Fossicking Temperature (Oberon)

[Kotolos]

Hello everyone,

I've tried looking for an answer but have been mostly unsuccessful.

Planning on visiting Oberon for fossicking this month, I'm aware its one of the hotter months out of the year.
My question is what is the maximum sort of temperature it would be comfortable to fossick in?
The dates I'm looking at going the temp. is a MAX of ~26-28 Celsius with Heavy cloud coverage and low UV index.

Is this doable or too hot?

Thank you for any answers

 

[Rockhunter62]

Hi Kotolas,

Welcome to the forum. As to what is good fossicking temps, that would depend on what you are used to or climatised to. If you are used to working outdoors you should be fine but if you normally work in an office enviroment you would need to take some precautions.

Keep your water intake up, wear appropriate clothing and hat. Rest regularly and don't overdo it if you are not used to this type of work. Over here in WA this time of the year we would do a couple of hours in the morning before it gets too hot. Some of us are seasoned prospectors and are used to the conditions. Your age and health will also have to be considered.

Ensure that you let people know where you are going and what time you expect to be back. Do not rely on phone reception anywhere you go.

There will be many other replies to help you but enjoy your time. :beer:

Cheers

Doug

 

[aussiefarmer]

Do you like it warm ?
Do you do other physical activities in these temps?
Are you likely to drop dead ? (Existing health condition)
Are you playing in the shade in the creek or swinging a pick on top of a bare hill ?
Have you been in the bush before ?

So so many factors involved.

 

[RM Outback]

G'day Kotolos welcome to PA.

The weather and temperatures are what they are you could have a look at the Elders weather app specific to Oberon and plan your trip accordingly.

Maximum comfortable temperature is primarily dependent on what each person is comfortable with. Me personally I'm happy in all weather (detecting) so long as it isn't raining or dangerous wind. When it's hot early morning and late afternoon/night in any other weather I go out when I can which isn't often unfortunately.

The best thing you can do is get out there and have a crack :beer:

 

[DrDuck]

It's pretty simple.

Avoid really hot (35+) or really wet conditions (floods and torrential rain).

In warm weather start early and take a break during the hottest part of the day, resuming after a lunch and a rest.

If wet prospecting, find a spot that is in the shade (in some steep gully or area with cliffs or banks and trees) ideally working in water which will keep you surprisingly cool even in hot conditions, particularly if shaded from direct sun.

Don't go at it like a bull in a china shop - pace yourself and take breaks regularly.

If detecting, wear appropriate clothing and consider the advice above, which applies the same as wet prospecting.

All that said, I tend to enjoy cooler weather and even winter prospecting and camping. Fortunately, periods of extreme heat are not that frequent. 26-28 is a pretty comfortable temperature, particularly if there is cloud cover.

 

[Kotolos]

Thank you for all the responses.

The elders weather app has very different temperatures compared to BOM and Accuweather where I was looking on those same dates,
Sunset is late so will just fossick in the morning and afternoon.

 

[madtuna]

26 to 28 is excellent!! 42 here today. The hottest part of the day is from about 1pm to 6pm. At 10pm it's still around 35

Always remember to ration your water loss not your water intake.

 

[Ded Driver]

26-28deg in WA is almost too cold to get out of bed :sunny: layful:

 

[sand surfer]

same up here with me ded ,anything under 20 deg is cold :lol:

 

[Dihusky]

Remember 'hydration' is not simply water, also minerals which the body dumps when sweating. 1 litre of mineral supplement to every 3 litres of water makes a good average.