NSW are augers legal ?

[HeadsUp]

Hi people

can you tell me if augers are legal to use ?

thinking of using a rechargable cordless style drill to drive an earth auger drill bit to save time when digging , and create less environmental impact from digging holes too

thinking of about 4 inch diameter drill bit

i know you can get petrol powered augers but they look heavy and who wants to carry dangerous petrol around ?

plus exhaust sparks could be a fire hazard

opinions please ?

 

[Ditherer and Son]

In NSW you cannot use any powered tool to excavate (or process) material. Basically it's pick and shovel stuff only. Man-powered augers like Fiskars QuikDrill should be ok.

But then again, I am not certain how well they handle gravel streambeds with head sized boulders buried in cemented gravels.

I confess to having bought the Ditherer one for christmas.

I further confess to having taken it to Ophir last time we went.

I finally confess to not having been bothered carrying the bloody thing down to the creek along with highbanker etc....

So we never tried it. I will report back after next trip. You never know, I may yet make a video of the testing. I actually bought it for dad and I to sample some out-of-the-way gullies on arrival day before we made final decisions about where we'd set up.

Google Fiskars QuikDrill and watch the Youtube videos about it.

I can't post the links or the Youtube video because I am still not up to 10 posts yet. (I know I only have to post 5 more times, but the effort it takes to post at times is enough to make me black-out. The effort that some of our fellow contributors put into their posts, and their videos would see me in a week long self-induced coma to recover, and even then I'd probably still want to convalesce in Tahiti for a few days after that to regain my strength.)

 

[HeadsUp]

thankyou Sir

the fiskars looks okay


on the subject of legality , does anyone here know of or heard of a character named "German George " who flies guys and equipment in to WA every year and cleans up big time ?

i was near Marble bar a few years ago and he beat us to a patch by 2 weeks , where apparently he got 148 ounces , and he was seen driving back there in a troopy that had " Explosives on board" on the back of it.

presumably to demolish a huge granite headwall so he could turn over the ground underneath it.

now wouldnt that be illegal ?

cheers peepil

 

[Ditherer and Son]

I bought it from Bunnings and got a free bonus 6th post out of the deal

 

[HeadsUp]

I bought it from Bunnings and got a free bonus 6th post out of the deal

haha

i got it after a few seconds , if you would be kind enough to confirm , then i reckon you would only be short 3 posts to get your full access ?

btw

fiskars make a very very nice camping axe too . also available from bunnings

 

[Ditherer and Son]

I imagine/am sure that hillbilly prospecting with explosives is illegal. I also imagine it'd be hard to police in remote regions like WA or NT.

So no TNT in NT or WA. (That sentence specially designed to blow an iPhone's autocorrecting little plastic brain)

You don't of course know for sure he had explosives on board. Just cos he had the sign is no guarantee. I've heard that in the WA goldfields even prams have that sign on them.

He might just be going fishing?

And no, I haven't heard of German George. But I owe him a thank you for being the subject of post 7.

 

[HeadsUp]

I imagine/am sure that hillbilly prospecting with explosives is illegal. I also imagine it'd be hard to police in remote regions like WA or NT.

So no TNT in NT or WA. (That sentence specially designed to blow an iPhone's autocorrecting little plastic brain)

You don't of course know for sure he had explosives on board. Just cos he had the sign is no guarantee. I've heard that in the WA goldfields even prams have that sign on them.

He might just be going fishing?

And no, I haven't heard of German George. But I owe him a thank you for being the subject of post 7.

i have heard there are heaps of " Gold Police " in WA but never met one when i was there , they are probably hidden under a tree with satellite linked cameras , live google space view and 300X binoculars but they didnt pull over German George in his white troopy with the recently cable tied Explosives sign on the back door.

i think i still have the waypoint in my book for that spot

but like you say , its a big place over there , and while there are places that have been thrashed , there are still places that have never had a white man set foot on them too.

its a question of research , patience and luck , plus the ability to hypnotise the nuggets into thinking you are the one destined to find them.


ps . the baby prams over there only carry explosives stickers due to the potency of babysh1t and the speed to which it can be ejected .

highly dangerous - they should carry a MSDS sheet when they go mobile.

 

[kemjak57]

Very amusing reading when you can't sleep.

 

[Creekbed]

Back to Augers. Powered augers are No Go. Although ya could always say your doin a bit of fencing :lol: :lol:
I use hand driven versions made from the wood augers you can use in power drills. Weld a short length of threaded rod or inside threaded tube to the end and make a couple of extension pieces and I can get a good core sample providin theres not too many rocks and boulders around

Creekbed

 

[HeadsUp]

Back to Augers. Powered augers are No Go. Although ya could always say your doin a bit of fencing :lol: :lol:
I use hand driven versions made from the wood augers you can use in power drills. Weld a short length of threaded rod or inside threaded tube to the end and make a couple of extension pieces and I can get a good core sample providin theres not too many rocks and boulders around

Creekbed

thankyou CB

any chance you can post a photo of one ?

i am thinking of one with a fold up handle that i can clip to my backpack if i can find the right cutting end for the bottom

the Fiskars ones are probably not that expensive if they prove to be sturdy enough for rocky ground . they look like they are made for soft garden soils but it doesnt hurt to experiment with options

 

[Creekbed]

Hey Heads Up,
If I remember next time I'm down at the caravan I'll take a pic or two.
Pretty simple really. Just weld a threaded coupling or threaded rod onto the end of the Auger bit. I can get down about 6 feet with all the extensions.

My original auger had 3/4 galv water pipe sections which were really strong and rigid but I left it at a dig and that was the end of that

Crekbed