National Parks proposal and detector sales?

[Scott'O']

Hi guys,

Been wanting to buy a GPX for a long time now.
The thing that worries me now is this so called proposal to turn a lot of our detecting areas into national parks and therefore rendering them useless for gold prospecting.
In turn this could potentially destroy the market, new or second hand, in Victoria for gold detectors such as the GPX, GPZ etc.
What are peoples thoughts on this?

Cheers.

 

[Swinging & digging]

Most likely will destroy the market in the long term?
This issue has been raised with Government agencies when public land issues are debated in parliament and possibility of further restrictions.
Same old response from them, saying protection of environment overrides any possible loss of a recreational pursuit.

In their own words,"They are not totally banning Prospecting over the entire state", but they are withdrawing a significant amount of potential gold producing
ground from access. A number of reports are predicting a significant rise in revenue from tourists visiting the New National Parks for activities not deemed threatening
to ecosystems, flora & fauna.

Not saying i agree with them as things are manipulated to suit their own agenda, just stating they don,t care if you spend 10K on a GPZ, try prospecting for two years
then give up and are forced to accept $1400 for your initial outlay?

I know for certain for the few remain areas accessible gold will get harder to find as more are forced into a smaller area, those areas may be closed in future years
as the green lobby is never happy with any public land not been a highly protected reserve system.

 

[Scott'O']

hmmm....worrying times ahead for our hobby I feel.

 

[1968falconxt]

Unfortunately it is clearly not a minority who are leaving holes unfilled. Every single goldfield I have been to in the Golden Triangle is hammered with unfilled holes. There may be some passionate responsible detectorists on this forum, but I believe there is a very large number of people out there who don't fill their holes in.... So I can see why the government wants to limit the areas we detect in. Same goes for some guys with highbankers leaving a trail of destruction behind in the creeks around my area.

I have even recently seen someone with a GPX swinging their guts out inside the Moliagul "Welcome Stranger" memorial site which is clearly a protected area. They fled when they saw my car pull up.

If this level of destruction continues, I see no reason for the government to allow us to prospect.

 

[Swinging & digging]

Agree with you 100% 1968falconxt,
It brings me to tears seeing the evidence of unfilled holes, dug into creek banks on streams etc.
And yes it will be the evidence used against us for justification of closures and restrictions.

Know what you mean about someone running off when you pull up, i know a Copper who was based at Ararat a goldfield with lots of diggings
on private property and the stories he told me of reported trespass by prospectors on private land defies belief? :N:

 

[RM Outback]

The Land grab not detector sales is covered in the VEAC thread have a read of it.

As for detector sales new and 2nd hand and the impacts it's a guessing game really for the hobbiest and retailers but I doubt the manufacturer's will change their prices. For the manufacturer's it may not really bother them in a global sense. So the second hand sales may not change at all or if they do I doubt it will be massive maybe 5% or nil.

 

[Scott'O']

It is alarming that there are so many inconsiderate people out there not filling in their holes.
When I take friends out with me, It is one of the things I teach them.
Unfortunately we have become a very selfish and self centered society and as usual It'll be the few bad apples that spoil it for everyone else.

RM Outback - You are probably correct that it will not affect international sales and maybe not even national sales but I'd be surprised If It didn't impact on Victoria.
As we all know, gold prospecting is quite big here in Vic so when you close off massive areas and force people into smaller areas, It's only a matter of time before those areas become flogged out.
Once that happens, then no one will have a use for expensive gold detectors, supply and demand will go down which in turn will drive the 2nd hand market prices down.

Anyway, who am I, I'm not a financial guru and nor can I see the future. This is just my spin on whats happening at the moment.
Victoria should be called the Nanny State....and it's just getting worse.
I've been camping all my life and every year it's been getting harder to find somewhere nice to go camping with my dog and this new National Parks land grab will make it near impossible.
I guess time will tell....hmmm....I still want a GPX though...lol.

