2024 Clermont??

[LORD]

Planning my first trip to Qld gold feilds around late June early July with the wife.
While I am perfectly comfortable with travelling around the WA goldfeilds and the tenaments, rule ect and Vic goldfeilds are a breeze I have zero idea about Qld, where to go and what to do.
Going to Clermont and was planning on bush camping but it seems like this is not an option in this part of Qld?? Would that mean I need to set up in Claremont Caravan park and drive in daily? No idea where to detect but I assume I can pick up maps when there on the allowed areas. Is there diggings to focus on like say Vic or more just reading the ground and swinging in virgin bush?
Also is the time of year I picked ok in regards to weather and undergrowth
Will appreciate any info that may be of help

 

[grubstake]

There's quite a bit of relevant info in this thread:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/threads/national-lampoons-clermont-tour.41852/

 

[johnf1961]

Planning my first trip to Qld gold feilds around late June early July with the wife.
While I am perfectly comfortable with travelling around the WA goldfeilds and the tenaments, rule ect and Vic goldfeilds are a breeze I have zero idea about Qld, where to go and what to do.
Going to Clermont and was planning on bush camping but it seems like this is not an option in this part of Qld?? Would that mean I need to set up in Claremont Caravan park and drive in daily? No idea where to detect but I assume I can pick up maps when there on the allowed areas. Is there diggings to focus on like say Vic or more just reading the ground and swinging in virgin bush?
Also is the time of year I picked ok in regards to weather and undergrowth
Will appreciate any info that may be of help

Hey Jay, my wife and i go to Mt Hogan a few times a year and camping is around lake Fred which has 3 areas to camp on.
Karon is a full time care taker and is always very helpful to newcomers to the area but no phone reception and you need to bring in all your supplies
including drinking water.
look up Gilberton Gold and it brings up a link to camping area , rules and all other info.
Still plenty of gold around but you need to do a lot of walking.

 

[LORD]

Thanks @johnf1961 I hadn't heard of this one and had a quick read.
Im travelling from South Australia so that's an extra days drive either way for us but ill do some more reading on the area

 

[Moneybox]

We went to Flat Creek station the year before last. It was just $10 a night with adequate camping facilities and we came away with a few grams.

 

[XLOOX]

Lake Fred at Mt Hogan is a lovely place to camp and Karon is very helpful but you will need to bring EVERYTHING including drinking water & toilet.

It used to be a popular place for the CQ Detecting Club (Rockhampton) annual outing but I think that lack of amenities and the usual reduction in easy gold have pushed them to Lornevale/Western Ck. I might be wrong on that.

The road in from the Gregory Development Rd is used by mine vehicles & a lot of others & is wide and good condition.

A lot of grass up there in a good season & it is a well stocked station so they dont burn off.

When I was there last year a guy had just found a 100g specie ( dunno gold content but looked pretty high). That got us excited for a few days but the grass beat us in the end.

 

[XLOOX]

Regarding Clermont,

The caravan park in town, the Theresa Ck Dam caravan park and ML1870 are the only legal places to camp.

Blackridge GPA is a very grey area - It used to be ok for very short stay but I think it is now illegal but not policed. Theresa Ck Dam is very nice but too far from the GPAs IMHO. I am unclear on ML1870 rates - it was very cheap but I think not now. Caravan Park in town puts you 20-30min drive to the GPA boundary so not bad. You wont be alone there !

The GPAs themselves are all fenced on the sides that dont border tarmac & have clear access signs on the turns off the tarmac so it is very difficult to go astray.

Trilobite has them all marked out or you can get the maps from :

https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/a...g/fossicking-areas-in-queensland/central-gold

They are all easy to drive around in a 2WD with clearance but you wouldnt take a trailer of any sort onto minor tracks. Phone reception is extremely variable and there is zero water except cattle dams.

Other than obviously poor sandy/clay ground with no gravel layer underneath ( check !) I would say just go for it - I mean the areas where the old diggings were have been flogged but still produces small bits, areas off the beaten track will produce fewer targets of all types but def some of them are gold. As usual quartz & ironstone ( especially both together) are a good indicator.

 

[Dave's Office]

I did my first detecting trip to Clermont in central during the Covid lockdowns, was supposed to be going to WA but that wasn't an option so went to Clermont, I had no idea what to expect and it turned out to be a great trip and learning experience. The GPAs are easy to get to and the Caravan Park was full of prospectors and a great place to stay, it's a great little town with great people and services and I found a bit of gold as most people do. The only downside of the trip was I had to drive home via Mt Isa and Alice Springs as SA shut the border to NSW. My advice would be to stay at the Caravan Park but you need to book early, you'll enjoy it there and probably find some gold. Cheers and good luck.

 

[LORD]

Regarding Clermont,

The caravan park in town, the Theresa Ck Dam caravan park and ML1870 are the only legal places to camp.

Blackridge GPA is a very grey area - It used to be ok for very short stay but I think it is now illegal but not policed. Theresa Ck Dam is very nice but too far from the GPAs IMHO. I am unclear on ML1870 rates - it was very cheap but I think not now. Caravan Park in town puts you 20-30min drive to the GPA boundary so not bad. You wont be alone there !

The GPAs themselves are all fenced on the sides that dont border tarmac & have clear access signs on the turns off the tarmac so it is very difficult to go astray.

Trilobite has them all marked out or you can get the maps from :

https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/a...g/fossicking-areas-in-queensland/central-gold

They are all easy to drive around in a 2WD with clearance but you wouldnt take a trailer of any sort onto minor tracks. Phone reception is extremely variable and there is zero water except cattle dams.

Other than obviously poor sandy/clay ground with no gravel layer underneath ( check !) I would say just go for it - I mean the areas where the old diggings were have been flogged but still produces small bits, areas off the beaten track will produce fewer targets of all types but def some of them are gold. As usual quartz & ironstone ( especially both together) are a good indicator.

Thanks for the information @XLOOX i have trilobite and use it religiously for WA tenements so will invest in the Qld subscription.
I have a 4wd so no issues getting around by the sounds, Theresa dam sounds like my camp ground as i cant commit an exact date until a week or two prior and guessing the caravan park in town will be booked up
If the whole GPA area could produce should i focus on gullys and slopes, when you say gravel layer im assuming just scratch around and make sure there is something other than just sand and dirt under the surface.
I dont mind hunting in the flogged diggings to get a little then be a pioneer and explore the virgin but on a time sensitive schedule i find myself gravitating towards the diggings lol

 

[Calico]

McDonald’s Flat GPA is 5 mins from Clermont town and still produces if your persistent, I’ve heard of nugs to 8 grams recently, has been flogged yet somehow keeps giving but this is not the norm usually sub grammers, lots of dozer scrapings etc there and closest to Theresa ck dam side of town. The other GPAs all produce gold with some solid pieces still found in less frequented areas. A 4 ounce nug found not long ago with the 7 , search YouTube or Facebook, Maybee drop in to the local detecting store in town for more info if needed. Don’t expect big pieces though look for shallow ground as you would normally or hit any diggings for some smalls. Plenty of diggings to choose from in trilobite if that’s your thing.. If you’re chasing dreams walk well away from the tracks and bush bash into remote areas for a better chance. Nice time of year then, plenty of options to choose from. As for scratching the ground to find the gravel layer the Clermont alluvial fields are vast. Lots of wash and gravel over a huge area though some spots have a distinct layer of topsoil not worth wasting your time, easily spotted. Good luck keep us posted !