Any prospectors here?

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Originally Posted by NP99

Since I'm very soon to hit the now retired list, I'm looking in to this as a hobby. I've been told the boat is on notice to be sold....that causing some debate :)

Anyone done prospecting in SE Qld?

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G'day oldmate,

You can hook up with me! I am currently looking at a Minelab Metal Detector. There are a lot of old gold mines around Coffs Harbour and also at Bingara around the Gwydir River on the Fossickers Way off the New England Hwy in the NSW Northern tablelands area.

Kind regards,

Paul

This is something I have always wanted to do. But looking at metal detectors scared me off unless I have a few lazy "k" sitting around to buy one.

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Originally Posted by mudski

This is something I have always wanted to do. But looking at metal detectors scared me off unless I have a few lazy "k" sitting around to buy one.

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G'day mudski,

I was speaking with AB this afternoon and informed him off my brother in-law who has already pulled $60,000 of gold from Victoria and NSW. He has bought a new Minelab GPX 5000 Pro Pack Gold Metal Detector worth around $6,000.00. He found all his gold using Minelab GP 3000 Gold Detector.

That is what I am currently looking for at the present.

Regards,

Paul

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Originally Posted by prospector78

Hi AB,

Where do you live?
I've been hunting the gold now for quite a few years now and heading out agian in a couple of weeks. The answer to your detector question depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. If you have the coin probably the best detector on the market is the minelab gpx 5000 but you will be looking at between 5 - 6K. then there is the gpx 4500 or 4000 with the 4500 being the better of the two and you can pick them up for around 4 - 5k. If you are after big deep gold you can get a gp 2000, 2100 or extreme from $900 onwards but with these ones you are best to get them modded. And if you have more money if you get the 4500 or 5000 they will preform even better medded as well.
There is another detector on the market called the Garret ATX which sells for $4000 and is making waves in the minelab wold. All talk has that is is on par with the gpx 5000, but the jury is still out as this machine has just only been released in the last 6 months.

I think all states you need a miners right or fossickers permit, here in WA it's a miners right and costs $25 which lasts a life time. In QLD it's a fossickers permit which can last one month to several months. NT is also a miners right which by memory costs about $30 off the top of my head. As for Vic and NSW I'm not 100% sure as I haven't prospected there yet.

With the basics of detecting, do your research in the area you are looking at, look at previous history such as gold mines, what was found ie, nuggets minerals, what was mined. Also look at the topographics and types of landscape plus minerals in the area. While you are looking make sure that the area is accessible and see if you need permission. Hate for a farmer to catch you and get a bullet up the arse!!

When on the field, look for old detector holes, mine shafts, old timer workings, creeks and channels once you have found a good spot the key is to keep it low and slow!

Enjoy you'll be hooked with your fiirst nugget

Luke

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Thanks for the detailed info Luke. I'm out near Yarra glen Victoria.

My area was a blaze with miners back in the days and our area is full of old shafts.

I've been for a few walks in the popular areas and there are some scary vertical shafts dropping 10's of metres down with only some old parra webbing around it that has fallen down.

Those shafts must be full of kangaroos now!

Definitely no night time bush works either!

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Originally Posted by PMC

G'day mudski,

I was speaking with AB this afternoon and informed him off my brother in-law who has already pulled $60,000 of gold from Victoria and NSW. He has bought a new Minelab GPX 5000 Pro Pack Gold Metal Detector worth around $6,000.00. He found all his gold using Minelab GP 3000 Gold Detector.

That is what I am currently looking for at the present.

Regards,

Paul

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60K Faaaaark! Even the GP3000's are around the 3k mark...Give or take...

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Originally Posted by PMC

G'day mudski,

I was speaking with AB this afternoon and informed him off my brother in-law who has already pulled $60,000 of gold from Victoria and NSW. He has bought a new Minelab GPX 5000 Pro Pack Gold Metal Detector worth around $6,000.00. He found all his gold using Minelab GP 3000 Gold Detector.

That is what I am currently looking for at the present.

Regards,

Paul

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Hey Paul,

Was that 60k in 1 month or 40 years mate?? This might give us an idea if it is still worth prospecting.

Cheerrs

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Originally Posted by Nisshead

Hey Paul,

Was that 60k in 1 month or 40 years mate?? This might give us an idea if it is still worth prospecting.

Cheerrs

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Its still worth it if you know what you are doing and catch a lucky break.

A local where I live who I know, last year found a nugget work 50k. That was only 1 nugget he did find others through out the year but that was the biggest.

He only detects as a hobby he is a truck driver as his full time job, but he has been detecting for a long time and has a lot of knowledge on the subject.

The day he found it a farmer saw him detecting and told him he was wasting his time as the area had been mined already back in the day.

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Originally Posted by Family4x4Fun

Its still worth it if you know what you are doing and catch a lucky break.

A local where I live who I know, last year found a nugget work 50k. That was only 1 nugget he did find others through out the year but that was the biggest.

He only detects as a hobby he is a truck driver as his full time job, but he has been detecting for a long time and has a lot of knowledge on the subject.

The day he found it a farmer saw him detecting and told him he was wasting his time as the area had been mined already back in the day.

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Hmmm, are you telling me I need to spend more money on a detector...LOL

Its all possible, quite a lengthy story about our find, but, it does happen.

Yep, I seen my mate pull a 32 gram,12 gram and 10 gram nuggets before lunch one day...but like I said before...he goes hard all day for months..5-6 months every year..