Gold Prospecting, Detecting, General information/interest books

Prospecting Australia

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Thanks loamer much appreciated can never read too much. I got my hands on a first edition "mineral resources of new south wales" by Edward f pittman printed in 1901, interesting read!
 
Gold and Ghosts in The Vic High Country
Recommended read. Just got an excellent copy on ebay. came with good maps - incl: streamflow/locations etc. Glossy soft-cover.

Out of print (I stand to be corrected)- details are:

RW Christie
1993
Pub: High Country Publishing Dargo
isbn; 0 646 16946 7
 
Just bought this for $15.50 (incl postage) off ebay. This trip has been on my bucket list for years. Never suspected I would get this book.

Here is a map of the route in case anyone else is going to have a crack. If anyone has done this trip, be interested to hear from you. The South Aussie connection to the Vic goldfields is fascinating.

1405222203_w1.png


Not yelling - a cut and paste from ebay.

DANGER & DRUDGERY ON THE GOLD ESCORT ROUTE, ADELAIDE TO MT. ALEXANDER.1852-53

ALL IN THE LINE OF DUTY
DANGER AND DRUDGERY ON THE OLD ESCORT ROUTE ADELAIDE-MOUNT ALEXANDER, 1852-53
COMPILED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT BODIES ALONG THE ROUTE, 1971, TO COINCIDE WITH THE MARKING OF THE ROUTE AT SUITABLE SITES WITH MEMORIAL MARKERS AND PLAQUES.
TEXT BY HEATHER PARKER
SKETCHES BY COLIN ELLIS
B/W ILLUSTRATIONS, SKETCHES
PAGES 28
MAP ON INSIDE OF FRONT COVER
 
 
Hi Loamer,
new member & first post so bear with me as I'm not sure about posting yet.
I know this topic has been idle for a while but I'm just looking through the past posts to find items of interest & I found this post.
You may or may not be aware that the old gold escort route used to travel along the banks of the Wimmera river in Victoria until it got to a place originally called "Four Post Crossing". This was found to be a safe place to cross the river with the horses & wagons due to a few rocky shallow areas. The crossing was (obviously) marked by four gums trees cut down to indicate the safe entrance & exit to the river.
The area was later named Glenorchy & the small hamlet still has finger signs showing the route the escort took through the town.
I grew up in Glenorchy & spent many years swimming in the Wimmera river & floating along looking for indications of the old "four posts" but sadly never really found them although a few of the old timers of the town pointed me to the general area.
Now I have bought my first detector (sdc) I intend to go back & snoop around a few of the old sites that have long since been lost, dozed, built over ect.
You never know what may turn up....... perhaps a threepence I dropped on the way down to Mrs Edwards general store. :)
I hope this may of been of some interest to you.
Rob.
 
As some of you may be aware, the history of the SA - Vic Gold Escort route fascinates me. I now also have LJ Blakes 'Gold Escort'. Alexander Tolmer, the leader, was my sort of bloke. "an impulsive and quick-tempered man who made powerful enemies". Be great to have a few frothies with him.

Myself and the new Mrs Loamer went bush walking and climbing up around Mt Arapiles (near Horsham Vic), which was on one of the gold escort routes.

1426290891_capture1.png


the camping facilities are fine and there is always Horsham for more substantial accommodation and plenty of services there.

http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park

Beautiful and amazing bit of Australia - Mt Arapiles and the Mitre rock just 'appear' on an otherwise pretty flat bit of country. This is not gold country I might add, but if you are interested in the Gold escort route, into some harder bush walking and climbing from basic to advanced - well worth a look.

1426291111_capture2.png


From the Cornish history of Vic site - this is probably the best guide I have seen, and its free.

http://www.cornishvic.org.au/overlandgold/downloads/OVERLANDGOLDTravelGuide-Sec2all.pdf
 
Mate mt arapiles is one of the most buitiful spots. ive spent hundreds of times there either stairing straight up at its sheer granite cliffs or rock climbing.in my younger years ,cough,cough ( I'm still only 34) I spent a lot of time as a rock climber ascending the highest and hardest climbs I could and there was nothing better than being 200 ft straight up its sheer face with only 1 or 2 finger holds and a Knott that you tied to your guts to feel alive.and when you turn around and look at the amazing view of the wimera.MAN!!!!!! We live in a gr8 country.thanks loamer for posting the pick of arapiles and letting me reminis on this awesome part of the country and one of my favorite places.I recommend anybody go visit or camp there.PS the Natimuk pub 5 ks down the road is a pretty sweet local too. :)
 
Hi guys,
Just wondering what people's thoughts are for good literature on the subject of gold fossicking is there a bible as such cheers
 
Some of the very best books were written back in the 1930s. They were written as texts to help men who wanted to go and try to make a living prospecting during the Depression.

Three books come to mind that should be part of any budding prospectors library are;

1. "Prospecting For Gold" by Ion L Idriess. first published 1931
This book is considered to be the bible of Gold Prospecting and although written almost a century ago a lot of its content hold true today. It is a book I often re read.

2. "The Australian Gold Prospectors Handbook" by C. Barclay Smith. first published 1931

3. "Getting Gold" An ABC of prospecting in Australia by "Fossicker" published 1931.

Two of the better books I have found written around the last big Rush of the Late 1970s are;

"All About Prospecting" by H.K.Garland. which is also printed under the title "Panning and Prospecting for Beginners" both first published in 1975

"Gold, Where to go and how to find it" by Richard Shears published 1980.

Cheers Creekbed
 
An interesting read is the semi-autobiographical, And There's Gold Out There, by Ed Waller.

It's a fictionalised account of his adventures prospecting with an old hand around the South of NSW in the years before WW2.

There is plenty of technical detail included with a range of interesting yarns and stories.

Well worth tracking down, and the book that got me interested in prospecting when I was a kid back in the '60's.

Ion Idriess's Prospecting For Gold is the bible, and should be on every prospector's book shelf.
 
Creekbed said:
Some of the very best books were written back in the 1930s. They were written as texts to help men who wanted to go and try to make a living prospecting during the Depression.

Three books come to mind that should be part of any budding prospectors library are;

1. "Prospecting For Gold" by Ion L Idriess. first published 1931
This book is considered to be the bible of Gold Prospecting and although written almost a century ago a lot of its content hold true today. It is a book I often re read.

2. "The Australian Gold Prospectors Handbook" by C. Barclay Smith. first published 1931

3. "Getting Gold" An ABC of prospecting in Australia by "Fossicker" published 1931.

Two of the better books I have found written around the last big Rush of the Late 1970s are;

"All About Prospecting" by H.K.Garland. which is also printed under the title "Panning and Prospecting for Beginners" both first published in 1975

"Gold, Where to go and how to find it" by Richard Shears published 1980.

Cheers Creekbed
Click to expand...

Looking at $600+ for "Prospecting for gold"!

Thanks for all your suggestions though, great list!
 

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