Mookerawa creek question

[nucopia]

Just drove 5 hours to get to Wello and between cassilis and Gulgong it was raining so hard I could not see 10 feet in front of the car and I had to drive at a crawl plus the fog was as thick as soup.
Not sure how much rain has fallen out on the Mookerawa creek. Will know in the morning when we drive out there.
Hope to have a few good days digging and panning , but that all depends on the weather.
Any way beats sitting at home watching Gold Rush episodes.

 

[nucopia]

More then gold in the creek

 

[Guest]

Just spent the moring down the road with the local fossicker, helped him dig some dirt and run it through his sluice.
Looks like I have to do some time with him helping out and letting him get to know me a little better...
His now more inclined to share a bit of local knowledge and also advice me what is ok to do on the creek with out getting any ones nose out of joint.
Helped him run five x 5 gallon buckets through the sluce for a little bit of colour and a hell of a lot of local knowledge along the way.
He said he will put me onto a spot along the creek tomorrow, were we can do some digging and take the dirt back to my mates and clean it up by pumping water out of his dam to run through the banker.
At least its a positive step forward and Im learning a little along the way.

Great news, I think you've approached it the right way, once you get locals off side it's all over. Hope you have a great weekend out there and get some nice colour.

Getting the locals off-side is exactly what's happened in Kilkivan.
I've been door-knocking here and there is considerable disdain for gold-hunters!
"Oh yeah, are you one of those giggle-stick characters".

 

[nucopia]

Met the other neighbour on Saturday when we went down the creek.
His ok with us now.. Still cant high bank but there is not much water in the creek even after the rain last week.
He said his main problem is people he doesn't know accessing the creek..
Guess we are now tolerated

 

[Guest]

Buy him a good bottle of Scotch.

 

[Digginholes]

Good to see it's working out well for you mate, you've gone the right way about it and it's good to see your efforts were not wasted

 

[nucopia]

Thanks Guys
One hurdle cleared.. The length of the creek I can access is about 350 meters in length.
This trip and the last trip we worked an obvious rock bar that crosses the creek. Results were good but once we dug down a little the water began seeping into our diggings.
The rock bar is located next to a shallow water course , even through most other parts of the of the creek bed is dry.
There are a few low lying pools of water near by to pan out in luckely. And Even with some heavy rain during last week ,its was surprising to see little change to the water in the creek bed, if anything it was less then the last time we visited.

The thing I think we need to do next, is a bit more research on how to read the creek and what to look for to know where are the better places to dig down to the bed rock were the gold might accumulate.
This is the result from Sunday's panning.

 

[Heatho]

Don't discount other areas along the creek either, and other places in the area, there's a lot of crown land out there. Nice pan.

 

[G0lddigg@]

looks like a great spot nucopia, i'm sure once you flip some big rocks you'll find some unworked crevices and by the look of that gold you there will be some nice pay too.

Ive not been there but by the looks of that country the faulting would allow large deep depressions of water to hold maybe thats why the flow is surging as expected, obviously the yabbies know where to hang out for summer

Have you tried digging on the right side there were all the material seems to be accumulating? looks to me like the water thumps the walls, clears one side and dumps on the other.

 

[G0lddigg@]

just did a quick search on the creek mate and found this statement about water flow, looks like water was a problem for the diggers too.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/art...chLimits=l-publictag=Mookerawa+Creek+Diggings

" OPHIR.

OCTOBER 27.-During the late fresh in our creeks, a goodly number of the diggers proceeded to the Mookerwa, which I learn is by no means an extensive gold field, and in consequence of the lay of the land in its immediate vicinity, the water soon runs off, and the diggers are obliged to return to their old chums, or proceed to other places where water may be procured in sufficient quantities to enable them to wash the alluvium.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Guys
One hurdle cleared.. The length of the creek I can access is about 350 meters in length.
This trip and the last trip we worked an obvious rock bar that crosses the creek. Results were good but once we dug down a little the water began seeping into our diggings.
The rock bar is located next to a shallow water course , even through most other parts of the of the creek bed is dry.
There are a few low lying pools of water near by to pan out in luckely. And Even with some heavy rain during last week ,its was surprising to see little change to the water in the creek bed, if anything it was less then the last time we visited.

