SEE SOMETHING SHINY

I’m sitting in the middle of a dusty creek bed at noon, digging and sifting, weary and waiting to slam my pick into something big and crystalline. With a reputation as one of the best places in the country to unearth gem-quality topaz (and aquamarine, citrine and smoky quartz too), O’Brien’s Creek, a few hundred kilometres inland from Cairns in Queensland, is a popular spot with a wellfossicked past. Campground manager Simon Harrison jokes that he used to have to hide behind a tree to stop the topaz from jumping out at him, but after hours spent scratching around in the sand with no results, it’s obvious that I’ve got a lot to learn.

Finally, beginner’s luck strikes and there’s something shiny sitting in my pan with that telltale crystal shape. I hold it up to the sunlight and decide it must be topaz — not enough to retire