Gold detecting in rivers

[Guest]

Hello everyone.

First of all this is my first post here.

I'm really enjoying this forum and have learned quite a lot, but haven't read much about detecting rivers.

I've found the odd tiny nugget in streams/creeks before using a shovel and pan, so wondering if a "minelab sdc2300" would work.
(Obviously not if the nugget is under 6 feet of overburden)

Sometimes there are reefs/bedrock under the surface of the water that are exposed with little overburden on them.
My father who dredged rivers 30 years ago also found gold in pieces of quartz just laying on the surface. So I was wondering if anyone has had success detecting rivers.

Im thinking of a few creeks i know that had chinese workings nearby. Some are nearly dry and others have 2-3 feet of water.

I dont have a detector and am trying to weigh up my best options. I live in Gippsland Victoria where most of the gold is deep in the ground. To get over to the golden triangle is going to be tough, although would be good to do sometimes.

Any input would be great as I really don't know what direction to take. I'm thinking the sdc2300 but maybe better to look at the gpz700 when it comes out and detect around old mine sites over here.

 

[Guest]

Hi Jin,

I have the SDC and had the same thought process when I bought it but I have only ever found rubbish in the creeks. Now that's not to say the gold is not there and I m scanning the wrong places buts its difficult to extract a target in 1 or 2 foot of water.

But I have dug out lead and rusty wire from cracks on exposed bedrock, so if the gold is there the SDC will pick it up, 100%.

Watch the forum about the GPZ, a few of the experienced guys here are going to take the plunge and I m sure they will give us a quality review on the new "super detector"

Welcome to the forum, please don't be shy and contribute. You opinions may be as wild and wacky as the rest of us.

RS

 

[lucky streak]

Jin I belong to the pmav where going to warrendyte in three weeks to pan but I'm taking my sd 2100 along to detect under those quartz reef and bedrock.

 

[ProspectorPete]

Jin I belong to the pmav where going to warrendyte in three weeks to pan but I'm taking my sd 2100 along to detect under those quartz reef and bedrock.

If you take your detector to Warrandyte you may become not so lucky, my understanding is pan only, detecting not allowed.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Retirement Stone for your input, much appreciated.

Regarding extracting the nuggets, I was thinking of wetsuit goggles and snorkel and using some of the techniques that gold snipers use.

I have only seen a few videos of people doing this but they mainly go after jewelry and coins in popular swimming spots. Unfortunately a hand gold dredge would be perfect to suck out the crevices under water but the law says no to their use. May just have to do a bit of gold sniping in the rivers my self and then decide if a waterproof detector would work in those conditions. (may be wasting my time)

Hello Lucky streak, Hope you find more gold than the guys with pans

 

[PabloP]

Jin a couple of points that may help you -

• If the gold is there as a small nugget then the SDC will find it, even under water[/*]
• Most of the gold east of Melbourne is fine alluvial stuff that needs to be panned or sluiced to find it[/*]

I have spent many years living in Gippsland and reports of nugget finds aren't very common. But although I don't live there now I have grandkids there and at some time in the near future I plan to go and have a look around some of the old alluvial sites in remote areas of east Gippsland with grandkids and friends, using pan and also SDC, to try and see what is the best way to prospect those areas, and if there is it worth it from a gold point of view.

It will be a fun outing whether we find stuff or not and even old relics found can be interesting.

Rob

 

[nuggetino]

Sure it'd work. Problem with the SDC is no discrimination or target ID so you'll most likely be digging a silly amount of junk in the process of detecting creeks. The gold is there though. Main reason I avoid creeks is I don't know any creeks in nugget rich areas that aren't full of iron trash and sinkers.

 

[Guest]

Jin a couple of points that may help you -

• If the gold is there as a small nugget then the SDC will find it, even under water[/*]
• Most of the gold east of Melbourne is fine alluvial stuff that needs to be panned or sluiced to find it[/*]

I have spent many years living in Gippsland and reports of nugget finds aren't very common. But although I don't live there now I have grandkids there and at some time in the near future I plan to go and have a look around some of the old alluvial sites in remote areas of east Gippsland with grandkids and friends, using pan and also SDC, to try and see what is the best way to prospect those areas, and if there is it worth it from a gold point of view.

It will be a fun outing whether we find stuff or not and even old relics found can be interesting.

Rob

Good points Rob,

I once found a tiny nugget at Hawthorn creek while scratching around in a crevice, and remember seeing a few chunky pieces of gold from dredging on the tanjil river (30 years ago). But most of the gold is too small to register on a detector.

I was hoping to search rivers/creeks below well known mines and hope for broken quartz with bits of gold that maybe got missed by the old timers.

But I think it may be better to use a high banker in my area.

