newbie looking for some experience

[1969maddog]

hi guys ive only ever panned a couple of times finding a couple of specks at nundle last time but am not sure if i am looking in the correct spots. have done some fossicking for sapphires around glen innes and did ok so was using the same idea for gold. i am based in Brisbane but willing to travel up to 5hrs for a weekend prospecting. i have an interest in using high bankers, detectors,panning or just looking for gems and want to buy or make my own gear (alloy tig welder)but want to make sure i am getting the correct stuff. so if anyone is willing to let me tag along and doesn't mind someone asking a few questions and giving a hand digging dirt it would be appreciated. i have a 4x4 and willing to travel.

 

[silver]

Here's a few shortcuts to threads you might like on the Forum,... welcome aboard 69er.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=426
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=14996
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=15628
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2042
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=69
Cheers
Silver.

 

[1969maddog]

thanks i will check them out

 

[nucopia]

Mate you have every thing needed to succeed
the right attidute is the most important asset.

 

[cecc]

Hi and welcome 1969 I'm from Brisbane and a mate and I are thinking of heading to Warwick one weekend, so when we go will be happy for you to come along and we'll share what we know for sure. There'll be no highbanking as it's outlawed in QLD, but I have a sluice and so does my mate, and probably have my Banjo by then, so we'll take that, have to do some video's for Jemba as I am testing it out for him. This is allowed in QLD. So I am moving soon, but as soon as I'm settled and ready to go we'll give you a 'hoy'.

 

[1969maddog]

Hi and welcome 1969 I'm from Brisbane and a mate and I are thinking of heading to Warwick one weekend, so when we go will be happy for you to come along and we'll share what we know for sure. There'll be no highbanking as it's outlawed in QLD, but I have a sluice and so does my mate, and probably have my Banjo by then, so we'll take that, have to do some video's for Jemba as I am testing it out for him. This is allowed in QLD. So I am moving soon, but as soon as I'm settled and ready to go we'll give you a 'hoy'.

thanks that would be great. was told at the miners den springwood that highbankers were legal in qld? thats why i need help.

 

[cecc]

1969 Miners Den are wrong, I have proof from the QLD dept of mining itself and have posted legislation straight from the act itself. Trust me it's a fact, and that's why we have started the petition we have going.

Here it is;

Len

Simple answer to your question, only hand tools as listed below from the Fossicking Act 1994.

hand tool means

(a) a pick, shovel, hammer, sieve, shaker, or electronic

detector; or

(b) a tool declared by regulation to be a hand tool.

This would mean that equipment or mechanical devices powered/operated by electrical, solar, battery, internal combustion, pneumatic, winched etc are a prohibited machine.

This also includes pumps for high bankers and sluice boxes.

The only exception to this is in the hand tool definition, a metal detector(electronic detector) is permitted.

lol Sluices which use the natural flow or are feed with water by hand means (no mechanical pump etc) are acceptable.

lol Hand held crevice sucker is acceptable so long as there is no mechanical device powering it, eg electrical, solar, battery, internal combustion, pneumatic etc

http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGIS ingA94.pdf Fossicking Act 1994

http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGIS ingR09.pdf Fossicking Regulations 2009

38 Use of machinery etc. prohibited

A person fossicking under a licence must not use machinery

or equipment (other than a hand tool) to fossick.

Maximum penalty400 penalty units.

This was from Rossco

Rossco

Ross Howkins
Field and Land Access Officer
Brisbane District Office
Mining and Petroleum Operations

Department of Natural Resources and Mines
Queensland Minerals and Energy Centre
Level 16, 61 Mary Street,
Brisbane Queensland 4000
PO Box 15216, City East Queensland 4002
Phone: 07 3199 7750 Fax: 07 3405 5347 Mob: 04 0960 8312
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website: www.mines.industry.qld.gov.au

Customer Service Centre 13 25 23

 

[cecc]

Don't want to see u get into any trouble mate.

