List of rivers to fossick in baw baw shire Victoria
- Thread starter Andy63
- Start date
Help Support Prospecting Australia:
Look up exempt rivers in Vic.
Aussiedigs
Al.
Andy63 said:
Simple, any water course not on the list is ok to work.
From my research and my understanding.
You can prospect in any stream NOT on the exempt list, just what does this mean ? It means that you can prospect in ANY water course that runs into an exempt river upstream of the junction. Now here is the interesting bit, I can't find anywhere that says you can't take water from the exempted river to prospect in the unlisted watercourse.
So, to me it would appear that you can set up a high banker on/in the unlisted watercourse ( just not at the junction) and set up your pump in the listed river and use that water to process your wash.
caveat DYOR
You can prospect in any stream NOT on the exempt list, just what does this mean ? It means that you can prospect in ANY water course that runs into an exempt river upstream of the junction. Now here is the interesting bit, I can't find anywhere that says you can't take water from the exempted river to prospect in the unlisted watercourse.
So, to me it would appear that you can set up a high banker on/in the unlisted watercourse ( just not at the junction) and set up your pump in the listed river and use that water to process your wash.
caveat DYOR
Ya know, that word exempt is a very confusing word. I get it as it is being used but my WIFE will not accept that is the correct word to use to describe allowed and non allowed things........ 
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2018
- Messages
- 1,779
- Reaction score
- 3,942
I'm with your wife on that Jaros. I did a bit of research when I first started prospecting and saw that list, and "exempted" totally stumped me! So I looked up the Government Gazette they say that the list is from, and saw that it may be a case of someone typing the wrong word!!
Aussiedigs said:
Its a little more complicated than that: Rivers and Streams within a National Park prospecting is prohibited by the National Parks Act 1975.
So if you find a stream not on the list in needs to not be within a National Park.
I've posted on this previously eons ago, and it's not what you think it is, and you have to go back to the original legislation circa 1870's to understand its original intention and recognise how it's since been skewed in our times for another purpose.
As I understand it, in the Colony of Victoria the provisions of original "Miners Right" allowed the holder to peg a "Miners Right" CLAIM, and to occupy that claim, meaning that he could erect a tent or throw up a humpy and live and work on his claim. This lead over time to a hapzard string of shanty type settlements springing up alongside watercourses. The colony government seeking to encourage settlement in surveyed and gazetted townships enabled legislation "exempting" certain rivers and streams from occupation to enforce centralised settlement. You will see on many old town and parish maps in Victoria on land within the town boundary that is adjacent to watercourses for so many yards, chains, or links on either side, that it is designated as "reserved for Public Purposes". Fast forward 160 years or so and the original legislation has become a useful instrument for the control of water quality, land management, fisheries, and forest management purposes etc.
And yes! as had been said by other posters, the exempted rivers are the ones with gold, and now you know why.
And another truism - if you are prospecting and you can't see the roofs of the nearby town then you are not on the gold!
casper
As I understand it, in the Colony of Victoria the provisions of original "Miners Right" allowed the holder to peg a "Miners Right" CLAIM, and to occupy that claim, meaning that he could erect a tent or throw up a humpy and live and work on his claim. This lead over time to a hapzard string of shanty type settlements springing up alongside watercourses. The colony government seeking to encourage settlement in surveyed and gazetted townships enabled legislation "exempting" certain rivers and streams from occupation to enforce centralised settlement. You will see on many old town and parish maps in Victoria on land within the town boundary that is adjacent to watercourses for so many yards, chains, or links on either side, that it is designated as "reserved for Public Purposes". Fast forward 160 years or so and the original legislation has become a useful instrument for the control of water quality, land management, fisheries, and forest management purposes etc.
And yes! as had been said by other posters, the exempted rivers are the ones with gold, and now you know why.
And another truism - if you are prospecting and you can't see the roofs of the nearby town then you are not on the gold!
casper
Aussiedigs
Al.
Swinging & digging said:
Fair point. Without checking, so there are creeks and rivers in Nat parks not in the exempted list?
Aussiedigs
Al.
What i am finding, in my particular part of the world, there are plenty of tributaries to concentrate on without being too concerned about the exemptions.
Aussiedigs said:
Yes quite a few, for example check the Alpine National Park: No prospecting aloud yet there are streams were gold has been mined that are not on the exempt list.
For some reason people find this confusing? It is commonly raised on this forum by new members, mainly newbie prospectors.
Goldtarget
(AKA OldGT)
Yeah its a bit of a pain, and even the exempted list has changed in the past few years with additions from my downloads from "official" sources.
But as satisfying as it would be for state government to produce a map showing where you can prospect even then its not so simple. Some rivers have partial closure, and some listed have been authorised to be prospected by the authority of the time. Then as more areas are locked up the places able to be worked change again. So basically its all pretty confusing so the exempt list at least tries to keep it as black and white as possible.
Start here. Find the gold area you want to prospect, check exempt list. Then work out who controls the management of the area and inform yourself of whether prospecting is allowed. If your still unsure contact the local dewlp and ask them specific question can i recreationally prospect in x waterway with current dewlp issued miners right and record an affirmative answer with the persons name and title and time and date of conversation.
Note not a single recreational prospector has been convicted of an offense yet in Victoria, save for couple illegal small scale mechanical operations have been convicted but thats a whole seperate concept.
Its clear as mud, Mt pilot NP allows prospecting (Eldorado) but generic rules in NP forbid it. Yackandanda tourism promotes gold prospecting but its tourist maps show the area on exempt list. In Bright there are a steady flow of panners in an exempted waterway. Honeysuckle Creek is covered partial by an EL yet appears on exempt list. Jamison river gets regularly worked but the rangers focus only on camping regulations. The list goes on and on with grey areas.
Unfortunately the onus remains squarley on the prospector.
But as satisfying as it would be for state government to produce a map showing where you can prospect even then its not so simple. Some rivers have partial closure, and some listed have been authorised to be prospected by the authority of the time. Then as more areas are locked up the places able to be worked change again. So basically its all pretty confusing so the exempt list at least tries to keep it as black and white as possible.
Start here. Find the gold area you want to prospect, check exempt list. Then work out who controls the management of the area and inform yourself of whether prospecting is allowed. If your still unsure contact the local dewlp and ask them specific question can i recreationally prospect in x waterway with current dewlp issued miners right and record an affirmative answer with the persons name and title and time and date of conversation.
Note not a single recreational prospector has been convicted of an offense yet in Victoria, save for couple illegal small scale mechanical operations have been convicted but thats a whole seperate concept.
Its clear as mud, Mt pilot NP allows prospecting (Eldorado) but generic rules in NP forbid it. Yackandanda tourism promotes gold prospecting but its tourist maps show the area on exempt list. In Bright there are a steady flow of panners in an exempted waterway. Honeysuckle Creek is covered partial by an EL yet appears on exempt list. Jamison river gets regularly worked but the rangers focus only on camping regulations. The list goes on and on with grey areas.
Unfortunately the onus remains squarley on the prospector.
Hi all, I live in drouin and am only starting to get into exploring old workings around West Gippsland area.i would love to catch up with anyone who is interested in hooking up with me for company whilst searching for the yellow, best of luck to you all.
