Tibooburra Gold.....a beginners "El Dorado."

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WalnLiz

Wal nLiz
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
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Australia, NSW
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Tibooburra is situated 351km from Broken Hill via the Silver City Highway. Until recently there was quite a bit of gravel road in these sections but now the full length is sealed and an easy drive, especially for those with caravans or trailers. The goldfields start in the south at Milparinka where the rich Mount Brown gold deposits yielded some of the largest nuggets from the whole region. The best I've witnessed personally from there was a nice 6oz slug unearthed by a friend. It was our place of choice back in the day but is now off limits to prospectors. The town, or what is left of it is still worth a visit as the museum has some great relics and goldfield information for the whole region.

The Tibooburra Field is made up of numerous interlocking deposits covering an enormous amount of ground. Just up the road is the New Bendigo Field which unfortunately is now under a mining lease and as such off limits to prospectors. To the left of these is the Mount Poole diggings and above them the Good Friday diggings which are now also under a mining lease so off bounds. From here the goldfield traverses the whole length of the Warratta Ranges up to the reef areas where the Pioneer, Rosemount, Elizabeth, and Phoenix mines proved to be the richest. There is still a stamp battery and old stone hut up there which is well worth a visit and accessible via Gum Vale station of which a mud map is available from the service station when you get your daily fossicking permit.

From here the goldfield still heads north to the top end of the Warratta Range and here you will find the German Gully and Evans Gully deposit. These were extremely rich in their hay day and still produce many small "nugglets" for those who put in the time. I'll say it here and probably repeat myself on many occasions during the thread...on the Tibooburra field you have to go "extremely low" and "extremely slow"...to the point of scraping your coil on the ground on all occasions. A centimetre or two above the ground on this field just doesn't cut it and you "will" walk over a lot of soft targets that will be gold. It is for this reason I highly recommend you pack a spare skid plate in your kit as the ground out here is very abrasive to your coil covers.

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From here the goldfield crosses the Camerons Corner road and heads east to the Nuggety Gully and Tunnel Hill deposit. This was very rich for the old timers and still remains an area where it gives up gold consistently for the operators who go slow enough and scrape their coils. The surrounding hills are a source of many small patches and most come from shale covered hills devoid of the usual quartz strewn fields.

Heading east from here you will come to the Easter Monday Diggins which are just out
of the town of Tibooburra itself. This field is generally the first area most prospectors tend to visit because of its close proximity to the town itself. The field was extremely rich with surface gold and as such the whole area was worked with dry blowers by the old timers. With the use of a sturdy rake, and the will to rake down these mullock heaps, it is almost impossible to walk away without finding some of the thousands of small nuggets the old timers missed. Again.....low, slow and scrape the ground with your coil.

A friend of mine on our last trip out there raked down one such heap and worked it for 3 days netting him 14 grams of very small nuggets and detectable flakes. Some of the old dry blowers were not well maintained and threw out more than they captured. This field is extremely mineralized and unfortunately only the latest technology machines will be of use out here. VLF machines will drive you mad with ground noise and the numerous hot rocks the place is famous for. Gpx 4500, 5000, 6000, Z 7000 and SDC are by far your best bets.

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The area surrounding Tibooburra is covered by a "common" area and this still produces gold but not anywhere in the numbers of the better known fields mentioned earlier. My advice to newcomers is work the known fields if you just want to have fun and take home a bit of gold for your efforts. If you want to get serious and possibly find a "Patch", then work the perimeters of these fields and the country joining these fields. That is where your bigger gold will be found, but be prepared to sometimes go days with no results. Either way the scenery, the abundant wild goats, emus, wedgetail eagles, Sturt's desert pea in flower and brilliant night sky's will be reward enough for those who venture into NSW's best known desert goldfield.

We ourselves hope to be back out there soon as because of COVID border closures we have spent the last three winters out there instead of our usual 3 month pilgrimage to the WA goldfields. We first visited the area 40 years ago and it still has the same drawcard now as it did way back then....It is hard not to fall in love with the place....good luck to all who venture out that way and may the gold gods be kind to you. Cheers Wal.

I inserted this video for those with a keen eye to see the type of terrane that the better nuggets come from.
Please note that most of the better nuggets come from shale slopes devoid of most quartz as is seen on the quartz strewn flats.

 
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I’m reluctantly just heading home from Tib, and having just read the above excellent description of the place, I could not agree more..... what a beautiful part of the country.
However, the gold is becoming somewhat harder to consistently find in the quantity to cover expenses. That is certainly the case for me on this trip, especially with the price of diesel atm. ($2.60/l) up there. .... pretty crowded out too just now and there is a lot of Covid and flu going around. So if you’re thinking of heading up I suggest you take the necessary precautions as a couple of my travelling colleagues tested positive while there.
A trip to remember for all the wrong reasons unfortunately.
Anyway Wal, keep those inspiring tales and knowledgeable facts about Tibooburra and other places coming, there will always be another trip around the corner.
 
Sorry to hear about the Covid Ozzie...Did you camp in isolation on the fields or stay in the crowded caravan park. We always camp away from the mob and on the last trip, {last winter} didn't see another soul for the fortnight we were up there. We tend to camp up in the ridge lines between fields completely out of view. Last winter the caravan park was packed and an expensive place to stay. Our camp fee was just 5 bucks a night so very economical for the length of time we spent. If ever you go back up there Ozzie send me a PM and I can maybe give you some additional info that may help with the amount of gold you take home.
 
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Great report. Thanks Wal.
What is the best time of the year weather wise to head up there.
May go for some sight seeing and a bit of detecting one of these days.

