Hi Guys & Girls

[Carmo]

Hi Folks,

My name is Shane AKA Carmo, 28 years of age, recently married with two young boys 6 & 7 and a beautiful wife Teagan.

We have become rather hooked on Gold hunting. Mainly through TV series Gold Rush season 1,2,3 & 4 and Bering Sea gold.
We decided we would start doing some gold hunting with the kids as an occasional difference in family bonding times.
Our kids love the outdoors and anything new so we want to give it a crack. If we find gold it will be a bonus.

What we would like to learn is where to start our search. We live on the edge of the Barossa Valley - South Australia.

I love the sluice boxes and tromels etc but unsure on the laws and regulations in the use of such mechanical devices. being a small setup/portable.

We have done some looking on the internet for gold pans etc etc but unsure on what to look for before purchasing one or how to use it correctly.

Are there any clubs based in South Australia that would be willing to take on-board such uneducated gold hunters.? Being a rather successful fisherman I know I dont give up too many tips/spots as its taken years to learn and build these areas to now see the rewards so i'm guessing gold is a very similar thing. But if someone would b kind enough to point me in the right direction to further my knowledge it would be fantastic.

Thanks folks

 

[AtomRat]

Gday Carmo and Teagan & the boys, welcome to the forums Yes, those t.v shows will get you into it all indeed, they tend to make it seem a bit easier than what it can be at times though, so don't get fooled that fossicking is an easy thing

Someone from S.A should be able to tell you the rules and regulations for your area and creeks. I think there are regulations around there, but hopefully you can put a sluice in somewhere!

Looking for the first pan can be annoying, but I would suggest checking out this easy to use pan:
The blue pan: http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...gold+pan&_nkw=ballarat+blue+gold+pan&_sacat=0

If you can afford a kit for $60 with pans, sieves, sucker bottles etc, you will not have to buy anything for a while. You mostly want 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch and 3/4 inch screens, but just one 1/4" can be fine. I use a 'worm finder' sieve from bunnings that is 1/4" mesh. There is a black pan from Miners Den, but I don't like the riffles as they are smaller.

I have been using the blue pan for a while and struggle to loose gold, even when I try to throw gold out of it, it will still hold it.
I can possibly make a vid soon, showing how I pan in easy steps. It takes a few weeks to get used to the technique of panning, each day you pan you will get better though. Most importantly is to pan fast and not bend over for long, you will wreck your back.

Keep away from confusing money wasting pans like the 'TurboPan', they are great if you know how to use it, but for beginners it can be confusing.

Sluices are another subject, you can either make your own or buy one. All sluices and configurations will catch gold, some just take a bit of tinkering. On the forum we have Wal's Walbanker that is a favorite build project for many here. If you want to buy one, there are many available, but keeping it simple and light is what you want to keep in mind. If you want my personal opinion on what I think a great and cheap sluice is, just ask

To sluice you need to know how to pan. Otherwise you are digging gravels that may contain no color, so you need to pan as you sluice.

Basic setup of a sluice would be: pans, shovel, sluice + legs, petrol pump, hoses, fuel, oil, container for cleaning up the sluice, sucker bottle.

 

[Carmo]

Thanks for the effort you put into the post there mate. Its greatly appreciated.

I definitely understand the hard work involved in panning and actually finding gold. Its just something that interests me and has done for some time now. Would love to get the kids into it. They love the outdoors and Ill do anything to keep them seeing the country and enjoying the land without playing video games etc.

By spending the last few days reading posts I feel if we want to actually find something of color we are going to have to head over to Vic, which is ok 5-6 hour drive to some of the gold country i guess from Gawler SA.

We can afford a kit, we didn't really want to spend more then $750 on an initial setup. I would like to pan first and get the hang of it them maybe meet someone with knowledge and whom operates a sluice just to see one in action. Its more of an interest for me then anything.
I work in an irrigation/pump business so certain pumps are of no issue for running a sluice. even a solar powered pressure option is possible these days.

If you could work on a video that would be amazing. We have a new 4wd and camper trailer so the car is reliable and our camper is well setup for off-road living. We plan to travel around a bit once we have a play and get the hang of what to look for and where.

