Weekend at donnelys creek

[MurrayC]

I'm still bouncing back and forth to NZ while wife applys for visa. I got back out this weekend however and headed east to Donnelys creek.

Wow what a beauty area! really stunning scenery, nice rivers, great camping, and best of all gold!

Headed out through the traffic on friday night (ugh!) and parked up before O'tools campsite. Tried a few buckets through the sluice in the dark with my headlamp but not much for the effort apart from a mouthful of bugs. Saturday spent a couple of hours exploring about 8km's east of O'tools and there is lots of exposed bedrock all along as far as I went. Finally picked a spot and got down to work. Spent Sat and a few hours Sunday digging out behind a not so obvious bedrock formation and did pretty well. Nothing nuggety, but some good 2-3mm flattened flakes. Biggest stuff I've found so far so I was pretty happy. Pretty sore today from the effort though, think I might get a bar to help break up the riverbed some as its just hard work with a shovel and hand scoop.

Anyways piccys.

thomson dam

Sat morning mist

Donnely creek:

Best sluice cleanout (from about 4 10l buckets)

I have barely any gear yet in Australia so unfortunately no BBQ, but at least was warm.

On the way back out over the aberfeldy river ford.

 

[yobskin]

Nice effort murryc keener than me. Eating bugs with a head lamp lol. :lol: i wish i had creeks like that up here dam jealous azz.

 

[Ryan27]

Great Work Murray,
Thanks for sharing, I am inspired to getup that way and have a crack at that bedrock.

 

[kuskus]

Is this down in the triangle in Victoria? :/

 

[Marimitch]

That place looks fantastic!!

 

[Jaros]

Pretty idyllic area . Who need gold -.......(sorry about that)

 

[MJB]

Great pics Murray c and it must have been beautiful up there. Those exposed bits of bedrock in that creek look very inviting. Get in and clean out every one of those crevices

Good luck

 

[ProspectorPete]

Great part of the world up there Murray, if you head right up to Store Point you'll get to choose between Concord Creek and another little one on the right hand side of it. Be carefully prospecting in Donnellys Creek mate as it's on the exempt list but yep so tempting with all that bedrock across sections of it.
Were there any deer shooters charging around the tracks? We've copped them both times we headed up there recently and they don't slow down when passing you to get to their next location either, fun to follow their conversations on the UHF and get the heads-up when they're heading your way.

 

[outboard]

Is this down in the triangle in Victoria? :/

no mate it is just east of Lake Thomson (dam)
O'Toole's Campground is about half a Klick east from the junction of Donnelly Creek and White Star Creek

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Nice looking country, those rock bars are classic, nice amount of gold for you there from less than 40 l of gravels, I bet you will be back

Cheers, Tone

 

[joao garimpeiro]

I'm still bouncing back and forth to NZ while wife applys for visa. I got back out this weekend however and headed east to Donnelys creek.

Wow what a beauty area! really stunning scenery, nice rivers, great camping, and best of all gold!

Headed out through the traffic on friday night (ugh!) and parked up before O'tools campsite. Tried a few buckets through the sluice in the dark with my headlamp but not much for the effort apart from a mouthful of bugs. Saturday spent a couple of hours exploring about 8km's east of O'tools and there is lots of exposed bedrock all along as far as I went. Finally picked a spot and got down to work. Spent Sat and a few hours Sunday digging out behind a not so obvious bedrock formation and did pretty well. Nothing nuggety, but some good 2-3mm flattened flakes. Biggest stuff I've found so far so I was pretty happy. Pretty sore today from the effort though, think I might get a bar to help break up the riverbed some as its just hard work with a shovel and hand scoop.

Anyways piccys.

thomson dam

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354518_dsc02187.jpg

Sat morning mist

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354541_dsc02259.jpg

Donnely creek:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354881_3.jpg
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354607_15.jpg
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354897_20.jpg

Best sluice cleanout (from about 4 10l buckets)
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354643_dsc02278.jpg

I have barely any gear yet in Australia so unfortunately no BBQ, but at least was warm.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354707_dsc02307.jpg

On the way back out over the aberfeldy river ford.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3726/1414354772_dsc02325.jpg

This place really is fantastic!
NZ or Australia?
It would be a dream for me to go to this place!
fantastic, wonderful!
thanks for posting, mate

 

[Ryan27]

Is this down in the triangle in Victoria? :/

Thompson dam Vic, google it ,very rich gold country.

 

[Prospector B]

I thought this creek was on the exempt list?

http://www.energyandresources.vic.g...requently-asked-questions-about-miners-rights