The thing I think we need to do next, is a bit more research on how to read the creek and what to look for to know where are the better places to dig down to the bed rock were the gold might accumulate.
This is the result from Sunday's panning.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/5588/1447017669_image.jpg

I forgot to say best of luck in the hunt.

 

[nucopia]

looks like a great spot nucopia, i'm sure once you flip some big rocks you'll find some unworked crevices and by the look of that gold you there will be some nice pay too.

Ive not been there but by the looks of that country the faulting would allow large deep depressions of water to hold maybe thats why the flow is surging as expected, obviously the yabbies know where to hang out for summer

Have you tried digging on the right side there were all the material seems to be accumulating? looks to me like the water thumps the walls, clears one side and dumps on the other.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/357/1447019701_1445158483_image.jpg

Gday Golddigg
Mate the banks are off limits and maybe the creek ....the neigbour after I left this morning, called my mate and did an about turn from Saturday's. " no problem" comments
He told the mate he was worried i was digging the banks (which we kept clear of) and might cause erosion near a swimming hole near where we took that picture. So I am back to square one again.
Funny on the way home we stopped at another prospecter that lives on the Mookerawa on the other side of the road bridge not far from the mates place and who knows the other neighbour and his family pretty well.
From what he said to me ( before i knew about the turn around ) there is a few old issues going on between the two over fences the creek and wood of all things.
He also said one of the sons of the neighbour has talked to him about setting up a sluice and doing some digging in the creek and on another part of the creek at the other end of their lands .
So it might be that the son has higher proirity then my mate with the old man. He also said my mate should have introduced me in person in the first place, instead of just calling him up on the phone to ask permission. Before I left he said, once I met the old man things would be ok. Not knowing about the phone calls..
At the end of the day its probbaly not worth all the hassle for me or the mate.
Might be better off looking else where.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Absolutely mate i wasnt suggesting you dig the bank. Im talking about the material built up in the creek opposite to where you dug.
Sounds like too big a drama anyway if you have to juggle local politics. Sorry to hear its not panning out the way youd expect

 

[nucopia]

Yeah I know G0lddigg
I thought every thing was fine till I got home ..
The mates not happy. He feels like he has no rights to the creek nor any say on the matter.
We were trying to do the right thing. But in the end it looks like the old man is bullying my mate on behalf of helping his son.
Which I understand but dont think is right, my mate has just as much rights to access the creek as the other guy , its just the other guy does not see it that way.
I dont think either of them know the law about shared creeks hell I am not 100% sure my self.

 

[G0lddigg@]

Yeh that sucks sounds like a case of who barks loudest wins.

 

[nucopia]

Yeah it sucks but not much I can do about it.
Its a pitty because I really enjoyed spending time of with the mate and not just to access the creek.
Might be best if I just look for some where else to go prospecting in the future and let things settle.

 

[Digginholes]

Aaaahhhhhh dude that really sucks, sounds like the guy is just being greedy.
Don't give up just yet mate there's plenty of ground out there and you have a foot in the door at least with a few locals.
Good luck

 

[nucopia]

Yep havnt given up going out there.
I still have a place to stay with my mate and the other mate that lives on a different part of the creek said he would help me next time im out that way with a place to dig.
I am just a bit disappointed in how things turned out. i feel like the meat in the sandwich but at least I have made a few friends out there that are willing to help.

 

[Heatho]

Yep havnt given up going out there.
I still have a place to stay with my mate and the other mate that lives on a different part of the creek said he would help me next time im out that way with a place to dig.
I am just a bit disappointed in how things turned out. i feel like the meat in the sandwich but at least I have made a few friends out there that are willing to help.

If you've never used this map before check it out as it will show where the crown land is in NSW, pretty good tool to have I reckon.

http://nswtitles.minerals.nsw.gov.au/nswtitles/

 

[Guest]

Nothing like that here in 'The Wowser State'.
NSW and Vic have brilliant resources but up here, you really have to beat the stuffing out of anyone you talk to in the mines dept. thing to get the least bit of info out of them.