Incredible 800g find in dirt near secret outback creek: 'Beautiful'
The location of the outback creek has been kept a secret for over 30 years.
An Aussie man has revealed an incredible 450 million-year-old discovery he made in a secret creek in the outback. Terry Hearl, a seasoned crystal hunter, surprised himself when he cracked open the 861g specimen to reveal a stunning amethyst geode of "museum quality".
The incredible specimen was found in an incredibly remote Northern Territory location that Hearl has kept under wraps for over 30 years.
"That one surprised me," Hearl told Yahoo News Australia of the amazing find. "I had a big hammer sitting next to me, I thought I was going to have to whack but to my amazement and good fortune with a little twist of a screwdriver it popped open beautifully.
"It's 450 million years old, no one has ever seen it."
Because the pieces are so rare, Hearl says it's difficult to put a price on it. This piece, he said he'll auction off and is hoping for a minimum of $1,000.
"A couple of collectors who really want it, there's no knowing how high they'll go. I put a minimum on what I'd like for it, and if it doesn't reach that, I keep it."
Geodes are hard to come across in Australia according to Hearl. "Secret Creek is one of the few areas in Australia that produce geodes," he said. According to the Australian Museum, a geode is a hollow, crystal-lined volcanic rock.
In the past, Hearl says he's found ones as large as 10kg.
How was secret outback creek discovered?
Hearl, one of very few people who know the exact location of what he calls Secret Creek, said a map was drawn for him over 30 years ago and since then has kept details under wraps. Secret Creek is on private property with no access to the public.
"I got a map drawn by an old miner back in the early 90s. It was the farthest out in the bush that I'd ever been. When we found the area, the creek wasn't on any of the other maps we had of the area and so I named it Secret Creek. It's been kept a secret for 30 years."
Hearl, who has hunted for rare gems as a hobby for decades said he's seen first-hand in other regions what happens when the locations of gem sites are shared. "People are greedy and go in and dig the hell out of the place and leave rubbish everywhere," he said.
Hearl and his wife try to visit for up to eight weeks every year, but access is heavily dependent on the weather. "In wet season you cannot get in or out," he explained.
Getting to the location is not for the fainthearted, with his last trip costing him $10,000 in fuel alone. What's more, the area is teeming with deadly snakes, feral pigs and "hungry dingoes".
"My love for finding things has made me override the danger part of it," he said.
Amethyst crystal business booming worldwide
According to Hearl, the popularity of crystals has exploded in recent years, so much so that he's been able to turn his hobby into a business.
"It kept me broke for most of my life," he explained. "It wasn't until six years ago that I started putting some stuff online and that opened me up to contacting collectors and selling my material. Now we're going really good which is fantastic."
He believes that it is the quality of the items he finds at Secret Creek that are gaining worldwide attention and has sold to over ten different countries.
"What we’re finding at Secret Creek doesn’t occur anywhere else in Australia or the world. We’re starting to get a bit of recognition worldwide."
It's not just amethyst that Hearl discovers at Secret Creek, he's also spotted Mooralla Smoky Quartz, as well as agate.
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