Welcome to Anakie

Anakie may seem like any other small country town in Central Queensland, but it is a special place. Please take a stroll around town… we are a welcoming community!

Anakie has remained constant in the ever-changing fortunes of the Sapphire Gemfields; sometimes in the shadow of Sapphire and Rubyvale, but always ready to cater for the next influx of miners. And while Anakie may appear unassuming at first, it is often cited as a place of significance in the study of gems and gemstones. The town is known for its much-loved Gemfest – Festival of Gems, and the historic Anakie Hotel that boasts an explosive history. There is a regional school, police station, caravan park, and of course a hotel.

Anakie Provisional School, 1895-1896
Anakie Railway Station, circa 1990
Old Anakie Post Office, 1990

Build it, and they will come 

Anakie as a settlement did not really exist prior to the arrival of the railway in the 1880s. Not surprisingly, it was a surveyor, Archibald John Richardson, who found the first sapphire deposits in Retreat Creek, some 12 km from here, while surveying the railway line from Emerald to Alpha in 1873.

→

Soon after, Richardson abandoned his Queensland Government position, pegged a claim, and began digging for sapphires! The new rail reached Emerald Downs in 1879, but it took another 18 months to be completed past Anakie, terminating further west at Withersfield; initially considered a more appropriate location for a railhead. But by 1884 there was a new railhead at Anakie, making it the transport and communication hub of the developing sapphire fields and bringing people to town from the mining areas and pastoral stations.

→

A growing township 

As the population and need for services grew, so did this town’s status and in 1887, Anakie was proclaimed a township. When the Anakie Hotel was built in 1902, there was even more reason for miners to come to town. Not only could they collect mail and pick up supplies, they could be entertained, no doubt a welcome relief from the hard work of mining in the sapphire fields.

→

The mail must get through

Prior to the establishment of the Central Queensland Railway, mail routes covered vast distances to reach a scattered population. Hundreds of kilometres were covered once a week on horseback. By 1881, the mail route had increased to include outlying camps of sapphire miners with a rail mail service to Withersfield (and later Anakie) six times a week.

→

The corundum conundrum! 

When you think of the most famous gemstones such as diamond, topaz, emerald and garnet, do you think of corundum? If not, you should, as its two varieties are sure to be on any list of gemstones. The red variety of corundum is known as ruby, and all the other colours of corundum are known as sapphire. In the early days, low-grade corundum was used in the manufacture of wire. But those of gem quality were taken to Anakie by horse-drawn dump drays, packed in padlocked and iron bound wooden boxes, to eventually find their way onto the world jewellery market.

↓

From hand tools to heavy machines 

The first miners to establish claims at the Sapphire Gemfields relied on manual labour, enduring incredibly hard work in isolated conditions. Today, large-scale open cut mining operations use heavy earthmoving machinery, and material is processed in mechanised plants. Modern miners are required to take responsibility for the environment and rehabilitate land affected by their operations.

There are many ways to explore the Sapphire gemfields: 

  • Take a guided tour of a walk-in underground mine at Rubyvale or go on a tagalong digging tour 
  • Go on a self-driving adventure with maps and all the necessary equipment to explore the public fossicking areas. 
  • Visit a fossicking park and buy a bucket of sapphire wash, learn to sieve it, and recognise sapphires in the rough!

Fossicking & camping 

Fossicking is allowed at Fossicking Areas and Designated Fossicking Lands but you must first buy a fossicking licence online at qld.gov.au or from authorised local agents. Licences are not required at tourist mines and similar sites that charge an entry fee. You will need a fossicking camping permit to camp in Fossicking Areas and Designated Fossicking Lands. These are available through the same outlets.

Follow the trail

Fossicking at a tourist park
Parti sapphire
Rough sapphires
Underground mine tour

The Sapphire Gemfields Geo-Interpretive Trail is a series of storytelling signs that lead you on a colourful journey through Anakie, Willows Gemfields, Sapphire, and Rubyvale. Each town has a central node with a map that indicates where to find nearby interpretive place markers, which detail the fascinating past and present of our unique part of the world. All you need is a vehicle and an appetite for adventure! Learn about:

  • famous gemstones
  • characters and capers
  • booms and busts
  • fossicking
  • geological marvels

→

Find your way

Download what3words to easily navigate between the Geo-Interpretive Trail nodes and place markers. This app can work offline and gives each location a unique three-word identifier, bypassing the need for street names and an internet connection. Simply enter your next destination’s identifier (each sign lists its three closest signs) and follow the app’s directions.

→

Heard of geocaching?

Geocaching is a treasure hunt with something for everyone. Using map coordinates and a GPS-enabled device, you can find a geocache near your home – in the city or the country. Even in Antarctica! Geocaches (geo meaning earth, and cache meaning hidden treasure) come in all shapes, sizes and skill levels. Our Geo-Interpretive Trail is set amongst an array of geocaching locations. The sites can be found at geocaching.com.au.

↓

Fossicking & camping 

Fossicking is allowed at Fossicking Areas and Designated Fossicking Lands but you must first buy a fossicking licence online at qld.gov.au or from authorised local agents. Licences are not required at tourist mines and similar sites that charge an entry fee. You will need a fossicking camping permit to camp in Fossicking Areas and Designated Fossicking Lands. These are available through the same outlets. 

What’s the difference? 

Fossicking Areas and Designated Fossicking Lands are both open to anyone with a current fossicking licence. While Areas are reserved exclusively for recreational use, Lands also permit commercial mining to take place nearby.

Location

Open in Apple Maps
Open in Google Maps
Open in What 3 Words

what3words

Download the what3words app to help you follow the Trail.
Here are the ///what3words identifiers for this location and for the three closest stops:

You are here: ///typecast.revisiting.bribe

Where to next?

Anakie Hotel – ///charged.landline.connects

Gemfest – Anakie – ///outhouse.bloke.grew

Boom and Bust – Anakie – ///vegan.conjured.footwork

Scroll to Top