Advice on the avoca gold fields

[1964kombi]

Hi my daughter and I are planning a detecting trip to Avoca . I have been trying to research the area but there are so many areas I don't know where to start. Could someone give me some advice on what would be a good place to start . We have a GPX5000 and we have put 100s of hours detecting and researching in South Australia but have not yet found any yellow so we have decided to try across the boarder. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks Richard

 

[loamer]

First thing is - have your got your Miners Right? Available on-line,or at the caravan park and must be carried with you while on the gold - no copies, but in the car is fine. Each adult must have one.

Doug Stone has done two maps of that area - Avoca-Homebush and Moonaambel-Redbank. Of course you can head east to Maryborough and take in Lamplough, Bung Bong and Snake Hill and of course Maryborough itself. Some advice - to the west, out towards Number 1 Lead, Number 2 Lead , Fiddlers Creek and Ampitheatre can get steep - Mountain Hut is billy goat territory. east is pretty flat. A lot of the whipstick bxxxxxxd trees in Lamplough but there was back burning a year or so ago. the issue in there is the little burnt stumps are rock hard and you can suffer from 'coil strike' and false signals. a smaller coil may be the go.

The 5000 should do well.

 

[G0lddigg@]

if you buy your miners right online you can print as many copies as you like from in town head nw along the sunraysia highway youll cross two dry creeks and then just around the bend to your left is percydale road follow that down untill it turns right and continues as percydale road. if you're like your history on the right past a goat farm you will come accross Dalys cottage feel free to go in and have a look its a period home and is maintained by the local heritage society.
continue down the road untill you hit quartz you are right in the dump and flood zone of the percydale rush. take the first left then another left under the fallen tree and youll see two puddlers theres two very nice gullies here look fir the flat bars intersecting. from back in tje flood zone you can go down any one of four roads they all lead to a mine.

good luck out there plenty of leads to explore

 

[1964kombi]

if you buy your miners right online you can print as many copies as you like from in town head nw along the sunraysia highway youll cross two dry creeks and then just around the bend to your left is percydale road follow that down untill it turns right and continues as percydale road. if you're like your history on the right past a goat farm you will come accross Dalys cottage feel free to go in and have a look its a period home and is maintained by the local heritage society.
continue down the road untill you hit quartz you are right in the dump and flood zone of the percydale rush. take the first left then another left under the fallen tree and youll see two puddlers theres two very nice gullies here look fir the flat bars intersecting. from back in tje flood zone you can go down any one of four roads they all lead to a mine.

good luck out there plenty of leads to explore

Thanks for the info . Just one question what do you mean by the flat bars intersecting , please excuse my ignorance

 

[G0lddigg@]

hey mate here's a map for your consideration of the area I explained above.

Regarding the flat bars sorry that doesn't read very well... I'll try my best to explain with a drawing.
You can see the gullies in the topography here, when walking these gullies look for flat areas where the gold will stop traveling downward, this might be due to a washout or a depression of sorts, more like a step really. You are going to find plenty of old charge caps from the miners that sound off really nice and they are deep in some areas, but you have to remember that this are has been flooded twice in the last 5 years. Ive panned out flat gold right on the road here.
I know you'll love the Pyrenees if you have a 4wd you can spend weeks driving around this place, not sure if you have an iphone but if you do a great investment is mudmaps gps and you can buy the Pyrenees maps they are priceless have topo and every 4wd /fire track around.

How long are you out there for? might pop out for a coffee one day

 

[dave14110]

please check for leases here as last check I did in area pointed out had leases on them about six months ago.
Area also had signs trespasser's prosecuted. Last check I did had 2 leases one on each hill.

 

[G0lddigg@]

hey dave good point..... there are two leases, one you cant miss because they have now closed the road off with a big bloody bar swinging gate you can find out what they are up to here http://www.gbmgold.com.au/projects/fiddlers-creek and the other is off to the right along fiddlers creek, you are by the way allowed to fossick on a lease just not allowed to remove any minerals. the lease provides exclusive right to the minerals on the lease not exclusive access.

I did look it up recently and although the signs state it was extended untill 2017 i did find a record of the lease being expired. no.4987 theres not real reason to venture onto this property anyway its a buge cliff and theres at least 12 shafts that go down 35 metres i wouldn't want to swing up that hill

 

[dave14110]

This area has had at least 3 large club camp at it in the last 8 months. i would possibly look elsewhere. But you still have to walk over a target to find it.

 

[richard70au]

About 35Km to Dunolly, nice van park and plenty of gold still being pulled from the ground.

Food for thought.

 

[lucky streak]

Hey Richard witch fan park you mean in dunolly there's a few

 

[condor22]

There is 1 caravan park in Dunolly, 1 at Laanacoorie and 2 in Maryborough. Or bush camps at Waanyarra, Karri Track, or like I have, anywhere in State Forrest that looks nice n quiet.

 

[Jon]

Yep agree. Make sure your not on a lease. I went there a while ago and wasn't on the lease but got an earful anyway.

 

[goldtruck59]

Hey Richard

Stuart Mill is not far from Avoca is a beaut place also. There are some nice free camps there as well. We have stayed at the Avoca CP but its a bit ordinary but friendly just the same.
Try Teddington reservoir. Its free camping and has flush toilets. Puts you right amongst the gold area.

 

[new fossils]

Hi guys. I am a newbie and am heading up maryborough avoca way shortly. Anywhere that will allow a small dog on a lead at all times. We have an offroad camper so happy to go total bush but just need to be allowed a dog.
thanks

 

[G0lddigg@]

Coming from melbourne way turn left at the first servo in town then cross the bridge and turn right. Follow that road right out to the pyronese. Keep driving throught the grape vines untill you pass a small creek ford crosaing on the left follow that to the camp grounds. Dog friendly drop loo great spot to camp. Once there if you follow the same road you cane in on the other way you will come to another toilet block. Behind this is a great area to detect several puddlers and heaps of mines shafts dumps around. There was a fire hereany months back and its noce and clear still

 

[condor22]

Be aware that some area of State Forrest and National Parks periodically set 1080 Fox bait.

Taking your dog into state forest is not normally an issue, but you don't want them taking a bait.

Either avoid these areas or leave doggy at home.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Good advice condor22

Ive never seen a baiting program signed out there and there are alot of people out there with dogs every weekend.

 

[condor22]

I've crawled around Avoca, St. Arnaud, Maryborough, Talbot, Dunolly and surrounds all the way up to Inglewood. If you look on trees at the perimeter of some areas, including last year I know at Avoca, 1080 is signed quite well.

I'm sure the Parks authority have an obligation to sign. In fact on a brief browse of Parks Web searching 1080 bait, I got several thousand hits, which show it is mentioned in most park area management plans.