Thanks heaps for your advice and input, I've just purchased 4 pans from eBay (your supplied link) along with sieves and sucker bottles. all we need is pay dirt ha ha..

Thanks again for your time its greatly appreciated. Hopefully I can catch up with someone from SA and learn a little more about our areas etc.

Regards

Shane

 

[AtomRat]

No probs at all Shane, I went through the pain and costs of figuring most things myself, a big pain and waste of money. I am more than happy to share what I have learnt and what I know, though I am still 'new' to prospecting ( 3 years )

If you dont have issues with pumps, then you should have no probs setting up with $700 in the bank.

As you stated, yes, getting out, having a pan and actually getting your hands dirty is the only way to tell if you like it or not. Keep in mind, gold can be a gamble, but as long as you have a positive attitude, it will be there most the time for you. Expect to get confused, a lot. Putting in the work and time will yield great results though ( most the time )

If you do come to VIC to prospect, make sure you have the right places sorted to be able to pan / sluice. Some high gold bearing areas can be completely dry and only useful for metal detecting.

I don't know where gold is over there, you should get another reply of someone soon, or you can search the forums for S.A gold / south australia using the search on the forum, there have been quite a few posts here and there.

It always starts as an interest, then becomes a habit, then a fever. It will never leave you once it is in your system

I waited until I saw a sluice working in action before building my own too. You pick up a lot of information just by looking at one with your own eyes.

Heres some quick links I googled that can give you possibly a bit of info about Gawler. You may be lucky to find something close by home, but check your local rules and regulations if you can legally prospect in those creeks.

http://www.minerals.dmitre.sa.gov.au/licensing_and_regulation/fossicking
http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/vicgold.htm
http://lapidaryworld.com/pdf/sa_gold_info.pdf <-- has a map! Very useful to you

 

[Carmo]

Thanks mate,

Very helpful and interesting reads on those links.
I would be keen to come over to Vic to spend a day watching a few guys at work with pans/sluices. this interests me more then a detector at this stage. probably a lot less gold but the process has me intrigued.

Is there a section on the site that has gathering/fossicing days etc? And if so are children welcome or do members prefer not to have kids around? Our kids are very well behaved for their age and very respectful little fellas.

There gold pans arrived today (only purchased them yesterday) so they will be happy as Larry when i get home from work.

Cant wait to get some dirt in there. I'm having a guess there will be some sand in there tonight from their sand pit. they will be practicing.
They've really taken to the new hobby. I think their ipad game called Minecraft has them hooked as wel haha

 

[MJB]

Hi Carmo,

I'm from SA as well mate and I have to do a 2.5 hr trip over to the Promised land (VIC) when ever my gold fever needs some medication.

Being on the edge of the Barossa there are goldfields close by to you but access is another thing. Im closer to Ararat so I just head there. Coming from your way I would say Stawell would be the best bet although I have not been there yet. I too only stick to alluvial prospecting as the detector is still a bit out of my budget at this stage.

Its great to hear your family is excited as you are be careful though....once the goldfever sets in nothing can cure it. Look forward to hearing how you go on your adventures.

Cheers

 

[Diggertom]

Welcome Shane!

I'm in Adelaide, in the Modbury area, I have a area where you can learn to pan and find gold about 20 mins from my house up near Gumaracha area, so only maybe a hour from where you are.
I also have 4-5 pans and classifiers and a river sluice (soon to be high banker).

I go quite often (couple times a week) with the Mrs and if you wish to join on a day outing we would be more then welcome to take you to a area where you can get a bit of colour (couple flakes a pan at least) and help you out with the basics of panning! Though we are still pretty new to this ourselves lol.

The place is pretty child friendly as in not dangerous or fast flowing and shallow water so it may be a good place to start!

Feel free to email me via my profile if it's something you want to organise!

Otherwise closer to you there is watts gully in the Mt Crawford area, for there you would need to get a fossicking permit from the forestry for the day, it's only a couple of dollars but I can't remember where it is off the top of my Head!

