Prospecting 8 hour shift

[Ag Man]

Does anyone here prospect full time?

If so how is it going?

Been a bit of discussion between a couple of mates of mine to go out one day for a solid day prospecting.
We're all self employed & if & when we get a quiet day, to go prospecting but treating it like a job for one day & see how we go.
Not a regular thing, just to try it one day.

Most of my outings are for a couple of hours on a weekend morning & then only once/twice a month or someting catching up & meeting new people.
Quite often it's just one big social session & lots of chatting.

Start at 9am finish at 5pm.
Have the usual morning, lunch & arvo cuppa, but other than that it'll be head down, bum up working the creek.
Not a day to teach, learn or try new techniques or equipment - just doing what we do - digging, sluicing, panning.


Anyone tried this & if so how did it work out for ya?

 

[Newbie]

I am keen to take a couple weeks off work and try it. You only going to need a couple ounces a week totally would be worth it. You'd be reasonably fit to.

 

[Mystyk59]

There is a old timer here in Tennant called Jimmy who detects full time with his 3500, he is actually the bloke who got me into detecting. He is on his pension now and is out every day. He puts a lot of work in mind you clearing the spinifex and rocks then raking the patch but he would regularly get 1/2oz to an oz a week

 

[littleazza]

Looking for gold is not a full time job not now days you NEED to work and only look for gold as a hobby or you will end up with nothing but loneliness as greed will take over and you will push your mates away so they don't get your gold work hard at your job or finding a job don't work hard for gold have fun finding gold

 

[WalnLiz]

Not as easy as some make it out to be otherwise everybody would be gold digging.....Like your comment Newby "only need couple oz a week "....Love to join you if you find that spot. Just had a beer with a mate who does it full time in W.A. for 6 months a year. His last trip only netted 18 oz. and that's barely a wage. He did however get 60 oz the year before... so if you have a mortgage...it can be pretty risky....Now if your semi retired then the equation can be more in your favor....Cheers Wal.

 

[Mystyk59]

So true WalnLiz , Jimmy is a legend around these parts , he has been prospecting for over 40 yrs and everyone reckons that he can smell gold ! I have been out with him and saw him spot a tiny little piece with his eye .2g ! He is known by all the old prospectors around the country that did a bit here back in the day (like Ray Hall in Vic etc.) But even he can put in a day from first light til late arvo and only get 2 grams for the day !You need that virgin ground or ground that hasnt been done since sd days to get the paydirt. Like they say 90% of what you find will be sub gram. So its no get rich quick scheme But there is always that retirement one waiting to be found

 

[Ag Man]

We won't be doing it to get rich...
Just want to see what it'd be like.
Perhaps to only get s glimps of what the old timers had to do to make a crust. We'd have it so much easier byfar - arrive by car & well rested, light equipment, luxury of cold drinks & a warm meal - the list could go on.

Something we want to try & I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it.

Just for one day.

 

[kemjak57]

It's gotta be worth a shot even if it's only for the experience Ag Man. My mate does it full time at The Palmer River in NQ. He,s not killin the pig but he's getting there. He mainly detects but does some dry blowing and is just about to fire up a trommel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good luck.

 

[Ag Man]

Yeah, the experience of it - I think that's part of what we're after.

Primarily it's my hobby & one of my social outlets.

I'll report back once it's been & done.

 

[kemjak57]

It,s amazing how the pioneers found their way to some of these places they did it tough back then. I am in the process of modifying my sluice into a high banker so I can run a pile of dirt at one of the places we go to. We find a lot of very small pieces there and the dirt is what was scraped off the top. It will take a good day or so to run it so I am looking forward to getting into that next time I get up there. The wet season has slowed every thing up for a while.

 

[hereskip]

AG you really need to try it for longer than a week as the first day you can go hell for leather but by the end of the week ya going to be moving less dirt. the other thing is that the longer you can average out the tally the better the idea you have of what you can achieve. then if you place even a small tally of 1 gram a day if you don't get that ie .5 of a gram, the next day you need 1.5 grams and the stress levels rise each time you don't make weight for the day. Can it be done yes but you need to have no bills, credit cards or house payments but the one thing that there is you have the chance of the bigger payday the more you dig.
Cheers
Skip

 

[backcreek]

Hay Ag,
This is exactly the way I do it.
I usually prospect/detect solo so I don't have the distractions from others. I don't get out that often so I make the most of the time available.
My last trip was to Oallen highbanking and the second day was a full day from 9am till 8pm with a break for smoko and lunch. The outing before that was loaming and from memory was about the same amount of hours, again with a break to boil the billy and cook an egg jaffle over the gas cooker for smoko and lunch.

Cheers
Mick

 

[Lenton]

Just retired and thought about camping out for a week to see what we could find, but had a hip operation 5 weeks ago so not going to be for a while plus I will see if my young nephews want to come and dig, i pay them in beer ( they are both over 18)
- LOL

 

[Copper]

I say go for it Ag Man. If you can maintain your financial commitments without banking on the gold then do it. Life is too short mate, why wouldn't you try to enjoy as much of it as you can. Like you said if nothing else think of the experience you will have. As hard as the 49ers and our own diggers Had it, I think they would have still enjoyed themselves.....apart from the disentary etc.

Had a dad of one of the kids at my sons school pass away from Motor Nurone Disease last weekend, if someone told you that you had 18 months left would you have any regrets?

 

[Jim.]

Hi all,

My wife always says "we should do this full time" and i reply "that would take all of the fun out of it" maybe when we retire it could be an option The old timers did it hard mate they were a tough breed, the flys, the heat, and the unreliable water would be a challenge. I would imagine the women did it even harder, all of the above plus no fancy kitchens, no A/C, no cars, and perhaps a couple of kids......................

Bill, I met Jimmy Hooker in the Wauchup Pub maybe 15 years ago, his infectious personality and love of prospecting got me into this caper. Back then he was giving McLaren Creek and Kurundi (so much potential in this area) a good going over

Regards to all,
Jim & Kerrie

 

[krazycaptain]

Went out here near Cue WA in April with temperature around 40c at midday. Found nice 245 gram piece down 40cm in bedrock. Area had been done over with a bobcat and probably detectors.
I was using a 4500 and a 17x9 NF coil and my mate and his wife had a 5000.
Best feeling after 3.5 hours with a mate using a hammer and chisel to dislodge from the rock.
Now my wife was soooo happy to
Cheers
Captain

 

[TenOunce Tone]

that is one nice find Krazy, hard yakka but worth the dig no doubt!

 

[AngusKeene]

Was out around Tuena a few weeks back and there was a couple that reckon they'd been working the creek for several weeks straight...don't know how they did though. I love to do the same but I don't think my wife would last 30min before she was begging me to take her back to the city.

 

[Guest]

I imagine going fulltime would be more about changing your lifestyle to fit the job, more than changing your job to fit your lifestyle. You could only do it if your hardcore and dedicated and really know your stuff. I have given myself 12 months to learn as much as i can and see if I can make it work. Depends on your outlook on life, I really believe anyone can do what ever they put there mind too. But I have no interest in getting rich, just on getting by. I can think of nothing better than being a fulltime prospector. History is full of people that said it cant be done, but history also only remembers those that prove it can.

 

[garnethawkins]

Me and a mate were SUPPOSED to be doing just that this weekend, unfortunately this weather has put a stop to that 8.(