miners heritage

It was great to go underground and see how the tunnels were made and how deep the sapphire wash was below the surface. There was an example of how the old miners dug and extracted the wash which would not have been fun for the faint hearted.

We saw the sign for the miners heritage centre off the A4 and thought we would take a look, very glad we did! A fasinating place with some real history of prospecting for sapphires. The mine tour is well worth $20 we paid, it takes about 40 mins to an hour and is very easy to walk through whatever your age, the guide is really knowledgable. An added bonus is the small cute coloney of miniture bats right above your head. Great fun and a must do visit. If you need somewhere to stay local, go to the next small place of Sapphire and stay in the Sapphire caravan park, you wont be disapointed, best place we stayed during our entire 6 week trip!

We found the tour round the mine very interesting. It lasted for about 40 mins. Jill was a knowledgable and friendly tour guide and gave us plenty of time to take photos etc.

The tour guide for this attraction was very good. She explain how sapphire mining works and pointed out all the interesting parts of the mine. I was a little nervous going underground but the gradual decent underground meant that you did not notice how far underground that you had gone. Very interesting.

We visited this mine quite early, and were the first ones underground for the day. Our family were the only ones on tour, at this time, and that made it extra special. As we were able to ask questions of the guide and utilise his knowledge and expertise (poor fellow lol). When we arrive back 'on the surface' we had just beaten the crowds. We took the opportunity to buy a bucket of 'wash' and fossick for some sapphires. We had a tutorial and tried our luck. We took our chosen 'rocks' into our guide and were surprised that we actually picked a few good stones amongst them all! Really enjoyed our visit.

An interesting look into gem mining at this stop. We only went on the tour, but fossicking gemstones from a pre purchase bag of dirt is available, which would be fun for little ones. The tour was $20 for adults and goes for about 20mins weaving around the tunnnels- a little pricey I thought, but that's tourism. The guide was a larrikin with excellent knowledge. Take as many as photos as you can without slowing down the group, as you don't get a 'second chance' to get that photo you wanted. Video cameras are not allowed. There's another underground mine in town, but this one was recommended to me.

We really enjoyed the underground mine tour followed by a bucket of wash. The kids thought it was fantastic. The staff showed us what to do and look for and the kids now have a few souvenirs. Would recommend.

A really interesting place with a large range of gems for sale. The staff were really friendly and quite helpful when trying to learn more about the various stones and jewellery. They seem to have a good reputation as I was referred here by a number of other locals.Interesting memorabilia... Worth a stop.

It was great having a comprehensive underground tour on this mine by such an informative guide even thou there was only a couple in the group. I would recomend this along with the royal hotel I have also written about.

A very unique experience. To be able to go underground into an actual sapphire mine was brilliant. The guide was very informative. It felt very safe and able to accommodate a small group easily. It gave us a better understanding of how sapphires are acquired and some interesting reads in the showroom. Thoroughly worth it.

To actually go down the mine was a real eye opener so the tour was money well spent. Staff were extremely polite & helpful. If you are in Rubyvale make the mine tour a must do.

We were on our way to Longreach, detoured to Rubyvale on a whim, and found Miner's Heritage by accident. Glad we did. The place has a jewelry shop, a mine tour, and small park to pan for gems. The mine tour, which runs about an hour, is a great introduction to the history of the area and the basics of sapphire prospecting. It actually ends up being quite a motivator to try your hand at fossicking. For $10/bucket of wash, you can pan for gems onsite (you get solid instruction before you start). Most people in the group that toured the mine when we did gave it a go, and, to their immense delight, most found several small sapphires or zircons for their effort. The extensive jewelry shop has some very nice pieces for sale. While we weren't in the market, we were glad to window shop and talk to the staff. Overall, this was a fun stop.

This is a great place to start your gem fields experience. The staff are extremely helpful and the tour is a must for those wanting to learn. Great value and a great place to learn your fossicking skills.

Guide very knowledgeable and friendly.Extremely interesting. Had great fun with the buckets of wash. Found two cuttable sapphires.

This was a great experience and explained everything in detail - the host had mines of her own, so could explain everything beautifully. Not an easy way to earn money unless you do it on a commercial basis and not for those who suffer from claustrophobia if you are digging your own mine.