 

[M3talmiliti4]

Highbankers are legal in queensland but you cant run a 12v or petrol pump to pump the water to the highbanker to process the dirt in dessignated fossicking areas, so that would make the highbanker useless. As cecc said sluices are fine but it has to use the natural flow of the water in the creek. This is only on dessignated fossicking areas

On private property you can run a 12v or petrol pump for your highbanker. So if you know someone in a gold bearing area, go nuts

Dredgers are a big no no, anywhere.

That is how i read the Qld rules and regs

M3

 

[cecc]

Thanks M3, I suppose you can use the HB....just has to be fed the water by hand or like Yobs does with his rocker, with a bilge pump, by hand. Don't know how you would do it, that's why I'm going to the Banjo.

 

[M3talmiliti4]

Thats it chiko
It is the pump that is illegal in designated fossicking areas because they say you are altering the natural flow of the water, which is rubbish because after the water is pumped up to the banker it flows straight back into the creek again back to its natural flow.

The rocker is a briliant idea. I watched the vid you popped up of yobs using his rocker and it looks like it works really well.

There is alot of confusion around the qld fossicking laws. So again Len you have done a wonderful job starting the petition to change this for us in Qld, I take my hat off to ya again mate

Happy fossicking.

 

[1969maddog]

been looking thru a pile of posts about highbankers in qld and not interested in one of these but the river sluice looks interesting as long as i can find somewhere with water flow which is also not easy in qld. originally liked the walbanker as it catches sapphires and i love the new england area.

 

[cecc]

Thanks M3 yeah you're so right, so much confusion and cloak and dagger stuff from the Govt, as you know I asked for the amount of registered fossickers, they couldn't tell me, and I asked for the total amount of land set aside for fossicking again, can't help me. It needs to be open and transparent.

 

[rc62burke]

Hey Guys
I hate to Rain on your parade!! but you need to read the Regulations from the point of view of the people that enforce it!!! it clearly states what is considered hand tools, to be caught using anything that is not on the list is outside of the regulations!!! to make a statement like you can use anything on private property is "Total BS" as you can't!!!!
I have on numerous occasions contacted the Mining Registrars from the area's I work & both area's say that a river sluice in prohibited, you can only use pans & sieves.

And that folks is why we have the petition going.
Seriously there is some incorrect information floating about which needs to be cleared up.

cheers
Lee

 

[cecc]

Hi Lee, thanks for your input, as I have posted on the forum, I can only go by the parts of the ACT that Rossco from the Govt sent me, He is also the one who handled my license.

In his reply and clauses from the ACT, we can use a river sluice as long as it's fed by the natural flow of the creek.

This is in his own words;

'Sluices which use the natural flow or are feed with water by hand means (no mechanical pump etc) are acceptable.'

Ross Howkins
Field and Land Access Officer
Brisbane District Office
Mining and Petroleum Operations

Department of Natural Resources and Mines
Queensland Minerals and Energy Centre
Level 16, 61 Mary Street,
Brisbane Queensland 4000
PO Box 15216, City East Queensland 4002
Phone: 07 3199 7750 Fax: 07 3405 5347 Mob: 04 0960 8312

 

[M3talmiliti4]

Thanks for your input Lee.

Dont want to go leading anyone astray. I think you'll find that I never said "anything goes on private property" my statement was simply directed towards using pumps for highbankers. The way I read it is most of the things that are prohibited refer to designated fossicking areas. Like i said that is how I read it and I dont mean to give anyone false information. Im sure you have a lot more experience then me on this topic.

Very touchy topic and alot of confusion around the rules and regs.

I hope this petition helps to clear all these things up.

 

[cecc]

Yeah guys, I know you all try to help and it's really appreciated, and yes M3 i really hope the petition can gain some ground in these area's, If I ever get to talk to the Govt, one of the things I will be pushing is just this.....the ambiguity of some of the laws. They need to be more clear and concise. Honestly from what I've heard from people on the forum, especially the QLD one's, one guy get's told one thing from an officer from the Mines Dept, and another get's a whole different meaning on the same subject/question. Look at it this way, if the people working in the Govt are confused how has the normal prospector got any hope.

At the end of the day, all we want is to pay a fair amount for our license, have more ground to go and pursue our hobby and be able to use a pump if we so choose to wash some dirt. Not much to ask for.

Cheers

Len