Costs for prospecting trips to be covered by gold found ?

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Hey Outback,
I'd be happy with 3.5 grams a day.
My last trip got me nothing as I was exploring a new area.
Two trips before that got me 3.5 grams and I was happy :lol:
Not for moneys sake but for the sake of the reward that came from
The hard yakka put into the trip. :D
 
I try to limit expenses in case the trip home is a quiet one.. hard hard work or great luck well needed. I've seen with my own eyes 6gm pulled sluicing one day ( not me, a mate ). I know its possible and onlu because I've seen it with my eyes it keeps me motivated and positive.
 
Living in the goldfield I don't really have to worry about travel cost as I have goldfields all around me. But in saying that not every day do I come home with a rattle in the jar. But I can explore new areas in a 5 + km radius from home without to much expense.
wombat ;)
 
Outback said:
Uncle Bob would be happy with 3.5 grams per day , stuff that I want a lot more :lol:
Thanks for commenting UB , what gear do you use ?
Click to expand...

Yeah mate I hear ya.
A lot more would be great :lol:
I'm just using an old gpx 5000.
 
I am happy with 2grams a day as my travel expenses are low also as I have a property in Talbot and I can walk to most places or be within a 20 minute drive, but saying that I did had to fork out for the property. Hmmm maybe I have it all wrong. Anyway the value is not my biggest driver but rather the peace of being in the bush away from the pressures of my day job in the heart of Melbourne. I am not in it to sell the gold but rather bank it for when it hits $5000 then offload, one of my tax free self managed super funds if you kn ow what I mean.

Swing low and slow and you will eventually hit the big one if you put the hours in ;)
 
Me well $70 if I am working local spread anywhere from two to 5 days out in the field. Around $15 a day! But if I travel $300 spread over 4 to 6 weeks out in the field .And yes I more than cover my cost grin.
 
costs me around $100 in fuel, another $100 in food, beer/whiskey etc if i am staying a couple of days. I am happy when i get even just .01 of a gram, i just get that warm fussy feeling cause i have left it for others to find :|
would be nice to cover costs tho but i am not that concerned really, it is a love of it thing to me
 
tryhard1968 said:
I am happy with 2grams a day as my travel expenses are low also as I have a property in Talbot and I can walk to most places or be within a 20 minute drive, but saying that I did had to fork out for the property. Hmmm maybe I have it all wrong. Anyway the value is not my biggest driver but rather the peace of being in the bush away from the pressures of my day job in the heart of Melbourne. I am not in it to sell the gold but rather bank it for when it hits $5000 then offload, one of my tax free self managed super funds if you kn ow what I mean.

Swing low and slow and you will eventually hit the big one if you put the hours in ;)
Click to expand...

As a hobbyist you are only allowed to sell gold once a year and it must be under a certain $ value. if it goes above that value you pay gst on the lot. You pay gst on the assaying & refining no matter what. You must fill out a statement form for the tax office before you can sell. This form is supplied by the refiner I have the paper work around here somewhere I dig it out and post later on. J.
 
Last trip to WA I started off finding 2 grams a day for a week and then decided to find my own patch away from known workings and got zilch while spending a lot more on exploration/fuel. The allure of finding a patch nobody had worked made it a very fun trip though. For a living I think I feel more comfortable with a weekly income than an annual average. As a lone prospector I was spending $400 so a week or $57 a day living quite comfortably in my camper van. Fuel costs can be cut dramatically if you do most of your exploration on a small motorcycle and use a roof mounted solar power instead of generators for electricity. 2 grams would likely be the absolute minimum to scratch out a conservative living on this budget seeing as vehicles require maintenance, insurance, rego and then there's personal health and maintenance of prospecting equipment.
 
Jaros said:
Typical of a wombat: Swings, Roots and leaves!!!1 :p
Click to expand...

You got the right Jaros. But I do leaves with the nuggies in the jar (sometimes)

wombat ;)
 
AtomRat said:
Is that why I keep finding nuggets balancing on sticks out bush..bloody wambats hahaha :p
Click to expand...

That's called "Blazing the trail". It's better than Hansel & Gretel leaving bread crumbs

wombat ;)
 
Hi Outback I agree with you. If you are heading out for some serious time detecting you need to have higher expectations..
Family and friends who do the winter season in WA for the last 15-22 years in a row realistically aim (and normally get) an ounce a week minimum averaged over 3-4 months. But they work hard (with a couple breaks to the coast or waterhole during the season). They also know the region well and take out some well researched 40E's and are bush camping often way out with no trailer /van etc.

Getting $6000 worth in a few months is about enough to pay for the trip over from east.

I realize most people don't average anywhere near an ounce a week but it is a good minimum goal if you want to make detecting more then a hobby. The chances of doing well are diminished slightly for those who base themselves in van parks who do daily forays out a few kms.

Having said that, having a casual hobby that gets you out in the bush with friends in nice locations and may actually pay for some or all of your fuel and food is something other hobbys don't offer.
RDD
 
In reply to post #13

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Australia Post will only let you post Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. To deal with SBA you need 5 oz and above. Cheers J.
 
I think so mate i only deal with them through the post and on the phone. By the way you can get your gold back as a bar with all the right stamps on it. You only need to pay for assaying & Refining. cheers J.

lol just had a look at the paper work again yep that is them. cheers again
 

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