Eldorado, the good, the bad.

[Goldtarget]

So let's kick it off by saying I love the place. Today's negatives, the water levels downstream are almost piddly pools, even the yabbies are heading to dry storage hiding in the crevices I was working. Barely enough water at Chinese gardens for panning let alone a Highbanker. Secondly the amount of rubbish I picked up was a big concern hope the Rangers pick you up you turds. Old GT sorted it out much to my disgust. Lastly tales of great gold from the locals sadly needing a flood to give things a kick start is needed.

The good. The weather was awesome. Full on shoveling barely breaking a sweat. Ran into an old prospector and spent a couple of hours just chatting. The only older thing around was the hills this bloke in his later years (nearing the ton) having a dig a pan and a highbank and me the young whipper snapper locked in deep conversation about prospecting.

He was recalling tales of cross country exploits and I was taken in by his stories. Gave him a couple of spots to have a look at and swapped details certainly a bloke I would love to catch up with again. Gave up a few hours just to enjoy some time sharing a passion.

Crevices at eldorado are a bust I have to say. I cleaned out a ridiculous amount of glass and lead for such a tiny return. I am now convinced the theory of volume is the only way to put color in the snuffer. Huge chunky black sands, and a juicy bedrock crevice could not compete with gravel bar shoveling. I moved some huge rocks and Eldorado laughed at me. I'll get some pics of the spoils if I get a chance during the week, brought home the cons and as everybody is aware it takes a while to get through those black sands.

 

[stoyve]

Nice work gt, it's always a good practice to spend time with the older folk, its a two way street.
You learn from there experience and they enjoy the interaction with others which can often be rare for some in there latter years.
He seems like a go getter and that's why he's still alive.
Thanks for the share.
Cheers Steve

 

[yobskin]

I hope i get "the time a day" from a young fella when im "gumming away on stone fruit" later on down the track.
Hope future gens dont turn out too materialistic...
GT top work mate i get along with older lads better seems we have better listening skills.

 

[DigginForGold]

Have to agree with you about the rubbish. How lazy can people be? The other day when I was there I found three shopping bags full of trash from campers hidden away under a large fallen tree. What the hell? If you're going to go to the effort to pick it up and bag it up, why then just walk into the scrub and dump it? How lazy can you be? I mean, it would be easier at that point to just take it home and pop it in the bin rather than walking into the bush to dump it. Does my head in. Suffice to say I cam home with a lot more trash finds than I did gold finds.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Gee, brings back memories Goldtarget. Back in the early seventies i used to trap and shoot rabbits up around Eldorado fulltime for a while and pan (badly) for gold in the creek upstream of the town. Didn't get much gold, but used to get lots of tin and rough diamonds.
Magic part of Australia, you've fired me up to make a trip back there and see if i can locate my old haunts.

 

[docjohnson9]

Respect nature and nature will respect you.

 

[Goldtarget]

Nice work gt, it's always a good practice to spend time with the older folk, its a two way street.
You learn from there experience and they enjoy the interaction with others which can often be rare for some in there latter years.
He seems like a go getter and that's why he's still alive.
Thanks for the share.
Cheers Steve

The bloke blew me away. 92 if I remember correctly but he could have easily passed for late 60s spritely and not at all impeded. He was having a full on dig. I let go of a few haunts I had saved for myself in the mud maps I drew and he responded in kind. I tell ya these wiley old fellas have seen some country and he had me glued to his tales and reports from some more exotic locales.
He like me is an alluvial prospector and I know I had been thinking that day I'll sneak up to Eldorado for one last hurrah before throwing in the towel. But he had me spellbound I was like a little kid on my grandads knee again.

Being from all over the country he was giving up the dirt. We forget the spirit these old fellas have in guiding a bloke in the right direction. I was humbled. Even USA had seen his shovel! Who knows I might one day be able to make the trek. We shared a laugh about the women folk not understanding the fever. Sure did feel good having a laugh and parting with a firm handshake.

 

[Goldtarget]

Gee, brings back memories Goldtarget. Back in the early seventies i used to trap and shoot rabbits up around Eldorado fulltime for a while and pan (badly) for gold in the creek upstream of the town. Didn't get much gold, but used to get lots of tin and rough diamonds.
Magic part of Australia, you've fired me up to make a trip back there and see if i can locate my old haunts.

