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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 childrenâs space.
âLibraries are very important to our communities as theyâre a welcoming space for all,â Ms Daniels said.
âStory time has been running at the Gemfields Library for many years, but now families have a space just for them to enjoy during all opening hours.â
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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 not attempt to drive the roads. The roads are not expected to be open for a number of hours.
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There is a silver lining to the Sapphire floods â 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.
âWe just heard the rain but we didnât realise it was as bad as it was until we saw it,â she said.
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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 Gemfields as a tourist mining sapphires and never left.
A few years ago, he got interested in astronomy and bought a telescope and got learning about the night sky.