A lot go up there at the start of winter but for me the weather is too cold then. I find the best months to be August and September as many have left by then and the daytime temps are moderate enough to not need jackets while detecting.. Night time is still cold enough to enjoy a campfire without freezing the toes off.
 
A good write up Wal. We got back a day or so before the school holidays started. There was a constant stream of caravans and campers heading north at that time. Thank goodness the area is quite large as there would be a lot of coils on the ground. If you were up there at the moment we’d be able to play “where’s Wally.”
 
We met Jack and Lola on a cruise ship to Tahiti and they were wonderful jolly people we had a ball together. They owned Pulgamurtie Station back then on the 90's. Had a great offer to visit but never got to it due to weather etc.
 
I’m reluctantly just heading home from Tib, and having just read the above excellent description of the place, I could not agree more..... what a beautiful part of the country.
However, the gold is becoming somewhat harder to consistently find in the quantity to cover expenses. That is certainly the case for me on this trip, especially with the price of diesel atm. ($2.60/l) up there. .... pretty crowded out too just now and there is a lot of Covid and flu going around. So if you’re thinking of heading up I suggest you take the necessary precautions as a couple of my travelling colleagues tested positive while there.
A trip to remember for all the wrong reasons unfortunately.
Anyway Wal, keep those inspiring tales and knowledgeable facts about Tibooburra and other places coming, there will always be another trip around the corner.
Hope you didn't get that trick little camper dirty and dusty bloke ? :confused:😂🤣
 
A good write up Wal. We got back a day or so before the school holidays started. There was a constant stream of caravans and campers heading north at that time. Thank goodness the area is quite large as there would be a lot of coils on the ground. If you were up there at the moment we’d be able to play “where’s Wally.”
That has happened to me on quite a few occasions Les...most don't find me as I'm not where most are detecting mate. We spend all our time looking for "Patches" or revisiting patches we have previously found and chaining the perimeters of them. Will probably be up there in a month or so if all pans out well. Catch up on a hunt soon.
 
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Didn’t take it mate.... glamped it in one of the dongas in the CP.
Wished I had have knowing what I now know....

Nothing better than waking up on the field Ozzie, and detecting a few nuggets before breakfast. Basing oneself in the Caravan Park and driving off each day certainly limits the amount of time one is swinging a coil.
 
Hi WalnLiz
Thanks for your generous information.
We are camped about 12kms out of Tibooburra at the moment.
So with your info I will look further afield.
I have found 2 small tiddlers so far.
Cheers Andy

Good to see that you have a couple so far Andy....don't forget to scrape your coil and work at a snails pace. You're about the necessary distance out of Tibo to start your searching. If you get desperate go to Easter Monday and rake down some dry blower heaps until you find one that produces. You should be able to get at least 10 little bits a day for your effort.
 
Well, I’m calling this little parcel my Corona Gold since testing positive after catching it in Tib last week. Got these 21 bits before I had to high tail it home..... was it worth getting crook for ???
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Was it worth getting sick for....maybe not, but was the experience gained worth it....maybe yes. The next trip will be better for the knowledge gained and the gold is welcome, but not the be all when you visit areas like Tibo.
 
Was it worth getting sick for....maybe not, but was the experience gained worth it....maybe yes. The next trip will be better for the knowledge gained and the gold is welcome, but not the be all when you visit areas like Tibo.
Tib is one of our favourite places on the planet. Not just for the gold but for the ambience of the country. The Tibooburra goldfields are situated in unique country. We have always had a great deal of fun staying in the caravan park and socialising with others, both prospectors and tourists. Years ago we used to stay out on the fields but as one gets older the temptation of water, power and heater for the cold nights is too great. Last year our visit was limited to two weeks and we only detected for about 3 or 4 hours a day. Most of the time we simply enjoyed the warm weather and lazed about in the sun. Gold is not the big driver it once was. Years ago when we could camp on the common and most of the other fields such as Mt Brown and Mt Pool we did so and found our share of gold. Up to a few years ago we were still finding over a thousand little bits for a few weeks work but the weight wasn't a lot even then. Maybe an ounce or two. Back around I wrote my first Ebook on how and where to find gold at Tib. I finally followed it up with a paper version that was a huge success. I kept updating it every year but as sales have dropped off I stopped printing them. That was only last year.

Unfortunately we may never get back to Tibooburra but we have some wonderful memories of a unique and wonderful place.

Over 1000 little Tibooburra nuggets.
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Tib is one of our favourite places on the planet. Not just for the gold but for the ambience of the country. The Tibooburra goldfields are situated in unique country. We have always had a great deal of fun staying in the caravan park and socialising with others, both prospectors and tourists. Years ago we used to stay out on the fields but as one gets older the temptation of water, power and heater for the cold nights is too great. Last year our visit was limited to two weeks and we only detected for about 3 or 4 hours a day. Most of the time we simply enjoyed the warm weather and lazed about in the sun. Gold is not the big driver it once was. Years ago when we could camp on the common and most of the other fields such as Mt Brown and Mt Pool we did so and found our share of gold. Up to a few years ago we were still finding over a thousand little bits for a few weeks work but the weight wasn't a lot even then. Maybe an ounce or two. Back around I wrote my first Ebook on how and where to find gold at Tib. I finally followed it up with a paper version that was a huge success. I kept updating it every year but as sales have dropped off I stopped printing them. That was only last year.

Unfortunately we may never get back to Tibooburra but we have some wonderful memories of a unique and wonderful place.

Over 1000 little Tibooburra nuggets.
View attachment 3183
It seems my eyes were worse than I thought. The above is not Tibooburra gold at all but WA gold.
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This shot shows some very tiny Tibooburra gold. The shot on the left is mostly tiny bird shot and illustrates just how small the gold is. The gold in the rocks is no bigger.
 

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