Gday from Latrobe valley

[Gippy]

Names Dave I've been snooping around the forum for a couple of days now and thought it was time..

I am mainly into relic hunting with a Xterra 70. i've been interested over the years in fossicking for gems and gold in my region but have never had a fair dinkum crack at it.
There isn't much info regarding prospecting this area so i'm hoping to learn some tips and tricks from members on this forum. I lived in Rawson about 15years back and spent a lot of time walking into the old mine sites between Walhalla and Aberfeldy, I was only after bottles. Man I wish I had a detector at the time because Im not going back

I have my eye on two creeks that produced gold. One site is only documented as a Cob & co stop over( thats all I could find) but I know of a creek near by that had Gold, I found the mine

The other I can find no information on it at all, I stumbled across this sight while bush walking not far from home, only a few of the old timers I spoke too knew about it.
I stumbled across a old iron water tank lying in the bush just off a track so off I go down the gully thats dark and thick with furns, I stopped to look around dreaming of all those bottles, Thank christ I looked down because my next step was strait down a shaft, WTF. Who would expect to find workings here!!!!!

Thats enough about me, apart from Arthritis I'm keen to go..

 

[Prospector B]

Welcome to the area Dave. There are certainly a lot of mines up in the hills behind the La Trobe Valley, quite a few too are undocumented. It's a massive area to explore with heaps of potential me thinks.

All the best in your explorations!

 

[Fox]

G'day Gippy and welcome. Reading your post has prompted me to relate my experiences on some of Tasssie's goldfields regarding old mine shafts. Generally a shaft will have a collar of mullock around it the amount being proportionate to the depth of the hole it came out of.
This is not always the case however as I have seen some terrifyingly deep shafts with little or no collar due to the material being carted away or dumped down a hillside.
Recently while following a gully peppered with old alluvial workings I was about to step over a log when I noticed that the ground on the other side amongst the ferns and fallen manfern fronds looked a little different.
I probed the ground only to find there wasn't any then pulled the fronds aside to reveal a gaping 6 metre deep shaft.
Could have been nasty if I hadn't been alert to the possible dangers
On another occasion in another gully with 3 to 4m deep workings I stepped in close to a huge White Gum, to avoid a square shaft on my right, took one more step and down went my right leg into the hole which extended in closer to the tree than I thought. Fortunately I have fairly quick reflexes and managed to launch myself with my left leg as I fell, to land on my upper body clear of the hole. White Gums ( E. Viminalis ) have a habit of shedding long ribbons of bark and over the years these had accumulated to form a thick layer over the end of the shaft. Not a very deep shaft but with sheer sides, very difficult to get out of especially if one was injured in the fall.
I have been fossicking and prospecting around old mining areas since the 70's so this just shows that even experienced prospectors can fall prey to the unexpected if they're not careful.
Regards, Fox

 

[Gippy]

Thanks for the welcome Prospector. There are hidden gems ( Gold, coins and relics) in them hills no doubt, but the scrub is so thick now after the firers Its almost imposable to navigate. I did have a good time detecting for relics after the fires went though, I even had the police at my door asking what I was doing in the area.
I was that keen to find the newly uncovered spots, cfa and dse members found me in the area and must have past on my information to police, Oops.

They did like my bottle collection so that was a bonus.

I cant post images yet but I cant wait to show my best Bottle.

 

[Prospector B]

LOL, at least the police are doing something about the bush fires. Your right about it being tough to navigate, I went exploring a month ago and getting through the knee high bracken was the easy part. The dense scrub where you can only see a few meters in front of you is the tough part, in the end I gave up.

 

[Gippy]

I can relate to every word Fox. With square sides it would be hell trying to get out of even if you wer'nt hurt. The vertical shafts with no mullock are killers and who knows where they are hidden. I can vividly remember dropping a rock down a shaft and never herd it hit the bottom, it was located above Walhalla you really have to to keep your eyes peeled when out walking.

Coming back to the fires and Prospectors post...

Edwards Hill ( Gippsland )has a new historic maker that was newly erected after the fires went through and It shows the path to the old township and Its placed not far from a vertical shaft that is covered in Bracken fern.WTF...... All that dose is invite the unaware tourist to their death.

ps I still cant post links.

Shame about that!