Gold panning on Reedy Creek

[Blackadder]

Hi everybody, I'm new to this forum and new to gold panning but live in Wodonga and have three young boys who are keen to give it a go. Last Sunday we visited Reedy Creek with a couple of gold pans and had a dabble. We stopped at the last marked campsite before Eldorado. Quickly I realised there is some skill needed in knowing where to look not to mention getting the technique right. Any tips of good places to try up this way and the sort of creek conditions to look in? And the time of year i.e. when the rivers are up or down? We are just looking to find enough specs of gold to make it an interesting day out.

 

[pjg100]

Black adder, you should watch the Garret video just above your posting.

 

[Tassie Daz]

don't know if you've watched yet but I'm a novice too and the Garrett vid, I think, is excellent. I've watched it over and over and not am just itching to find a creek with some gold in it so I can try out the technique. Never know might come home with some color.......that'd be good.

 

[MJB]

Hi BlackAdder,

I was up there only recently and did not take us very long to find some colour. There are plenty of rocks in the creek and the occasional log thrown across the creek too. Dig down on the downstream side of any rocks in the creek or even ones that are out of the creek that only get submerged in floods. Throw that in your pan and take it nice and slow and pan it out until all you have left are black sands and hopefully gold.

Failing that, find some rocks that have cracks in them or where rocks are wedged together in the stream. Scratch out the gravel in there and I mean all the gravel all the way down the bottom. Put that in your pan and pan it out. Again you should at least see some colour in the bottom even if its only small.

Best of luck, its beautiful country up there, Enjoy!

Cheers,

 

[midlifecrisis]

Welcome Blackadder, I'am from Albury and get up to Reedy Crk a bit as the others have said there is still Gold there even if it is Flour gold (small)
May catch you there one day Cheers

 

[Guest]

Key to Reedy creek is cracks and crevices for sure, You can also do volume but that's not the go with a pan. Just walk along the bedrock and follow the cracks running off the slabs and clean them out, some pay really well. Enjoy it its a great place. I did a video up there that shows what to look for. https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6381 Cheers Balx

 

[Terry]

hi mate great video brings back memories of my first time on a creek workin in the cracks

 

[Beagleboy]

The gold is very fine and tones of black sand. Put some detergent in your pan to stop it from floating.

 

[loamer]

 

[magneticsand]

I have a week off in september. Can anyone tell me if reedy, tuena and ollan are likely to have water?
Driving up from Melbourne, deciding what to take.

 

[MDH]

You realize tuena is as far as Sydney from Melbourne basically... Long long way for a little gold when there's plenty places to explore within 2hours of Melbourne that will produce the goods. Why travel there when the triangle is almost on your door step.

 

[MJB]

From all accounts Reedy creek will still have plenty of water that time of year. Matty84 is right though.....Tuena is a long way to go when you have the GT right on your doorstep.

Cheers,

 

[magneticsand]

Yes guys I know the distance.
Its not all about the gold, for me seeing different places isa big part of prospecting.

 

[Dmycha14]

Just got back from reedy creek (Eldorado) today!! The creek is up quite a bit. Tried my luck for 2 days straight with a pan....didn't realize how tough it was to find anything up there let alone some colour. Now im only new to prospecting but I was slow and careful with the panning. 3 dozen pans later I only come home with 4 tiny specks of yellow. Did find a couple of water worn smokey quartz and that was it. Had a lovely time up there with the missus but slightly disappointed in the fossicking/prospecting results in the area. Not sure if I was doing the wrong thing or looking in the wrong area but it seems the place is very talked up. Its really not that special when it comes to gems and gold. Beautiful place for a camp or picnic but found better spots closer to Melbourne! ........RANT OVER :lol:

 

[Guest]

Just got back from reedy creek (Eldorado) today!! The creek is up quite a bit. Tried my luck for 2 days straight with a pan....didn't realize how tough it was to find anything up there let alone some colour. Now im only new to prospecting but I was slow and careful with the panning. 3 dozen pans later I only come home with 4 tiny specks of yellow. Did find a couple of water worn smokey quartz and that was it. Had a lovely time up there with the missus but slightly disappointed in the fossicking/prospecting results in the area. Not sure if I was doing the wrong thing or looking in the wrong area but it seems the place is very talked up. Its really not that special when it comes to gems and gold. Beautiful place for a camp or picnic but found better spots closer to Melbourne! ........RANT OVER :lol:

I may as well be the first cab off the rank to tell you that you must have been looking in the wrong spots, You should be finding at least 4 specks per pan just in the sand up there let alone the good spots. Plenty of cool gems to be had up there as well. Its talked up because like you said its great for camping and gold is easy, even if its mostly flour gold. Dont give up on it just yet, I went 4 times last summer and loved it. Cheers Balx

 

[MDH]

Balx is right, plenty of gold up that way but most is very fine. Sometimes it doesn't play the same as other gold, I've had gold from that area that just won't settle to the bottom of the pan it's that thin and rather it will sit along the top at the back where your gravel meets your pan so to speak or gather along the sides and wash out if you're not careful. This is the flour or fly shit gold I'm talking about and by any means there should still be gold in the bottom as per usual regardless of how careful you're being. Sometimes with fine gold it pays not to fill the pan as full at the start and really watch the first couple of pans to see what the gold does near the end, fine stuff doesn't always stick in the bottom as good as you think.

 

[Dmycha14]

Thanks guys. Well I really am looking forward to going back up there! Maybe a day trip next weekend! In the mean time im thinking of purchasing a river sluice. Any thoughts? Cheers.

 

[MJB]

Dmycha14,

Good to hear you have not given up on the area. I was up that way 3 weeks ago and in a couple hours managed to find some nice flat bits. I got a good picker and enough smaller stuff to keep my goldfever under control.

I was up the woolshed falls end of reedy creek but bear in mind you are not allowed to fossick within 200mtrs of the falls. The gold seems bigger up that end which makes sense. There is plenty of bends and rock bars up there that will be holding good gold.

Stick to crevicing and you won't go wrong.

Cheers,

 

[headbut]

I have a week off in september. Can anyone tell me if reedy, tuena and ollan are likely to have water?
Driving up from Melbourne, deciding what to take.

Hi Magneticsand , Tuena & Oallen have plenty of water atm , Tuena should still be good in September, Oallen you need to monitor , not for low level but for flood, as it can rise very quickly. There is a post here somewhere showing the dangers of Oallen in flood. Can be sunny there, but a torrent can come at any time from up montain

Cheers

 

[magneticsand]

I have a week off in september. Can anyone tell me if reedy, tuena and ollan are likely to have water?
Driving up from Melbourne, deciding what to take.

Hi Magneticsand , Tuena & Oallen have plenty of water atm , Tuena should still be good in September, Oallen you need to monitor , not for low level but for flood, as it can rise very quickly. There is a post here somewhere showing the dangers of Oallen in flood. Can be sunny there, but a torrent can come at any time from up montain

Cheers

Appreciate it, thank you. I don't really have any solid plans on where and what I'm doing. All my best trips are like that though