Eldorado / Beechworth area information and questions
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If you are talking about going detecting at Eldorado, (the place between Wangaratta and Beechworth) my advice would be don't, nuggety gold in that area is as rare as rocking horse poop. Take a shovel and a pan you'll probably do much better.
Adam
Adam
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How'd you go Cookie? There's plenty of gold out there, its just tiny! Did you end up swinging at all?
Cheers
Adam
Cheers
Adam
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Do you have the opportunity to get out there much?
If you are ever in the area again I'd be happy to share a little of what I know, not that I'm an expert but it'll definitely get some color in your pan. I typically only ever get up there one maybe two weekends a month but if you happen to be in the area at the same time don't be a stranger.
Cheers
Adam
If you are ever in the area again I'd be happy to share a little of what I know, not that I'm an expert but it'll definitely get some color in your pan. I typically only ever get up there one maybe two weekends a month but if you happen to be in the area at the same time don't be a stranger.
Cheers
Adam
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Yep, as Brad said Reedy Creek is a bloody good place to start but if you head down there in the next week of so make sure you have a scuba tank so you can get to the bottom and a good bit of rope to stop yourself getting swept away. With this rain it'll be a raging torrent. If you are ever fortunate enough to see that creek in flood its a real monster and and the falls are an absolutely spectacular sight!
Good luck
Adam
Good luck
Adam
after a quick search on this are I came up with this ..
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/29739181?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/60281243?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com
hope this helps
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/29739181?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/60281243?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com
hope this helps
SWright
Steve Wright
Hi All
I have finally talked my Home-Based-Manager-Accountant into going to Eldorado in January. I have never been there, other than to drive through it on our way to a cheese factory or winery and was not allowed to stop and have a pan or chat with a prospector. I was told once I got into that we would never get to the cheese factory or whatever. The question is, and not to get someones best spot, where should I go on Reedy Creek to get some decent gold. I have seen pictures on this and other blogs and it seems to be variably. In my region we generally go for good sized traps and down on the bottom but I have been told that the gold at Eldorado it is all near the surface and flood gold - like Oallen Ford.
In have a small "stealth" highbanker (battery and bilge pump type) and pans and seives etc. I have also read that its probably not worth taking a detector.
Any advice or pictures would be great. Maybe I will see some people from the forum there. Going 2 January to 15 January 2014.
All the best
Araluen
I have finally talked my Home-Based-Manager-Accountant into going to Eldorado in January. I have never been there, other than to drive through it on our way to a cheese factory or winery and was not allowed to stop and have a pan or chat with a prospector. I was told once I got into that we would never get to the cheese factory or whatever. The question is, and not to get someones best spot, where should I go on Reedy Creek to get some decent gold. I have seen pictures on this and other blogs and it seems to be variably. In my region we generally go for good sized traps and down on the bottom but I have been told that the gold at Eldorado it is all near the surface and flood gold - like Oallen Ford.
In have a small "stealth" highbanker (battery and bilge pump type) and pans and seives etc. I have also read that its probably not worth taking a detector.
Any advice or pictures would be great. Maybe I will see some people from the forum there. Going 2 January to 15 January 2014.
All the best
Araluen
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No, definitely don't bother with a detector. Highly unlikely you will find any gold (not impossible of course) in that region as most of it is very fine.
Eldorado has lots of gold, as in its just about everywhere in the creek, however finding concentrated pockets of gold is a whole other thing. The only advice I can offer is test pan, and test pan lots. There is lots of surface gold but in my experience I have found by far the best gold has always been down deeper, the trouble is finding it!! Often when I'm testing new places I'll try and get down a foot or two, sometimes you'll hit bedrock or unmoveable rock quite quickly, other times your get 2 or 3 feet down and still be digging the same looking gravel - rocky type wash as what was on the surface, what you want to look for is a change in the material as you get down further. Try and identify older layers of the creek bed and that's generally (but not always) where the better gold is hiding.
Good luck!
Adam
Eldorado has lots of gold, as in its just about everywhere in the creek, however finding concentrated pockets of gold is a whole other thing. The only advice I can offer is test pan, and test pan lots. There is lots of surface gold but in my experience I have found by far the best gold has always been down deeper, the trouble is finding it!! Often when I'm testing new places I'll try and get down a foot or two, sometimes you'll hit bedrock or unmoveable rock quite quickly, other times your get 2 or 3 feet down and still be digging the same looking gravel - rocky type wash as what was on the surface, what you want to look for is a change in the material as you get down further. Try and identify older layers of the creek bed and that's generally (but not always) where the better gold is hiding.
Good luck!
Adam
Golden Tiger
Trent
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Hey SWright,
I've been there twice now and I love the area, unfortunatly as stated above a lot of it is float gold. If your like me try not to get too bogged down looking for other gem stones if you there for gold. The best places to look is at any rockey outcrops and do a few test pans. With Eldorado I find its not so much where you dig rather than the quantity of dirt you process.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
GT
I've been there twice now and I love the area, unfortunatly as stated above a lot of it is float gold. If your like me try not to get too bogged down looking for other gem stones if you there for gold. The best places to look is at any rockey outcrops and do a few test pans. With Eldorado I find its not so much where you dig rather than the quantity of dirt you process.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
GT
A good starting point at Eldorado is the ford across the creek ( Kangaroo crossing ) about 5 kms above the town. Best to try and walk upstream from there and see if you can get away from vehicle access tracks as these areas have been worked very hard over the last 20 years since the last really good flood. Look for crevices in the granite that have hard packed material in them and work these. Also test pan across the stream flow to see if you can locate a gutter or pay streak that carrys better gold & tin. Tin is the heavy black sand that you end up with in the bottom of the pan that also makes getting the gold into a corner almost impossible in this creek. My advise would be to carry a poverty pot and put your concentrates in that & deal with them when you get home.
Around the chinese gardens which ar downstream from the crossing used to be good too. however they are easily accessed so would have had a flogging.
Around the chinese gardens which ar downstream from the crossing used to be good too. however they are easily accessed so would have had a flogging.
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I only been there once & went with a group. I'd say maybe 500M -1K downstream of the crossing. Maybe that's these old chinese gardens?
Anyhow, there's a track that comes off the main road & runs along side of it & the creek.
We went about half way don that track & did our thing in the creek there.
Highbank, trommel, panning & sluicing was in order for the weekend.
we were digging the dark/black streaks on the top of the clay surfaces & did allright - lookd more than what it was but nice colour in the pan.
Anyhow, there's a track that comes off the main road & runs along side of it & the creek.
We went about half way don that track & did our thing in the creek there.
Highbank, trommel, panning & sluicing was in order for the weekend.
we were digging the dark/black streaks on the top of the clay surfaces & did allright - lookd more than what it was but nice colour in the pan.
