Hi Everyone

[onespecSteve]

Hi Guys, Im Steve from Bendigo in Victoria. I have been fossicking for about a year now and Im in hook line and sinker. I have joined the local gem club to try and learn a few things and thats just made me more hooked I also love to fossick for gold, Im up to 4 grams. I only have a gold pan as I cant afford a detector yet, but I dont mind cause it gives me a chance to look for more gemstones. Im always looking for someone to go panning with so if your local and you would like to catch up let me know The gems I have found so far are Petrified wood, Jasper, Prase(a green chalendony) and some common opal. Im really after sapphires, if I could find a place with sapphires and gold I wont leave it

 

[kleinman98]

Hi Guys, Im Steve from Bendigo in Victoria. I have been fossicking for about a year now and Im in hook line and sinker. I have joined the local gem club to try and learn a few things and thats just made me more hooked I also love to fossick for gold, Im up to 4 grams. I only have a gold pan as I cant afford a detector yet, but I dont mind cause it gives me a chance to look for more gemstones. Im always looking for someone to go panning with so if your local and you would like to catch up let me know The gems I have found so far are Petrified wood, Jasper, Prase(a green chalendony) and some common opal. Im really after sapphires, if I could find a place with sapphires and gold I wont leave it

Welcome to the forum Onespec and happy new year. You will find some knowledgeable and friendly people here on the forum that could steer you in the right direction. Good luck with your search.

 

[axeman]

G'day and welcome onespec. Good luck with the search and all the best in the new year.
Mick

 

[onespecSteve]

thanks guys

 

[WalnLiz]

Welcome to the forum Steve. Not being able to afford a detector at the moment could be a blessing in disguise. Your apprenticeship will be much better served with a gold pan and a good pair of hiking boots. Bendigos' creeks have reasonable puddles after rain, and the wise prospector will walk their length and pan each depression.

Mark your successful areas on your GPS and you will find a trend appearing, join the dots and cross the T's, and by the time that detector is affordable your apprenticeship will be well served. You will have the lay of the land sorted and a good knowledge of where the better gold is sitting, you're detector will do the rest for you.

All the very best of luck with the hobby and look forward to sharing the adventure,

Cheers Wal.

 

[Jamo]

Welcome onespecSteve. Starting with a gem club is the best way to go. Good luck on the hunt!

 

[Heatho]

Wal really nailed it there, having a detector is 1/10th of the puzzle, the other 9/10th's is knowing where to go and what to look for. I think even for people with a detector this is a great post.

 

[onespecSteve]

Thanks guys, your right Wal I have learnt alot panning already. As I said im really not to worried about a detector if the creeks didnt all dry up here I wouldnt even bother with one to be honest. I really enjoy panning, and now I have a trommel I get alot of dirt processed with half the amount of pain. One thing I have learnt about the Bendigo goldfields with pannable gold is that you have to follow the exposed leads, when they show their face you know your on the right track. Wal it was Liz who sent me over to here, I messaged her on her facebook page. I watch your videos all the time and remembered I saw a video of you guys getting Sapphires near Canberra. Everyone I asked around here told that you had to go to the top of NSW for them. So I bit the bullet and asked the question. Hopefully I will be getting to Grabben Gullen in April

 

[MickeyTheMagnet]

Some great advice on this thread. Welcome to PA Steve good to hear there is some luck in Bendigo as it gives me another reason to head that way besides the swap..

 

[Guest]

Welcome Steve,

Bendigo Prospecting Club is a great club to join if your in Bendigo.

Just a tip for you. Buy a 2nd hand Tesoro Compadre (these are cheap) and detect the playgrounds.

You will be surprised how much you will find in coins.

I found a gold wedding band with mine as well just sitting under the bark.

Save all the cash you find then add some more cash sell the detector and get something else.

Good Luck.

Joe

 

[Big bryza]

Hi Steve and welcome
I am from Epsom so am sure we can go out sometime, prob like you am often busy with kids so don't get out as much as I would like.
I check the new posts on this forum everyday so just send me a message before your next trip in case our free time co- insides, i can do the same, hope to catch you soon, good luck mate

 

[onespecSteve]

Thanks Wolf that would have been an awesome find

Bryza thats cool mate Im in Strathfieldsaye. Yeah mate i got 5 kids so time is rare but I have an awesome missus who is always pushing me to go out(probably cause I drive her insane lol). Have you tried Bendigo creek up your way?

 

[Big bryza]

Hey Steve,
Yeh I know they do a bit downstream from white hills botanical gardens, haven't tried myself bit to built up for me and to many people around, I like to get out into the bush further. Was looking only yesterday at the creek behind the new Epsom soccer grounds, very slow and stagnant water at the moment, and I imagine very deep to bottom, guess only bit of flood gold. Am yet to walk the full length have heard not bad panning at Huntly but not sure where? Will wait when not so hot and snakey and walk the full length.
I usually get some nice little chunky specks just off diamond hill rd and burns st in the gullies k flat area, but only after good rain when enough water to pan, think its flood gold also! Like the idea of crevicing but yet to find a good spot. Was in Chewton last week and panned a little colour untill our one and only little water hole got to muddy to use! Plan to go back in winter with a sluice think will do ok! Keep in touch, will catch up sometime! Cheers

 

[onespecSteve]

Bryza, one thing ive noticed where ever that conglomerate of river pebbles (Hardpack) are in the water or on the banks they are usually feeding the creeks. Thats whats feeding the creek at white hills. I heard a couple of guys put the highbanker in there and got 2 oz. I used to pan there last summer but every man and his dog are in there now and its getting destroyed. In one part of the creek its about 2 metres wider. Ive been told if you get caught down there you get a fine, but Im not sure about that. Go to Lightning hill in the whipstick. There are heaps of crevices there and they all contain gold. There is a dam there to pan in too. Ive just started looking around Diamond hill it looks like pretty exciting ground around there.

 

[Big bryza]

Bryza, one thing ive noticed where ever that conglomerate of river pebbles (Hardpack) are in the water or on the banks they are usually feeding the creeks. Thats whats feeding the creek at white hills. I heard a couple of guys put the highbanker in there and got 2 oz. I used to pan there last summer but every man and his dog are in there now and its getting destroyed. In one part of the creek its about 2 metres wider. Ive been told if you get caught down there you get a fine, but Im not sure about that. Go to Lightning hill in the whipstick. There are heaps of crevices there and they all contain gold. There is a dam there to pan in too. Ive just started looking around Diamond hill it looks like pretty exciting ground around there.

Thanks mate, yeh as long as you have a miners right and are not doing the wrong thing ie ( undermining or widening the bank I think all is clear) yeh thanks for the tip at lightning hill, was there last week with the eureka gold doesn't like them hot rocks though, so are saving for a better unit, the panning, and crevicing will keep my hand in until then! Thanks again

 

[onespecSteve]

yeah it gets raped pretty hard by gpx5000s cause the miners den send everyone down there. but there are plenty of pickings of smaller bits in the crevaces to be had to keep you going. Not going to get tonnes but any gold is good gold