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Author: Matthew Sirpis
In 1964 myself (René), Nelleke my wife, and our daughter Iefje emigrated from Holland to Australia. I was 29 years old and Nelleke a few years younger.
We choose to live in the tropics of Far Northern Australia, a place unknown to many people around the world.
Cold weather and a longing
In later years, 1965 to 1968, we went to Agate Creek with an old Nissan Patrol. It had very primitive suspension, there were terrible road conditions and getting there took two full days.
Not many other people were there, digging for these potato looking treasures. The so called surface material was already gone by then. To dig a hole up to 3 meters with pick and shovel in dry hard soil was hard work. The heat, the millions of flies and always being short of drinking water, were the harsh circumstances we had to cope with. But the rewards were so exciting.
Digging for the agate nodules was something that was not for the so called "city slickers"! But coming home after 12 to 14 days to Atherton with bags full of agates made up for all the blisters and sorrow, despite the fact, that only 30 to 35 %, after cutting, are good for collectors world wide. We are very, very selective and sort out the ones with flaws, fractures, uninteresting patterns and large crystallizations in the center. But the ones that are good are so beautiful in colour, patterns and design, that it is not easy
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