Flourite, tourmaline, calcite and malachite samples from Mount Isa, Cloncurry, Quamby and surrounds were plucked from the museum’s display cases in broad daylight on August 16.

Tourism officer Gail Wipaki believed the thieves were two paying visitors.

Police suspect  a screwdriver was used to open the displays and the thieves were “selective” about the minerals they stole, bypassing more valuable minerals for a particular few.

Mrs Wipaki said while the stolen minerals may not fetch top dollar, it didn’t mean they weren’t valuable to the town.

“The Cloncurry Shire Council has had the [Silvia Fowler] collection since the early 1980s so to us it is extremely valuable and unique to here,” she said.

“Most of them were fluorite and they were very pretty fluorite  – really beautiful specimens.

“They were probably some of the nicest specimens that we had and they [the thieves] have really made a hole here.”

The museum is already scouting replacement minerals to fill the empty space in its display, however, making the collection whole again could take some time.

Mrs Wipaki said finding a new fluorite specimen meant embarking on “a fair hike” through bushland surrounding Mary Kathleen mine and township on foot.

She said the saddest part of the whole ordeal was the “friendly heart of the North West” could no longer be as trusting with its visitors.

“The funny thing is you try keep the people out when you’re not here, but I didn’t think someone would do it while they were in the museum,” Mrs Wipaki said.

“We will have to get security cameras now and that puts the price up for the entry fee.”

“Everything was under lock and key; it should have been safe.”

Cloncurry Police said they haven’t been able to identify the suspects responsible for the theft, but would continue to make inquiries.