Introduction

[Big bryza]

Hi ya all, have enjoyed this forum very informative so thank you. Back 30 years ago I learnt to pan for gold and had much fun and success. Progressed from ther to dredging first with a surface dredge then a sub service dredge 5 inch I recall, we had the full set up, hooker gear, 7 mm wetsuits, lead weights and even hot water running through our suits, definitely needed in those cold creeks! We mainly worked around the headwaters of the yarra river, around woods point and the Latrobe region.was an amazing thing to be underwater and dredge down to the bedrock which we cracked apart with our little tools to reveal the gold lying there glistening in the sun! All good untill the government banned such activities!
After that I did some limited detecting with my old man with a Garret's ads as I recall, then we progressed to a early minelab detector sd 2000 I think but don't quote me on that! Best we did was a little patch out dunolly way picked up 30 pieces or so! Haven't done any serious prospecting for years but the fever is still there! Just purchased a eureka gold detector pick it up tomorrow yah! Happy days. Anyone out there can give me advice on using this machine? I have read some bad reports on the unit but am optimistic I haven't wasted my money, I guess it boiled down to what I could afford in my budget! So any tips or advice about the detector whether good or bad would be greatly appreciated, I live in bendigo so not far to go to find some ground to swing! Much thanks in advance may all your signals be satisfying cheers

 

[the duck]

Welcome to the forum, would be good to hear some stories before it was banned, the whipstick may be in trouble only advice with a vlf detector is go slow and keep it as low as you can you are bound to run over a piece sooner or later

 

[Big bryza]

Much thanks for your advice, yeh whipstock is such a big area surely there is a little piece left for me! Yeh probably one of the best memory's while dredging was watching the trout feed beside you as you suck up the gravel, sometimes we would pick up the larger pieces of gold by hand and take to the fellow on the surface! That would help boost his spirits as he had the worse job watching the dredge, unblocking it if needed etc etc. Worse memory was working fast water and coming up the wrong way having the breathing gear ripped from my mouth and the speed of water pushing me over so I was lying on my back with lead weight belts around me on bottom of river with no air! Lol fun times. Much thanks again, have you ever detected at the whipstock?

 

[Twapster]

From what I have read, trade it in for a gold detector. If they are comparing it to an Xterra and the Xterra is winning, you will have to stumble upon sunbakers or sub gram nuggets close to the surface. Either of those situations are not optimal. That's what i've read, does anyone have an alternate opinion? Not trying to offend, if im missing something can someone please straighten me out. This forum should be about straight shooting and I think i'm a straight shooter. Either people are feeding me the wrong info or neither of these machines are much good on gold. Prove me wrong people! An SD may have been a better purchase.

Peter

 

[Bushranger]

Welcome BB. I look forward to learning lots from you!

 

[Big bryza]

Thanks for your honesty Twapster I really appreciate your views, I really don't know anything about the new detectors so I take on everything I am told, how much would I have to pay for a second hand sd? I just thought they would be out of my price range! Thanks for the welcome bushranger sorry but you probably won't learn much from me I have a lot to learn and hope to learn from you guys! Thanks again happy hunting

 

[Twapster]

Hey BB I recall my last conversation with a dredger at Hill End, asked him about snakes and he said the closest encounter was snorkeling up a creek and coming face to face with a snake. I've had a tiger snake swim upstream while i'm fishing thigh deep in trout waters on the Golbourn River (near the Rubicon). Pretty much ran between us and then up the bank 2 feet away I wonder if you have any good dredging stories to tell us?

Peter

 

[Twapster]

By the way I have an Exterra so i've got a similar machine to yours! It will find me gold, just not the deeper nuggets i'm after.

Peter

 

[Big bryza]

That's pretty scary I very much dislike snakes, I have seen one swim while out prospecting and as you would of witnessed boy can they swim! Had a goanna raid our food at our camp while dredging once boy we came back to a mess! Got real good gold that weekend at hawthorn creek runs into the Latrobe river I think over around tanjil south, hard to remember was only a teenager then, actually I think that area is under water now they turned it into blue rock dam or something like that

 

[G0lddigg@]

welcome to the forum Big Bryza i'm sure once you find time to learn the detector you will love the serenity good luck mate

 

[WalnLiz]

Welcome to the forum BB. The good old days Ahh remember them well. Probably bumped into you as i spent a fair bit of time that way and in the Goulburn myself. Ran a 6" surface twin sluice, and share your feelings when the bedrock became exposed. We can only reminisce about those good old days now.

I'm sure the fever will still stay strong now that you're getting to swing the detector, and dry gold can still bring a smile to the dial....almost as exciting as the wet gold. Best of luck out there and hope to catch up in paddock some day.

Cheers Wal