Do it mate I reckon that place just has a knack of making a great time of it no matter what. Even the pa camp I came up crook for a while and still had a ripping time. Not sure how many rabbits are around haha, national park and all now.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Rabbits are gone mate, used to trap and shoot 100 pair on a good night, sell the bunnies to the freezer, have a feed and blow most of what i earned in the wang pub, have a sleep at camp and go out the next night and do it all again. I loved that country, we used to dig the old bottles out of the old gold pits where the bush pubs used to be out from town. Probably all parks and manicured now. I wish i'd have been with you for that chin wag goldtarget. I get a real kick out of meeting the old bush blokes, so much knowledge that's getting lost as they fall off the perch.

 

[Goldtarget]

He swore to me he pulled some China (the good stuff) from a crevice and then one from a different set in another spot another time. Honestly mate I can't say yay or nay but it was a bloody good story. There's a steady stream of PA guys go through there. Almost without exception I'll go say hi if others are around I'm sure he will be back. I'll definitely give him a call next time I head up I reckon he'd be willing to have another chat and a dig.

 

[SCROUNGER]

I reckon that's half the fun of it goldtarget. Like most old bushoes, they can spin a yarn, based on fact for the most part, but often stretched enough to make it interesting and have you guessing which is which. Those old country blokes and girls are the real 'gems' out in the bush that are often overlooked by those in the cities that just want to lock up the bush and not let anybody 'use it'.

 

[Goldtarget]

So that's the first crevice. The gold was so pitiful I won't embarrass myself putting it up. 8.( .As the two wise men say crevices at Eldorado......... Busted.
There can only be two explanations. One I was correct in assuming that the flour gold of Eldorado is just too fine to concentrate in the crevices and on any gold field with bodied gold this would be the place to find it where the glass heavies and lead get trapped.

Number two explanation is the crevice was done already and the bonanza that should have been there was already gone and the heavies are from someone else's concentrate they dumped back in. Possibly also I was too far downstream for larger bodied accumulation.

Admittedly the second explanation is plausible but I think I'll go back to the gravel bars that prospectors around the country seem to work and do well at. A past well known member pulled a couple of smallish clunkers in the gravel bars that can be seen in his videos, proof enough for me time spent shoveling the bars is better return than scratching in the crevices.

 

[golddiggerart]

Good Golding mate hope you get lots of colour in your pan.

 

[Dug]

Goldtarget you have terrific enthusiasm for what you do ,it's a great read and your explanations of where to search In creeks a few weeks ago was playing in my head as I was wandering down a creek last weekend in regards to picturing a full flood .Different cenarios play over time and time again ,the trick is to recognise each possibility and test it.
Good luck with the cons.

 

[Goldtarget]

I appreciate your words mate. If anything I've imparted gets you some gold or puts you in a better spot then that's great. There are better minds than mine out there and helping each other is reward itself.

 

[DetectaDave]

I have to agree in regards to the rubbish left behind. This weekend I have seen tins left in fireplaces, bags of rubbish left behind a tree in a hole, cans, bottles, and other new rubbish, obviously hurled out the window of a moving vehicle. I have seen a prospector camped out with a fox terrier type dog (illegal in a N/P.), a dredger, huge damage done by prospectors and not covered up. Piles of rocks left in obvious places. It's pretty simple. If we want to keep access to the creek we need to clean up our act literally. It was only a month or so back that a group removed a trailer load of rubbish from the area between the crossing and Eldorado. Its just as bad again.
The mess, the rubbish and the illegal activity going on is a disgrace. Time for everyone to be a little more aware and clean up when you leave the creek.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Hear, hear, couldn't agree more. Out in the forest around Creswick people seem to think the old digging pits are for them to top up with their plastic rubbish bags!! I can't understand why you would drive into the bush to dump rubbish when you can get it picked up by the council. I've noticed the same thing when out fishing, they can carry full bottles and cans into a spot but they must be too heavy to take out. Sad case of people not respecting what they have until it's gone.

 

[DetectaDave]

I am sad to say that the rubbish has been left by campers and almost all are prospectors. We need to set an example for others. I took home 2 garbage bags of rubbish left behind by others over the Easter weekend. It's just not good enough. Dogs are also not allowed in National Parks and yet a prospector has one down there. Keep this selfish behaviour up and we all will lose access to the creek at El. and elsewhere.