Which state?

[cairnspom]

I'll apologise in advance for the long winded post!
I have just been notified I'm getting a 'bequest' from the U.K. from an aunt who recently passed (gotta love her!)
It wont be mega bucks, and I'm sure the sensible thing to do would be chuck it into my super....but I was never good at being sensible!
Not sure of the amount yet, but seemingly it should be enough to allow me maybe a year off, and I wondered about trying 'prospecting full time' I dont have 'rosy tinted' ideas, indeed, it probably would just end up as a long 'holiday' doing something I enjoy, and is unlikely to really pay off, but you never know!
Now I come to the question! From what I have seen, this would not be legal in Qld, with a fossicking license, though it might be possible with a 'district' prospecting permit (at $115 a month!) So how would this differ with the various regulations in other states? Are you allowed to ,prospect' as a business?
The alternative would be to look at a small mining lease somewhere, but I am even more dubious about the chances of making a 'profit' from this, if there really is payable dirt there, I dont see someone selling it!

 

[XIV]

Why would it not be legal in qld
you pay for the right with a fossicking license to find gold/gems.
Wether you do it full-time or not it is classified as a hobby
even with a claim
you are a hobby miner.
and i belive a hobby miner can earn up to 100k a year before you pay royalties
please correct me if I'm wrong tho.

 

[cairnspom]

No you may well be right, thats why I'm asking the question lol, but reading this bit....

You can sell the occasional lucky find of a gemstone or sell and trade to hobbyists or through fairs and exhibitions. However, repeated removal for sale through shops or businesses, or as part of making a living, is considered commercial, and requires tenure under the Mineral Resources Act 1989.

Royalties are payable on fossicking materials that are the property of the Crown, but threshold exemptions of $100,000 mean that generally most fossickers are

seems to imply you cannot do it to make a profit

 

[XIV]

Thats simple
trade in your gold at the end of the year
(You had a really lucky week prospecting )
Is that not a lucky find

 

[cairnspom]

Indeed! or you can say you found it all in WA! I do realise there are ways round it, what I was looking at is if there is any way of actually doing it legitimately! with Qld being the most over-regulated state!

 

[XIV]

Nope
is the simplest answer
most of the guys send it off to WA i think
gold for cash

 

[cairnspom]

sounds about right!

Now I want to know if this would be legitimate if I was prospecting in another state, with the appropriate license/miners right?

 

[Moneybox]

I'd be more concerned about finding that quantity of gold first

 

[cairnspom]

yes!.....something like 60 oz I'd guess!.....no I dont really expect it to actually pay, but it would be a lot of fun trying!....and you never know....that nuggets out there somewhere!

 

[cairnspom]

Interesting comparing the miners rights state to state. I guess nobody finds gold in SA....in theory you are not allowed to sell what you find!

WA effectively 25g a day...more if its in big nuggets up to 5 nuggets in 48 hours

and the difference in access rules is quite confusing! at least here in Qld we know we're not really allowed anywhere!

 

[Moneybox]

It WA there's not too much ground we can't get access to. We can go on to crown land and pending leases. If there's a chunk of land tied up by a big mining company then we can apply for a 40E permit. The form is readily available from the minerals and petroleum website. You have to do a little research on Tengraph, Geomap or Google Earth to find the lease details before filling out the form. Once submitted you usually get a reply in a few days but you should send the application 21 days before you attempt to access the site. In most cases you can camp where you prospect.

 

[rc62burke]

Cairnspom
Mate there is enough land that is accessible in NQ that you could not work it in 10 lifetimes, once you have access you are free to partake in your hobby without any further thought, there are plenty of "Pay to detect" places where you can find "Gold", but this really depends on your level of experience, correct me if I am wrong !!!!! (not having a go at you) you are new to this game aren't you????? I would suggest you use this year to consolidate your skills whilst still working whatever job you currently do & then take the plunge next year when you have more experience.

You are talking about something that most of us would love to do!!!!! good luck.
cheers
Lee

 

[cairnspom]

Thanks for the info money box

Lee, thanks for your post, and that is very much the idea. I dont expect to receive the money for 6 months or maybe a yeay, this is very much to do with research and forward planning. It is my intention to try my luck/learn arround here, perhaps georgetown/forsayth and or palmer for 'trips away' , and hopefully by the end of that I may have learnt enough to make it worthwhile.....but its never too early to start research eh!