So far I've spent $229 on a metal detector. When I've recovered that amount, in minerals, I'll move on to the next step in a LONG process. I have a borrowed gold pan. I'm still experimenting/tuning the detector on known coins, pop rivet nails & bits of wire, around the house. There's a few targets I haven't dug yet. The ferrous metal excluder function on my Minelab Go-Find 22 is tricky.
I agree with mbasko. I know there's gold here. The question is...How hard is it for a NSW Fossicker to transport & extract, USING NO MECHANICAL MEANS.
In the meantime, I'm still trying to discover what my present rights, liabilities & obligations are.
If I find an unauthorised detectorist on my land, can I make a Citizens' Arrest, with a compound bow & arrows? If I wave a detector over them to check for pocketed nuggets, is it likely to do harm?
Them that dies are the lucky ones. LONG JOHN SILVER - TREASURE ISLAND.
With my eyes & hands, I've seen & held a fist size piece of white quartz, with several visible veins of gold running through it. It was found by an upstream neighbour. My downcreek next door neighbour, who loaned me his only gold pan, said the fellow he bought the land from, had " found a few flakes".
The next steps will be obtaining exclusive mineral rights by leasing them from The Crown, for ? years, $??.?? and a ? Mining Lease. Can The Crown also charge me Royalties, based on the amount of gold extracted?
How many ounces will I need to fossick to pay for this + more hand tools?
If an over zealous Mine Inspector sees me driving to & from a spot I'm prospecting, I've used a mechanical transport implement. Is a fine of many thousands of $'s ( + ? points ?) likely? Do I have to start walking everywhere?
What happens with their Rule about how much gold a fossicker can take from Crown Land, over a 2 day period, if a HUGE nugget is found? How often are they chopped up, due to this condition?
Will I need to employ a Legal Officer to find a path through these minefields of ******** bureaucratic balderdash?
Mans' Laws are his shadows & he stands with his back to the setting sun. KHALIL GIBRAN - THE PROPHET. Few bean counters are able to turn round & see the light.
We are almost surrounded by several State Forests.
On my 50th birthday, I tried climbing the mountain, to see if I was over the hill. I didn't fall off the other side, so I guess I wasn't. While up there, I noted a very heavy, weather worn, out of place black rock, the size of a large rockmelon. I've since learned that it's probably a meteorite. If it's still there, I can sell it & recover the money I've spent, so far, + wages. I'm waiting for a cloudy day, so I can spend most of it up there, with my detector & a magnet.
Would it be possible for an esteemed Forum, such as this, to ask the Dept. Mines to help promote Sustainable Energy, by allowing NSW Fossickers to use NON polluting, solar driven pumps for sluicing & water re-usage?
How about a petition? I'll sign it, if someone else wants to organise it.
From Perplexedness to Bemusement,
Freddo.
