; Tasmania |
| Locality | Etheridge Shire, Queensland |
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What You'll Learn
Agate Creek in North Queensland
The main areas for fossicking in Agate Creek include Black Soil Creek, Crystal Hill, Bald Hill, Simpsons, Blue Hills, and Flanagans. Agates can be collected by hand digging in the decomposed lavas, or by searching downslope colluvial deposits where agates accumulate due to their resistance to weathering. The wet season can make the gravel road to Agate Creek impassable, but it also exposes agates in the alluvium of black soil and gravel of present-day drainages, making it a productive time for fossicking.
The Queensland Government has provided directions to the Agate Creek fossicking area. From Forsayth, head south-west towards Gilberton, and after 11 km, turn right and continue for another 15 km to the North Head turn-off. Turn left and head south, crossing the Robertson River, and then turn left again after crossing Agate Creek to reach the fossicking area. Camping is not permitted within the area, but nearby camping options are available adjacent to Agate Creek, outside the designated fossicking area.
Agate is a variety of chalcedony and is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica, displaying coloured bands, layers, and patterns. The presence of minerals like iron, copper, chromium, nickel, and manganese contributes to the diverse colours found in agate, which has a hardness rating of 6.5 to 7. Agates typically occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas, formed by the deposition of siliceous minerals over time.
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Wave Hill, Northern Territory
Wave Hill, also known as Wave Hill Station, is a pastoral lease in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is a cattle station situated about 31 kilometres (19 miles) east of Kalkaringi, 204 kilometres (127 miles) southeast of Timber Creek, and 600 kilometres (373 miles) south of Darwin. The station covers an area of 13,500 square kilometres (5,212 square miles) and includes a portion of the Victoria River, which flows through the property. The land is characterised by high open downs with basalt plains and Mitchell grass, and is well-watered by the Victoria River to the west and the Camfield River to the east, along with numerous creeks.
Wave Hill is known for its geological features, including the presence of agate. Agate is a type of chalcedony, belonging to a group of minerals that include quartz. It is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica and exhibits patterns of coloured bands, layers, or scenes. The variety of colours in agate is due to the presence of small amounts of minerals such as iron, copper, chromium, nickel, and manganese. Most agates are found in nodules within volcanic rocks or ancient lavas, formed by the deposition of silica-rich waters.
At Wave Hill, agate can be found in the basalt rocks that underlie the region. These basalts contain geodes, which are hollow, lava-encrusted boulders with inner surfaces lined with crystals. As the basalt shell weathers and erodes, it reveals concentrically-banded red and white agate or quartz crystal formations. The agate found at Wave Hill is known as Northern Territory Agate, and it is one of the best-known types of agate in Australia.
The area surrounding Wave Hill has a significant history, particularly in relation to Aboriginal land rights in Australia. The Wave Hill walk-off, which occurred in 1966, was a strike by Indigenous Australian workers demanding better pay and conditions. This event was led by the Gurindji people, the traditional owners of the land, who had lived in the area for approximately 60,000 years. The strike had a profound influence on Aboriginal land rights and contributed to the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976, which allowed Indigenous Australians to reclaim traditional lands in the Northern Territory.
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Pilbara, near Nullagine and Newman
Agates can be found in most states across Australia, with some of the best-known locations being Agate Creek in North Queensland, the Wave Hill, Camfield and Victoria River Downs areas in the Northern Territory, and the Pilbara region near Nullagine and Newman in Western Australia.
The Pilbara region is particularly well-known for its agate deposits, and agates can be found in many of the rocky creeks between Newman and Nullagine. The creeks closer to Nullagine, in particular, are known for having higher-quality agates. One specific location where you can find whole agates is Skull Springs Road, about 60km east of Nullagine. Here, the agates can be found in the matrix of the road. Further along this road, at "Running Waters" warm springs, small, high-quality, water-worn agates can be found in the river gravels. This site is very isolated, and the roads can be challenging to navigate due to ruts, but there are reportedly millions of agates to be found, making it well worth the effort for those seeking to fossick for these gemstones.
