Back Roads on ABC – Guest presenter Lisa Millar heads to central Queensland and the renowned Gemfields. Lisa discovers this is a place where shanty towns dot the surface, but what lies underneath is hallowed ground….and the holy grail is the precious sapphire.
Gem baron Ray Richardson takes Lisa on a tour in his classic 1957 pink Cadillac. Ray made a pile in the 1970’s and 80’s when sapphire prices were booming and talks about those crazy days, when the Gemfields had a reputation as the wild west.
Lisa also meets a couple of newbies, Debbie Wouters and Steve Pitts, from Victoria. They fell under the spell of the Gemfields on a visit in 2022 and now spend their days digging away underground. Lisa joins Debbie in her search for what she calls the “sparkles”, taking a nervous ride down a narrow 45-foot mine shaft.
The couple mine using simple hand tools, not big machinery, keeping alive a 150 -year-old tradition. But small-scale miners like them are worried proposed new mining rules could “blow it out of the water and destroy it”.
Something Lisa didn’t expect to find in a remote mining area is a Mardi Gras festival. She joins local drag queen Heidi Hole at ‘Blingo’ night at the Rubyvale pub. Heidi is the alter ego of Willow, a singer songwriter and former soldier. It’s a long way from the days when he did it tough as a young gay kid growing up on the Gemfields. A sign this place might love its traditions but it’s also ready to embrace change.
Back Roads on ABC and ABC iview – Tuesday 20 February, 2024 at 8.00pm
TV Central ABC content HERE
Back Roads on ABC