Tom

 

[Carmo]

MJB if you ever want to do a trip with other people let me know
And thanks mate, looking forward to getting the kids involved.

Tom that would be amazing mate. Ill shoot you through an email shortly.
Cant wait, the kids will be stoked with this. Thanks so much for your kindness and offer to help us mate..!
Our kids are good kids, not little rat bags so they wont be a disturbance or pain for you i can promise you that. they're really looking forward to it. And so are me and the Wife.

Thanks for all your help guys really does mean a lot for your generous help and guidence.

 

[Diggertom]

Haha no problems mate, took me quite a few trips before I found my first flake, and kids can get pretty disinterested if they don't find anything! At least with this spot you can get that colour pretty quick!

Talk soon

Tom

 

[Carmo]

Look forward to it,

Thanks

 

[loamer]

If you are into panning, the central vic goldfields, the golden triangle, really do lack running water at the best of times. It was a major factor that brought the rushes to a halt on a regular basis, there was just no water to run the wash - hence a lot of alluvial wash was taken to the Loddon River, dams, dams at puddlers, water runs across country etc. You will see numerous dams located within crown land - heaps in fact and these are marked as FP (fire point) or WP (water point). Dams on crown land are OK to do panning at - snakes are an issue during the drier months around these dams. Winter sees some running water or more likely pools along creek lines. I am talking mainly about Dunolly, Tarnagulla, Moliagul - very rich alluvial and nuggety country.

 

[Carmo]

So when am i coming over to go panning with you Loamer hahaha,
Thanks for the info mate. I think i might get the family in the car with the camper and take a week just investigating the types of country the areas are. Being very unfamiliar with the country you talk about i cant picture what you mean.
I'm guessing these areas are mainly for detecting. However i would like to learn the panning art first and if the kids still hold an interest maybe invest in a detector.
Dunolly, Tarnagulla, Moliagul - very rich alluvial and nuggety country. Are these areas mainly detected areas rather then panning now due to water flows etc?

Thanks heaps for your help and time. Cant wait to get panning.

 

[loamer]

Carmo - I panned my first gold in 1972 with my Pop at a place where you may get some colour - Slaty Creek near Creswick - about 15 minutes from Ballarat so easier for you to get to from SA - just off the freeway. I don't do panning any more - it kills my back.

Yes mate, Dunolly/Tarnagulla/Moliagul, that general area is mainly detecting territory. Very mineralised and quite noisy. There are people who pan around here but usually take their dirt to water or wait til winter when there is a bit of it about. Its not like the image people get of running creeks, Gold Rush Alaska etc etc. Its dusty, hard ground, box ironbark trees, very few creeks and the few that do have very little water. It is actually pretty hard country. Mind you, when it floods, it does not much about!!

 

[Carmo]

Im guessing its ground for the more experienced detectors. Have you had much luck in your searching over the years?

Im 6ft 5 so i can imagine my back will get quite sore too so see how we go.

 

[AtomRat]

Im guessing its ground for the more experienced detectors. Have you had much luck in your searching over the years?

Im 6ft 5 so i can imagine my back will get quite sore too so see how we go.

Same height as me mate! It took me a good 6 months to get my lower back into a healthy state with digging and prospecting, so keep on it and pace yourself. The first two months were hell with a couple of days laying on the bank of the creek not being able to move, but if you keep at it, those muscles will build up and it does strengthen it in time. Wearing a 'back belt' could possibly help too.

I will give info in the vids on how I keep myself relaxed and pain free. I'll have them done by Wednesday mate. Like the Chinese in rice fields, I sometimes stand and look up, stretching my back, breathing in whenever there is a gust of wind. I'm only 30 years old, but doing panning wrong gave me many days of pain. Couldn't pan for two weeks after one bad 'slip' too

 

[Easyrollin]

Hi there Shane

Just up the road from you near Springton.
A bit of a newby myself but have done some casual detecting and panning around the place.
Plenty of bullets but no nuggets (yet).
Welcome.

 

[Carmo]

Hi Mate,

Have you had anyluck with the Pan's?
Should catch up, im only 15 mins from you. Your in a beautiful neck of the woods mate.!