 

[Guest]

Sure it'd work. Problem with the SDC is no discrimination or target ID so you'll most likely be digging a silly amount of junk in the process of detecting creeks. The gold is there though. Main reason I avoid creeks is I don't know any creeks in nugget rich areas that aren't full of iron trash and sinkers.

Thanks nuggetino,

I didn't think about how much rubbish would be in rivers, and everyone loses there sinkers/spinners when fishing.

 

[Moneybox]

Jin I've found a few nuggets in dry creek beds with the ATX but so far not in the water. I don't think we've been to a creek with water that hasn't been thoroughly dredged with every crevice clean of every bit of gravel. If you think you are likely to have to go deep then perhaps the ATX is a better option. We've just got the SDC but it's yet to make it to the gold fields. First indications are that it is going to struggle anywhere where there's and EMI or anything else that upsets it. It's seriously missing any adjustments to cancel unwanted noise. The ATX is a little bigger when packed away but seems to be much more user friendly and for the price of the SDC comes with a variety of coils. After buying the SDC we had to go out and spend nearly $300 more on headphones and adapter to help control the unbearable noise. We're off in a few weeks to try the SDC against the ATX. Hopefully at least one of them will turn up some gold.

 

[Goldtarget]

Hi Jin,

I have the SDC and had the same thought process when I bought it but I have only ever found rubbish in the creeks. Now that's not to say the gold is not there and I m scanning the wrong places buts its difficult to extract a target in 1 or 2 foot of water.

But I have dug out lead and rusty wire from cracks on exposed bedrock, so if the gold is there the SDC will pick it up, 100%.

Watch the forum about the GPZ, a few of the experienced guys here are going to take the plunge and I m sure they will give us a quality review on the new "super detector"

Welcome to the forum, please don't be shy and contribute. You opinions may be as wild and wacky as the rest of us.

RS

I watched this unfold in front of me with the aluminum that's left on the bottle when the cap is removed. Funny now, not so funny then.

 

[Timbuck]

Hire a ATgold and have a play for a day or 2

 

[Buck]

Where can we hire detectors in brissy?

 

[wooly]

Jin I belong to the pmav where going to warrendyte in three weeks to pan but I'm taking my sd 2100 along to detect under those quartz reef and bedrock.

If you take your detector to Warrandyte you may become not so lucky, my understanding is pan only, detecting not allowed.

No you can use your detector in Warrandyte but only in the bed of Andersons Creek, Stony Creek and Jumping Creek, upstream from the Jumping Creek road bridge.

 

[PabloP]

Jin I belong to the pmav where going to warrendyte in three weeks to pan but I'm taking my sd 2100 along to detect under those quartz reef and bedrock.

If you take your detector to Warrandyte you may become not so lucky, my understanding is pan only, detecting not allowed.

No you can use your detector in Warrandyte but only in the bed of Andersons Creek, Stony Creek and Jumping Creek, upstream from the Jumping Creek road bridge.

And don't forget that the Yarra River itself is in the Exempt list. While many of the Exempt rivers and stream entries are based on historic reasons, unless repealed they still stand.

Rob

 

[Guest]

Jin I've found a few nuggets in dry creek beds with the ATX but so far not in the water. I don't think we've been to a creek with water that hasn't been thoroughly dredged with every crevice clean of every bit of gravel. If you think you are likely to have to go deep then perhaps the ATX is a better option. We've just got the SDC but it's yet to make it to the gold fields. First indications are that it is going to struggle anywhere where there's and EMI or anything else that upsets it. It's seriously missing any adjustments to cancel unwanted noise. The ATX is a little bigger when packed away but seems to be much more user friendly and for the price of the SDC comes with a variety of coils. After buying the SDC we had to go out and spend nearly $300 more on headphones and adapter to help control the unbearable noise. We're off in a few weeks to try the SDC against the ATX. Hopefully at least one of them will turn up some gold.

Thanks for your input Moneybox.

I was set on buying a sdc2300 but not sure now. I thought the sdc2300 might be a good all around machine to start with, but your comments about canceling out noise worry me. I did also read some of your other posts about this problem and found them helpful in trying to understand more about the sdc2300 from a users point of view not the sellers. I probably will scrap the idea of detecting rivers from some of the comments others have said, so will look a bit more closely at the ATX and gpx500/gpz700.

 

[Guest]

Hire a ATgold and have a play for a day or 2

Thanks Timbuck, Good idea.

But i think from what others are saying too much rubbish in rivers for the effort to extract every target. Plus probably not enough nuggets (even tiny ones) to make it worthwhile. Will try highbanking my area and buy whatever's the best detector for the golden triangle. Wife said she would let me get away once a month to detect.