Vulcan State Forest
Vulcan is granite gold country on the tablelands south of Oberon, around Shooters Hill and Black Springs. The forest is best known among fossickers for Sapphire Bend, where sapphire and gold both turn up in the wash. Cold, high and often wet, it rewards a patient day on the gravels.
Region
Central West & Tablelands
Nearest access
Black Springs, near Oberon
Elevation
1,274 m
Forest permit
$27.50 / 12 mo
The forest boundary
The gold outline is the legal edge of Vulcan State Forest, drawn from the NSW state forest estate. It is the forest boundary, not the fossicking area. Some compartments inside it are closed for logging, safety or the environment, so check the Forestry Corporation map before you go.
Boundary: NSW Dedicated State Forests estate, Forestry Corporation of NSW and Spatial Services. Satellite: © Mapbox, © Maxar.
What to look for here
Sapphire Bend on the Vulcan side is the drawcard, where blue and green sapphire and gold both show in the creek wash. Sieve the gravels and check the bedrock traps below the granite.
Getting there
From Oberon, take the Shooters Hill Road south past Black Springs into the forest. It is high, cold country, so carry warm gear even in summer.
Open on the Dig Here mapThe permit, in short
Fossicking in any NSW State forest needs one Forestry Corporation permit: $27.50 for 12 months, valid state-wide, through Service NSW. Hand tools only, one cubic metre of ground in any 48 hours, fill your holes, and carry the permit. Without one, fossicking in a forestry area can draw a court penalty of up to $2,200.
Out in the forest
This is high, cold tableland. Expect frost and fog, snow is possible in winter, and the nights are cold even in summer. It is a working forest, and the country is rough, so a few things to keep in mind.
It is a working forest
Logging, harvesting and hazard-reduction burns all happen here, and compartments close at short notice. Give machinery room, obey the signs, and do not drive around a closed gate.
Old workings
The goldfields left unmarked shafts, adits and collapsed ground. Do not walk up to a hole or climb in. The ground around an old working can give way under a boot.
Cold and snow
At about 1,274 m this is alpine-edge country. Frost, fog and even snow come through in winter, and nights are cold in any season. Carry warm layers and a plan that does not depend on a creek flat.
Reception drops out
Mobile coverage fails in gullies and under canopy. Download the map before you leave town, and do not rely on a phone for the way back.
Fossicking districts nearby
The closest gazetted fossicking districts to Vulcan State Forest. Inside a district you do not need an exploration licence holder's consent, which the forest permit does not cover.
More New South Wales fossicking
See every state forest and all seventy gazetted districts, with the rules in plain words.
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