re: gold prospecting in victoria - stock_doctor...

re: gold prospecting in victoria - stock_doctor Stock_Doctor...

Great fun...have been many times...at one point, every weekend for about 4 years.

In the old-days, we used to have "Red Barron" detectors...they were good, but nothing compared to todays units.

The golden triangle in Victoria is an excellent place to start...you could try the previously worked crown areas around Dunolly, Chewton and Maryborough. We had particular luck near a little place called Moliagul, where we found 4 nuggets over 1.5oz each...all within a 10 meter radius.

It is also worth doing a little research to see if there were any old towns or mining camps nearby...old coins can be just as much fun to find!

In NSW, my semi-retired uncle finds nuggets every weekend in and around Orange...I have never been there, but he has some really nice specimens, the largest of which is about 6 ounces.

Detecting can be a lonely, hot, difficult process during the summer months...so you might want to consider giving it a go in the cooler wet season instead...the ground is also much softer to dig up.

You will need a decent detector of course, a small hand pick for the shallow stuff, a shovel and spade for the deeper stuff, a little bag or glass jar for what you find, a spare detector battery if you are in an isolated location for more than a day, a bit of practice getting used to the detectors working...and a bucket load of patience!

It's not a very social pastime, due to the level of concentration...and headphones...required to do the job properly, so if you do take the family, make sure they have plenty of things to do while you are off on your own!

A more family friendly pastime can be had by a river, panning, catching fish, yabbies, etc.

We used to go dredging up on the Loddon and Big River near Jamieson...unfortunately, there were a few idiots who got a little too serious, fowling up the waterways, so dreging has since been banned.

We used to pull about 1-2 ounces out of a place called Enoch's Point every weekend...still have heaps of the stuff in jars all over the house. The gold is typically flake like, up to the size of your fingernail, although you could sometimes find a nice nuggety piece if you were lucky.

You can still find good specimens panning in the rivers up there...you just have to know where to look.

I remember selling about 18 ounces during the previous gold boom for about AUD $850/ounce...we would get about 70% of this figure for our less-than 24ct free-won gold, however we would get a nice premium on this figure for any nuggets over 1/2 ounce.

Good luck Stock_Doctor...let us know how you go.

Cheers!