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The Sapphire FieldsPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the discovery of sapphires and zircons at Retreat Creek in 1878 by Archibald Richardson
Archibald John Richardson was born in Edinburgh in 1836. In around 1862 or 1863 Richardson emigrated to Queensland, and he was sufficiently established as a surveyor in Rockhampton to be identified by the Queensland government as a suitable technical member of the Jardine brothers’ expedition to Cape York in 1864.
In 1878 Archibald discovered sapphires near Retreat Creek, Anakie – some 200 miles inland from Rockhampton. Archibald bought the surrounding land and struggled for years to develop the site but ultimately failed to find any market for the sapphires. However, the site developed as more people became interested in its potential and a railway link to Anakie was established by the mid-1880s.
By 1900 the Anakie sapphire trade really started to take off. By 1923, the total sum realized on the stones from excavations in the area had reached £3,545,335. Archibald died in 1900.
Location
| Address: | Quarry Road, Sapphire, 4702 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -23.465833 Long: 147.723333 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1878 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1878 |
Dedication
"The Sapphire Fields"
This monument commemorates Archibald John Richardson's discovery of sapphires & zircons on the Retreat Creek here at
Sapphire in the year 1878.
