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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 Melbourne before moving to Brisbane, and soon after had their worlds flipped upside down by an unexpected diagnosis. ....
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 metres. Following the flood event, many community members raised concerns that while the warning siren at Rubyvale went off, the one located at Sapphire failed to, which Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes told ....
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 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 ....
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 not attempt to drive the roads. The roads are not expected to be open for a number of hours. ....
Premium Content 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. ....