 

[user 14190]

On our last visit to Maryborough it was very disappointing when we got to our normal area with the amount of holes not filled or filled with bottles/cans/rubbish, I do not know if it was left by detectorists or persons just there for a party, but it was a sorry sight, tree stumps covered in rubbish. My wife and I were spoken to on two separate occasions by Rangers in official vehicles about any knowledge of the rubbish and on the quantity of holes being dug on the road surface in various areas. Nothing to do with us was the reply, we only arrived here a few hours ago and have been working this area, which they seemed happy with as I am sure that they had seen us from a different track they were checking. Their complaint was that the holes in the road caused pot holes and then they got complaints about the condition of the roads/tracks and someone had to clean the rubbish up.

On leaving the area on about 3 occasions we came across numerous 'new' holes in the road surfaces and funnily enough the same 4x4 covered ute with a male checking his tyres each time we went past and even more strange was the fact that there were no more 'new' holes on the roadways in front of his vehicle.
The driver was later heard at a gold shop bragging in Maryborough about how much gold he was digging from the roadways.

I can see why there may be a change of rules as there are a minority of cowboys that do not care what they do or where they do it, it is not going to stop people from continuing to leave rubbish and it will end up like NSW with the National Parks all over the place and you can do nothing but walk and look, although some parks near us seem to be ok with trail bikes tearing the place up.

Graham

 

[Swinging & digging]

There is thread on the detecting Forum about holes been dug in roads! Though the photos look like natural pot holes, but a local walking her dog made an issue of it, newspaper article and all. More Negative Press paints the general prospecting community in a bad light.

From my understanding i always thought it was illegal to detect roads and that includes the land between fences and the actual road itself?

In my opinion what is sadly lacking in Victoria is a course that lays out all the laws in regards to prospecting.
It would be good if it was a requirement prior to getting a Miners Right or evan buying prospecting equipment.
To be fair existing holders of a Miners Right would have to do the course as well. PMAV could run the courses and revenue
raised could supplement the PMAV. A wealth of knowledge exists with many retired members having been prospectors since
the 1970s.

I suggested it to a well known long standing PMAV committee member and copped an absolute gob smacking response that i took as a
personal insult? I think unless things change in Victoria Prospecting is set to be regulated out of existence! Non compliance is a threat
just as big as the greenies and new parks are.

From a purely commercial point of view Minelab (Codan ) would be aware that a portion of their business is derived from the popularity of
recreational prospecting and that involves significant political risk. Gold is not a renewable resource and deposits occur in areas that have
nature, flora and fauna, globally there is widespread withdraw of land for Prospecting & Mining. One only has to look on U Tube and see
what large scale illegal mining has done in South American Nations. They are doing hydraulic mining in clay soils are clear felling nearby
forests and using mercury with no safety precautions or environmental concerns. Waterways and children are showing the symptoms of
mercury exposure.

Revenue from detector sales simply will not last forever.

 

[user 14190]

Sorry, I was talking about the tracks in the state forests where prospecting is allowed, the word 'road' was just an error on my part. Being from NSW some of your 'tracks' are better than our National Highways.

Graham

 

[Swinging & digging]

I don,t think detecting on the track would be permitted though, there is evidence of it been done in many locations.

 

[Dog Ranger]

Speed limits have been around for decades but can still buy 300 k cars, and still worth big bucks both new and second hand layful: :flowers:

 

[philbert21]

Even when I am in very remote areas in n w qld I find open holes .
It seems people think they are remote they dont need to fill their holes .
Went back to an area last year that I had not hit for 4 years and there was large wash outs all thru the gully .
And new ones forming from unfilled holes .

 

[1968falconxt]

Even when I am in very remote areas in n w qld I find open holes .
It seems people think they are remote they dont need to fill their holes .
Went back to an area last year that I had not hit for 4 years and there was large wash outs all thru the gully .
And new ones forming from unfilled holes .

Yep, I believe there are a large number of people not filling holes in. Not just a few.

