Nambour’s Gemfest 2023: Bigger and better than ever

From left, Lapidary Club President Keith Millington, Matt Houston and Gail Parker inspect the first prize in the club raffle.

by Tanya Outridge

Nambour Lapidary Club’s Gemfest is shaping up to be bigger than previous years with a record number of applications for trader sites.

“We expect a huge range of goods to be on offer at this year’s Gemfest,” said Nambour Lapidary Club President Keith Millington.

The event is happening Saturday, October 14 at the Nambour Showgrounds from 8am to 4pm.

“There will be everything from gemstones, crystals, fossils , silver jewellery, fossicking equipment and more. We were blown away by the popularity of this event last year and this year will be a must for gem lovers,” he said.

Interest in gemstones, crystals and jewellery making has enjoyed a massive upsurge in recent years amongst people of all ages and from all walks of life.

“Obviously, this is very exciting for our Club,” Mr Millington said.

“This year, we will have our resident club geologists Matt and Maree in attendance to answer questions people may have about rocks they collected. And information about learning how to polish stones and create beautiful jewellery from silver will be on hand from the Nambour Lapidary Club in the rotunda.”

A range of food and coffee vans will be on site and Nambour Rotary will open their food outlet.

The Nambour Lapidary Club will have their favourite fossicking cart in operation as well as lucky dip and semi-precious stone sales. Raffle prizes include a couple of beautiful crystal clusters and a baby Webber BBQ kindly donated by Club Patron, Rob Skelton MP.

“We have kept our admission to five dollars with children under twelve free,” said Mr Millington. “We also have a lovely collection of crystals as our gate prize. This year we anticipate a bigger attendance so we are opening the Bli Bli Road entrance as well as the Coronation drive entrances to the Showgrounds.”

Parking fee is two dollars, with the takings going to the Palmwoods Scouts.

As interest into this fascinating field has grown, so too has the calibre of traders at Gemfest.

“At the Australian Gemboree held in Dayboro at Easter this year, some traders commented that our Gemfest was the best gem show in Queensland,” said Mr Millington.

“We certainly aim to uphold this reputation this weekend.”

Looking ahead, Nambour will be hosting the prestigious Australian Gemboree at Easter in 2026.

▶ The Gemfest is Saturday, October 14 at the Nambour Showgrounds from 8am to 4pm.