I'm usually known as Bob; I'm only called Robert when I'm in trouble. I'm a retired Primary School teacher living with my wife in Seymour, Victoria. My three boys are now independent adults.
During my teaching career I spent a fair amount of time teaching upper primary children. As well as many other things early Australian history was on the curriculum and gold was a major topic. One family holiday (many years ago) was spent in Bright, Victoria.
The resort where we stayed had gold pans for guests to use. With a miner's right you could borrow the pans and go down to the creek; but someone always seemed to be using them. In frustration the boys and I went into Bright and bought our own. I was the one that caught gold fever. I was the one pestering them to go down to the creek every time we had a spare hour or two. However on returning from our holiday, work intervened. I became involved in a school based program building and racing recumbent trikes. I'm still involved with this program but now that I've retired I have more time to pursue my own interests. I can now go out and experience the history that I spent so many years teaching.
I started prospecting about two years ago just like the old timers with a pan and a pick. Heathcote and Graytown were the areas I concentrated on the most. I also made a few trips to Eldorado near Wangaratta. It wasn't long before I made myself a simple sluice and a yabby type pump to help me in my endeavours. At Graytown I actually pumped up a yabby with some wash. I have also made myself a mini post hole digger to sample likely prospects. All the tools have worked okay and helped me find a little gold. In the last six months or so the water has disappeared from these gold fields so I have added a detector to my collection of gold finding tools. Now I can go prospecting whenever I choose. I try to get out once a week.
In closing I have to say I'm looking forward to an interesting and enlightening association with this forum.
Cheers Bob.
During my teaching career I spent a fair amount of time teaching upper primary children. As well as many other things early Australian history was on the curriculum and gold was a major topic. One family holiday (many years ago) was spent in Bright, Victoria.
The resort where we stayed had gold pans for guests to use. With a miner's right you could borrow the pans and go down to the creek; but someone always seemed to be using them. In frustration the boys and I went into Bright and bought our own. I was the one that caught gold fever. I was the one pestering them to go down to the creek every time we had a spare hour or two. However on returning from our holiday, work intervened. I became involved in a school based program building and racing recumbent trikes. I'm still involved with this program but now that I've retired I have more time to pursue my own interests. I can now go out and experience the history that I spent so many years teaching.
I started prospecting about two years ago just like the old timers with a pan and a pick. Heathcote and Graytown were the areas I concentrated on the most. I also made a few trips to Eldorado near Wangaratta. It wasn't long before I made myself a simple sluice and a yabby type pump to help me in my endeavours. At Graytown I actually pumped up a yabby with some wash. I have also made myself a mini post hole digger to sample likely prospects. All the tools have worked okay and helped me find a little gold. In the last six months or so the water has disappeared from these gold fields so I have added a detector to my collection of gold finding tools. Now I can go prospecting whenever I choose. I try to get out once a week.
In closing I have to say I'm looking forward to an interesting and enlightening association with this forum.
Cheers Bob.
great introduction and what a good way to get into the prospecting. I'm sure Bright still holds many great memories, and i hope those first purchased pans are still in your arsenal of equipment. You're in a great area to pursue this great pastime, and I'm sure you will gain much from it in your retirement. Look forward to sharing the adventures and best of luck out there in the paddock...Cheers Wal. 
