Thunderbird Park sits on the largest deposit of thundereggs in the world. The mineral rich seam that runs through Mount Tamborine was discovered at Thunderbird Park in 1967. Today, the ground at 300m by 50m open-cut mine has an endless supply of beautiful thundereggs.
MINE OPENING HOURS* - 7 days a week from 9:00am to 4:00pm (last entry to mine is at 2:30pm) *subject to demand and weather conditions. If in doubt, please call us on 55457999 and we can help you out. The shop and mine are not open on Good Friday or Christmas Day.
THE THUNDERBIRD PARK MINE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO FOSSICK FOR THEIR VERY OWN THUNDEREGGS.
There's no time like the present to explore the treasures of the past!
ADMISSION PRICES: ADULTS..............................................$23.00 per person CHILDREN 12 and under..............$15.00 per child (to 12 years of age**) ** A child must be accompanied by a paying adult over 18 years of age.
Your entry fees include an informative explanation on thundereggs, how to find them, a mine safety talk, as well as the use of a pick and bucket to collect your treasures. Everyone gets to take home all the thundereggs that fit inside the rim of their buckets and will receive a souvenir miner’s permit as a memento. Additional eggs (above the rim) are charged at $3.00 per kilo.
The fun continues when we cut open your thundereggs with our diamond edged saw blades to reveal the beauty of your very own mined treasures. Cutting is only $2.20 sq. Inch.
FULLY ENLCOSED FOOTWEAR MUST BE WORN to the mine as this requirement is a condition under our mining licence with the Department of Mines. - Bottled water is available for sale at the Rock Shop as are a great array of well priced unique Thunderbird Park products including caps, t-shirts, mugs, cooler bags, pterodactyl key rings and heaps of different thunderegg products, created exclusively at Thunderbird Park for our customers.
Group and pensioner discounts may apply, call us for a quote.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES: $24.90 per child to 12 years of age - includes meal, souvenir miner's permit and a FREE 1/2 thunderegg - see below for more details.
PLEASE NOTE - A SURCHARGE OF 15% APPLIES ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
- Cutting of thundereggs is extra and is calculated at $2.20 per sq. Inch. - FULLY Closed-in footwear must be worn and it is recommended you wear a hat and sun screen. - Bottled water and selected soft drinks are available for purchase at the thunderegg rock shop.
PLEASE NOTE - THE MINE IS CLOSED DURING WET WEATHER.
The birthday party $24.90 package includes:
- Entry to the thunderegg mine (including a souvenir miners permit) - 1/2 cut thunderegg - Chefs selection of assorted party food served on platters
(Bookings are essential)
with your enquiry.
The name of 'thunderegg' originated in the United States, and refers to spherulite (spherical body generally occurring in glassy rocks, especially silica-rich rhyolites), a geological phenomenon greatly prized by collectors and amateur lapidaries.
for detailed descriptions on our thundereggs, wholesalers information, and other fantastic offers!
The formation of thundereggs is much of a mystery, but it is thought that during volcanic upheavals in far-off times bubbles formed in silica-rich material such as rhyolite (an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, of felsic (silicon-rich) composition). As cooling took place hot gases and steam expanded nodules in which they were trapped, and in these cavities some mineral structures joined together. Shrinkage of the material on cooling produced the star-shaped cavity which is characteristic of many thundereggs. Silica rich minerals entered the cavity, and solidified into chalcedony, jasper, quartz, agates and other beautiful minerals. Crystals were deposited on the walls, and the repetition of these processes produced the interesting patterns and colours which give thundereggs their universal appeal.
As the lava cooled crystallization of feldspar fibres occurred in a radical fashion around bubbles, and Cristobalite (a polymorph ofquartz, meaning that it is composed of the same chemistry, SiO2, but has a different structure) filled the interstices in the radial network. Steam and gases which accumulated in the nodules interior caused expansion of the spherulite, and in some cases a large central cavity was formed by the internal gas pressure forcing the spherulite apart. Sometimes part of the whole of the cavity was subsequently filled with banded agate, chalcedony and quartz.
A beautiful display of these silica minerals and a wide variety of interesting structures make spherulites of special interest to gemologists and lapidaries. In Australia some well known collecting grounds for thundereggs are at Mount Hay and TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN IN QUEENSLAND and in Victoria along the lower reaches of the Snowy River. The most impressive and largest collection of thundereggs in the world is probably at Cedar Creek, Tamborine Mountain in Queensland. The thunderegg deposit here is on private property spread over 320 acres of lush rainforest. The thundereggs are found in all sizes, from a few grams in weight to over 600 kilograms, and they nearly all contain interesting fillings of agate and other varieties of quartz.
WHERE IS THE CEDAR CREEK THUNDEREGG DEPOSIT? The Cedar Creek Thunderegg deposit is situated approximately 50 km south of Brisbane at the "Thunderbird Park" tourist complex. Access from Brisbane is via the Pacific Highway for 38 km to Beenleigh, from which the Beenleigh-Beaudesert Road is taken as far as Tamborine Village, a distance of 24km. The Tamborine Mountain Road to the east is then followed for 8 km to the Thunderbird Park Tourist complex, situated on Cedar Creek at the the foothills of Tamborine Plateau. The road is bitumen-sealed for the total distance of some 70 km.
PRICES ARE CURRENT TO 30/12/09
Group Prices (20+ or Schools): - $15/child including a 1/2 cut egg - $26/adult including a 1/2 cut egg (1 in 10 n/c School Supervisors permitted, if required)
