5000 or 6000 for Vic goldfields?

[lurchwa]

Gday all,
Further to my last post about detecting in the Bendigo area.
The planning and getting stuff ready is getting into full swing (no pun intended)
I have a 5000 & 6000 and enjoy using both and appreciate that they both have their strengths and weaknesses but I might not have the luxury of bringing both on the trip.
I have only ever detected in WA so am a complete noob for the conditions that I might encounter in the Bendigo area.
Which one would you bring with you?

 

[grubstake]

I have only ever detected in WA so am a complete noob for the conditions that I might encounter in the Bendigo area.

There's more undergrowth and leaf/branch litter than WA and generally high mineralisation wherever you go, with more plentiful hot rocks too. You'll be prospecting areas that were discovered much earlier than WA and are only a couple of hours from a major city and closer still to Bendigo and Ballarat which are both bigger than any WA inland town. Hence, wherever you go in the Golden Triangle has seen far more old-time and modern prospectors than most parts of the more remote and scattered WA goldfields. Snakes are more plentiful too.

Either of your detectors will work very well in Victoria - the lightness of the 6000 might be the deciding factor for you.

 

[lurchwa]

cheers Grubstake

 

[Hawkear]

There's more undergrowth and leaf/branch litter than WA and generally high mineralisation wherever you go, with more plentiful hot rocks too. You'll be prospecting areas that were discovered much earlier than WA and are only a couple of hours from a major city and closer still to Bendigo and Ballarat which are both bigger than any WA inland town. Hence, wherever you go in the Golden Triangle has seen far more old-time and modern prospectors than most parts of the more remote and scattered WA goldfields. Snakes are more plentiful too.

Either of your detectors will work very well in Victoria - the lightness of the 6000 might be the deciding factor for you.

Agree with that. I
The soil depth profiles in Victoria range from a few inches on shallow hillsides to many feet in depth in the flats and gullies and all range of depths in between. In many cases the soils have been turned over by old and even modern workings.
I have and still use both machines.
The 6000 with a small coil is dynamite for shallow and turned over areas.
The 5000 with a 12” NF evo is still a potent search weapon and has the potential with a larger coil to go really deep when needed in deeper ground.

 

[lurchwa]

cheers Hawkear

I am hoping to have a few extra days in the area to visit more of the places I am reading about. Some camping on site and day trips to others.