The Gemfields News Today

Premium Content Subscriber only A Brisbane couple found their own hidden gem at a Sapphire caravan park after making a tree-change to the small Central Highlands town. Darrell and Victoria Bentham purchased the Sapphire Caravan and Cabin Park in December and have loved every minute of the journey since. They originally dated as teenagers in England, but met up again years later after Victoria made the move to Australia, and as they say, the rest is history. Mr and Mrs Bentham were living in ...

Premium Content Subscriber only A handful of Gemfields residents have shared their stories and experiences from the recent major flood, which left many families stranded. On March 17, fast-moving flood waters swept across the Gemfields following the rapid rise of Retreat Creek in the early hours of the morning. More than 200mm of rain fell in the catchment surrounding the tourist area of Sapphire Gemfields and Retreat Creek, between the Capricorn Highway and the town of Sapphire, peaked at 9.8...

Premium Content Subscriber only Families in Gemfields townships will soon have access to a kids corner at the local library. The Gemfields Library, located in Rubyvale, will launch the new space in April, thanks to the First 5 Forever program. Councillor Megan Daniels said it was the first time the library had a dedicated children’s space. “Libraries are very important to our communities as they’re a welcoming space for all,” Ms Daniels said. “Story time has been runni...

Premium Content Subscriber only Cars and equipment are sitting in metres of floodwaters after Sapphire received a deluge of rain in the early hours of Wednesday morning, prompting a major flood. Emergency services have spent the morning rescuing people from the roofs of houses and cars, with all rescues successful and no injuries reported. Blue Gem looking across to the Trading Post. Pic: Lorraine Schou. All roads to Rubyvale and Sapphire have now been closed and drivers are being urged to...

Premium Content There is a silver lining to the Sapphire floods – rain means good fossicking. More than 200mm fell in the small township of Sapphire west of Emerald on Wednesday morning. Sapphire Caravan and Cabin Park owner Victoria Bentham was woken by the sound of the heavy rain and when she checked her phone, she was shocked to see all of the emergency warnings. Warning sirens were activated in Rubyvale but did not deploy in Sapphire, due to suspected technology complications. “...

Premium Content Subscriber only Rubyvale will be highlighted on the big screen this weekend as a television episode airs featuring two amateur astronomers who live in The Gemfields region. The Channel 9 show, My Way, will feature Phil Miles and Anthony Wesley and their passion for capturing planets and stars with planetary imaging. Speaking about their recent stardom, Phil and Anthony shared how their friendship and hobby came about. Phil has lived at Rubyvale since 1970. He came to The Gemfie...

The alleged offender faced court on Thursday.

Three kilometres of road will be upgraded as part of the works.

Three crews attended the scene and it was put out around 1am