Another well-known location for finding Pilbara agates is the area near Marble Bar, which is also close to Nullagine and Newman. This area is known for its rich mineral deposits, making it an ideal location for gemstone fossicking.
Pilbara agates are sought-after for their unique beauty, and they are often cut and polished to showcase their striking patterns and colours. These agates are a variety of chalcedony, composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica, and their colours are due to the presence of small amounts of minerals such as iron, copper, chromium, nickel, and manganese.
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Lune River, Tasmania
Lune River is a town in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia, located near the mouth of a river of the same name. The area is known for its fossils, particularly those from the Jurassic period, including petrified fern, agate, petrified wood, jasper, carnelian, onyx and sardonyx. The extent of the Lune River deposits is not yet fully understood, but it is likely that the Coal Hill agates are a northern extension of the Lune River deposits. Agates are formed inside basalt, and the main Lune River deposit is possibly within a mudstone/sandstone bed that could be made up of volcanic debris.
The most popular fossicking area in southern Tasmania is Lune River, which produces mostly lapidary material. The main collecting area is along the western side of the Leprena Track, but collectors must be careful not to stray into the declared Lune River Fossil Site, where fossicking is not permitted. Fossickers sometimes journey to Benders Quarry, off South Lune Road, where specimens of travertine and calcite crystals have been found in the quarried limestone. Collection from this site is illegal without permission from the Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Lune River deposits are believed to be the result of volcanic activity in the Jurassic period, possibly related to the breakup of Australia from Antarctica. A Jurassic forest was buried in an andesitic volcanic eruption at Lune River. The petrified wood and fern are likely remnants of the Jurassic forest that was overcome and buried by volcanic basalt (lava) or pyroclastic flows. Over millions of years, their woody components were slowly replaced by opal and agate. Agates often form inside what were originally air bubbles within the lava.
Agate is a variety of Chalcedony and is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica, displaying patterns of coloured bands, layers, or scenes. The presence of small amounts of minerals, such as iron, copper, chromium, nickel and manganese, is responsible for the variety of colours in agate. Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas, where hot, percolating silica-rich waters have deposited successive layers of siliceous minerals.
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Etheridge Shire, Queensland
Agate Creek in Etheridge Shire, Queensland, is a popular location for rockhounds to search for agate. Agate Creek runs through a roughly rectangular-shaped plain of some 45 square kilometres, bordered by a rim of hills. Agate Creek is known for its superb colours and patterns and is a world-renowned fossicking site for agates. Agates can be distinguished from other rocks by their weight, as they are denser and heavier for their size than most other stones. Agate is a variety of chalcedony and belongs to a large group of minerals, of which quartz is the most important. It is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica and displays patterns of coloured bands, layers, or scenes. Agate has a hardness of 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale, making it suitable for most jewellery applications.
Agate Creek was established as a fossicking area in 1995 by the then Department of Mines and Energy, with the cooperation of landowners and the Etheridge Shire Council. It is about 30km from Cobbold Village by gravel road, which is suitable for conventional vehicles but may be impassable in the wet season. During the winter months (April to September), Agate Creek hosts upwards of 50 people who come to search for agates and process their finds using rock saws and lapidary equipment.
Due to conflicts between miners and rockhounds, the Department of Minerals and Energy amended regulations to prohibit mining equipment at Agate Creek, allowing only hand tools. This led to the closure of mines and the declaration of the area as a General Permission Area (GPA). Fossicking for gemstones in Queensland is a regulated activity that requires a Fossickers Licence, which can be purchased online.
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Frequently asked questions
Agate can be found in the Agate Creek fossicking area in Etheridge Shire, Queensland.
Some of the best-known types and locations of Agate in Australia include:
- Agate Creek Agates from North Queensland
- Northern Territory Agates from Wave Hill, Camfield, and Victoria River Downs areas
- Pilbara Agates from locations near Nullagine and Newman
- Lune River Agate from Tasmania
Agate is a variety of Chalcedony and belongs to a large group of minerals, with Quartz being the most important. Agate is composed of microcrystalline fibrous silica and displays patterns of coloured bands, layers, or scenes.