I do both gold and coin prospecting. I have never come across an open hole in a park, school or public area ever. The worst I have ever found is a few neat patches of yellowed grass due to someone not quite getting a plug cut quite right... When in the bush it seems like people feel entitled to leave holes. It is a bad look for the hobby

 

[Kozi M]

I know someone who is apart of the unfilled hole scumbag crew. I was the one who helped this person get into prospecting from day one and the first thing I explained was how important it is for the land and the future of prospecting to fill in holes properly. I have been out prospecting with this person a few times now and keep pushing that to him and reminding him. His answer always disgusts me. I no longer join him in the fields but continue to remind him if and when I do speak with him.
The question is, what can I do to stop this? What would you do? I'm sure most of us know someone the same. If we could all stop 1 scumbag each, how much better will this hobby be.
PS, I'm not interested in responses like, drop him down a mine shaft etc. Just after some serious advice on how to stop this person without myself being put in a situation. Would be great to have his miners rights stripped off him and even fined. To be honest it would be a great site to be there when it does happen not long after I warn him to fill in holes.

 

[7.62marksman]

Mate you cant fix or teach stupid/dumb
Won't matter what you say or do they will never learn
Just distance yourself from him so you can't be labled in the same category

 

[Swinging & digging]

I know someone who is apart of the unfilled hole scumbag crew. I was the one who helped this person get into prospecting from day one and the first thing I explained was how important it is for the land and the future of prospecting to fill in holes properly. I have been out prospecting with this person a few times now and keep pushing that to him and reminding him. His answer always disgusts me. I no longer join him in the fields but continue to remind him if and when I do speak with him.
The question is, what can I do to stop this? What would you do? I'm sure most of us know someone the same. If we could all stop 1 scumbag each, how much better will this hobby be.
PS, I'm not interested in responses like, drop him down a mine shaft etc. Just after some serious advice on how to stop this person without myself being put in a situation. Would be great to have his miners rights stripped off him and even fined. To be honest it would be a great site to be there when it does happen not long after I warn him to fill in holes.

In my opinion people like this should have there gear taken off them by the authorities, stripped of their Miners Right and any gold held in possession. If ever caught prospecting again a fine of 100k minimum. These are the idiots who have destroyed the hobby for law abiding prospectors. :idea:

 

[Sandta]

Won't matter what you say or do they will never learn

I dont believe "learning" is the issue
These pigs are just plain disrespectful
They are the same people that have absolutely no regard for you ,me ,or anyone other than them selves
Self indulgent , disrespectful pigs !
PROOF
... Strip them of everything ... kicking and screaming , they will squeal like the pigs they are ... then carry on just the same

 

[Dihusky]

Heard a story from a very reliable source of a Glen Innes farmer who had some nocturnal fossickers, left their hole open and the farmer found it the next morning on his quad bike, hospitalised with 4 busted ribs :awful:

Maybe a 'Name & Shame' thread should be added?

 

[Goldtarget]

Ive always thought getting outsiders involved wont really help anyones long term interests. Theres always going to be a handful that that no matter what is said and done they wont change their ways, and that goes for just about everything in life.

Just backfill your own, and where you can, any others. I do it all the time, and just give myself a little mental acknowledgment of a job well done. Funny though, the digging out seems to be about 90% of the time an energy expended and the other 10% to fill it back in.

Happy to travel and give my time up if the prospecting groups organise a clean up area, I think sometimes the optics of what we do doesnt include enough of the good work prospectors do. Often the worst behavior is highlighted and used against us which isnt the vast majority as far as I can tell.

Be close to 80 to one in weight of gold vs lead Ive removed in the last couple of weeks from the watercourses and forested areas, and I have no doubt kilos of the stuff comes out on any given week. If it wasnt about the gold wouldnt that sound like a great news piece? Hundreds of people spending thousands of dollars on equipment and then donate their time and money to travel all around the states to recover a potentially toxic metal from public forested areas and waterways?

Further it seems to me most of the people I have met have a broad intimate connection and appreciation for the places we go, the natural and the townships. As custodians, even in the face of the selfish and the reckless we can all do a little extra to make good, at least thats the way I see it. Protecting good people doing the right thing is far more important to me than giving our foes a free kick. Pouring fuel on a fire can lead to getting burnt in my experience.

It sounds like you did what you could.