Queensland's Gemfields inspired an Australian movie, but what really happened there in the 1970s?

Explosions, bulldozers clashing and a rifle brandished, with mountains of gems at stake. "There was a lot of talk about firearms and at one point, the mining warden had his tyres shot out, all four of them, and the guy that did it decamped," Mr Fancourt said. Though it had little to do with the ongoing mining disputes, Ms Drake said it painted a picture of the "high emotions" of the time. "Some of the machinery miners wanted to come into the divide, because traditionally it was a very big stone area, a lot of big stones had been found here," he said. "The Gemfields really attracts people who are a bit left of centre and don't necessarily fit in to other communities; very accepting and very loyal to each other," Linda Drake said.