Goldfields Gridding

[A-team]

Just wondering if people are encountering this on the VIC goldfields? - especially post lockdowns.

What are your thoughts?

In the last few months I've noticed a HUGE increase in gridding of our goldfields - (where entire areas have had logs and branches laid out to section off areas, a bit like chaining for the forest.)

Now, there is nothing illegal in doing this, and I'm not saying you shouldn't or can't - but it does seem to take away the fun of prospecting when you spend the day diving around, visiting a dozen or so of your favorite areas, only to find them recently (and completely) gridded.

Previously I'd still get gold in gridded areas, but who ever is on to it now, is barely leaving a single lead shot. We often still stop and go over these areas just to be sure aliens haven't just moved the branches around in some for of mythical magic like crop circles.

It's a sad state that we recently lost some of our prospecting grounds, and now it looks like as gold is getting harder to find, the "business" :money: of finding gold is becoming more thorough.

I blame all the GPX 6000 owners :lol: layful:

 

[Jaros]

Gold is where you find it--not always in the goldfields -beaches, parks etc. That's the way it's getting for us who can't access outback areas. Just think of it as a way to pay some of you fuel costs.

 

[grubstake]

As French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote in 1849, plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose" the more things change, the more they stay the same! Just south of Dunolly there are literally acres of hillside that were comprehensively raked by a team of caravan park-based prospectors in the early 1980's. It was very impressive to drive along the track there and see how much ground had been scoured. 6 months later, rain and wind had erased all trace of their labours.

The same mob repeated the technique out of Maryborough some months later, for very little return, I believe. These blokes seemed both industrious and thorough, so given the shallowness of the ground in both localities, I'd imagine that generations of prospectors have probably wasted many hours in those same areas since then.

Sadly, each nugget can only be found once, but if it's any comfort, always remember - nobody can find the gold you're going to find. :goldnugget:

 

[A-team]

As French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote in 1849, plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose" the more things change, the more they stay the same! Just south of Dunolly there are literally acres of hillside that were comprehensively raked by a team of caravan park-based prospectors in the early 1980's. It was very impressive to drive along the track there and see how much ground had been scoured. 6 months later, rain and wind had erased all trace of their labours.

The same mob repeated the technique out of Maryborough some months later, for very little return, I believe. These blokes seemed both industrious and thorough, so given the shallowness of the ground in both localities, I'd imagine that generations of prospectors have probably wasted many hours in those same areas since then.

Sadly, each nugget can only be found once, but if it's any comfort, always remember - nobody can find the gold you're going to find. :goldnugget:

They are some intelligent and inspiring words, thank you erfect: We have noticed, though there was much ground covered, there seemed to be very little holes/scrapings in "most" areas. So labor v reward ??? We just go prospecting for fun, twice a week, and enjoy the fauna and flora - gold is always "just a bonus".

I've seen some of the Maryborough areas that go on for hundreds of meters, but to true it is, that no matter how thorough they were - I have found lead shot and .030g gold in these areas with my X-coil on the GPZ.

I do miss digging regular random targets and finding relics and nails, bullets etc..... But I guess it emphasizes that we need to detect smarter, not just cover more ground. Even the caravan gypsy armed with a 6000 will still miss that piece that's waiting for me!

 

[grubstake]

There's also some relevant comments in this earlier topic about goldfields raking:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=22033

 

[fwdoz]

Saw a pair of old farts doing it in Talbot right alongside a property fence. Left one hell of a mess & holes everywhere.

No wonder greenies want to close everything up with idiots like those two who give prospectors a bad name

 

[A-team]

Saw a pair of old farts doing it in Talbot right alongside a property fence. Left one hell of a mess & holes everywhere.

No wonder greenies want to close everything up with idiots like those two who give prospectors a bad name

Spot on, this is one place currently coping it with a high percentage of the area freshly hit. We have tested some of the areas there, again - I think we got 2 lead shot for our efforts.

Can say we've seen it at Inglewood, Whipstock, all over Maryborough, Amherst, Daisy Hill, Dunach, Bung Bong....the list goes on......

It's 100% true, "they wouldn't have got it all" but it sure changes the mood when you get out there.

 

[fwdoz]

Maryborough area has had huge numbers of prospectors hitting all around it en masse. I have given it a wide berth because of it.

Got some nice ground elsewhere that continues to produce & also I rarely see anyone in the area. Bonus!

 

[Keitzy]

Sooo. TLDR, Your complaining about people prospecting, legally, and not leaving any gold behind for you.?

 

[axtyr]

I believe it is illegal to rake an area. You must restore the dig area to the way it was originally, including leaf litter.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Keitzy]

His original post says nothing about raking.

 

[A-team]

Sooo. TLDR, Your complaining about people prospecting, legally, and not leaving any gold behind for you.?

If you are not going to read it completely, why comment????? I am asking for "peoples thoughts" - not looking to make this into a slinging match. While raking and gridding are different - there was also no effort to return the areas to their original state - but I wasn't intending on "complaining" about that.

Some areas of our bush land seriously look like massive tiled areas. Is this the direction we all need to go to find gold? Are you "happy" when you see these areas? In the limited areas of Victorian gold field that we are continuing to lose, thanks to the government, do you see the "hobby" of prospecting continue with operators like this? Should we all move to gridding?

I know for a fact they miss gold, but altering the forest for financial gain I would think is not seen as cool by "most".

Hey, I still get gold - that IS NOT WHAT I'M SAYING...READ!!!

 

[Keitzy]

I did READ and it sounds like your complaining because people are gridding areas and beating you to the punch.

*no fun to see gridded areas
*getting harder to find gold

They were your only points in the post.

I dont see how some branches put in a square have any impact on our goldfields.! Your tyre tracks going off track make more of a footprint.

My thoughts.? Big deal 8.(

 

[axtyr]

Keitzy, I understand what you say, I made an incorrect comment.

A-Team, without a picture it is difficult to imagine what you are talking about. So I will refrain from further comment.

Regards Axtyr.

 

[Jaros]

Thanks gents.

 

[Goldtarget]

Im sort of with A-team on this one, but Im a bit on the fence. In life I like those who show commitment, reliability, and persistance. So my critique comes from the other side where I always like to see the under dog have a win. If few get the lot then they deserve it, however the result is next to nothing for everyone else who turns up later.

But its within the rules so theyve bested everyone in fair play. And with areas available shrinking its not hard to see why.

Some bedrock areas Ive panned and highbanked with natural riffles have been completely deconstructed with every square inch taken out and bedrock busted up, and this is where I know exactly what A-team is saying about how he feels seeing it.

When its happened to me its sort of like a little bit of your own history is taken from you because its been forever changed, and because its been attended to it that way, you know you wont return to it again. A liitle bit of your spirit dies off is about the best I can describe it.

 

[Bjay]

Well may I say if your stupid enough to leave your raking patch well advertised well expect it to be visited.

 

[fwdoz]

To me it is more about the fact that they do not leave the area as they found it. More areas are being closed & any disrespect of an area will result in even more closures.

If you have time to do that to an area, then you also have time to restore it. Some prospectors simply do not give a rats.

If someone gets to a spot before you, then good luck to them. But I would still go over it as nobody ever gets all the gold. A prime example of that is near Ballarat. Well thrashed area, still lots of trash, still gold being found. And although a lot of new detectorists go there, they also fill in their holes.

End rant!

 

[Nothing Great]

Well may I say if your stupid enough to leave your raking patch well advertised well expect it to be visited.

How good is it. Saves patch hunting and I have found some awesome gold from clowns signposting an area