Newbie - would love your advice :)

[Spud]

Hi everyone I am completely new to this and looking for a bit of advice please

I am wanting to start panning for gold and stones but have no idea what to do or where to go so please be nice haha

i have always been fascinated by fossicking but never really thought about doing it until recently. I was wondering if anyone could please recommend reasonably priced equipment for a beginner? A pan? What else do I need?
Any good you tube videos you can recommend I watch to see how its done?

I have access to private land in the Brindabella valley, Goodradigbee river and was hoping to have a bit of a pan. I am interested in looking for gold and gems. As I said only new and unsure but any advice or help you guys can offer would be fantastic!!
Thank you

 

[richo966]

watch wal and liz videos they will show you how to prospect and the equipment needed and read some posts you will find every thing you need good luck

 

[Spud]

thanks Richo i will have a look tonight!
am planning a trip out to detect a den in fyshwick this weekend so hopefully they can help me out with what i need.
are there any particular types or depths of water that I should be looking for when choosing a spot to pan? I had sort of just planned to find a spot on the river but if there are any signs I should be looking for that would be great to know
am also going through the forums at all the posts, you all have some beautiful finds

 

[Beagleboy]

G'day spud and welcome to the forum. You will find lots of great info here that will be helpfull in your search. There are lots of videos on YouTube about where to look for gold in the river. Thank got for the internet. . Find few buddies in your area and they will enlighten you. Good luck with it and looking forward to seeing some pics of fruits of your labour.

 

[Spud]

thanks Beagleboy!
i think i spent well over 4 hours on you tube last night watching! i was watching a lot of wal and Liz on gems. scary thought is most of the ones they seemed to pick up i think i would have over looked as nothing special, really need to know what to look for!

 

[Monty]

Hi Spud

Welcome to the forum.

If you keep an eye on the Members Meet Ups section and somebody is organising a prospecting 'get together' near your area, may I
suggest that you attend the meeting and get to know a few people, they are all most helpful. I recently went to the Nundle gathering
and had an absolute ball. I was (and still am) very new to the art of prospecting and found their sharing of information and knowledge
absolutely fantastic I was also fortunate enough to accompany Liz (Walnliz fame) to search for precious stones in the forest and gold in the crevices
in a creek bed. What a learning experience!!! Liz 'taught' me how to pan for gold - did not find any and still cannot pan that good.

Keep up the enthusiasm - it is very contagious on this site.

Cheers Monty

 

[Goldtarget]

Welcome Spud,

When starting out it can all seem like alot to take in, but this forum is a fantastic resource no matter how long or short you have been at it. I'm not sure of your location so I'll keep in general. A quick check of the state laws and requirements is a must, abiding by them is your responsibility, as is obtaining any relevant permits. That done the first a good pan which will be a big help, the Garrett range of pans are an excellent start, these can be found online in Ebay and three like, and also offered by some of the site sponsors. Get that pan and if you can catch up with someone local they can guide you, alternatively there is Youtube, and some threads here that do a great job to explain technique.

Next is a shovel and some buckets. Pretty easy. Next a classifier which is used as a screening tool to eliminate the big rocks before they go in the pan. Again plenty of posts on here to help build one or how to use.

Next is something to keep or collect the gold in. Snuffer bottles are excellent, tweezers are ok, and if taking home the gold still mixed with the heavies (known as concentrates or cons) there are many useful options available. After you've put all this together its time to get the gold! If you're still going to detecta den they will guide you through all your gold equipment options.

Seek out a gold bearing creek, or take a large panning tub if no water is available. Finding gold in a watercourse has also been covered in many other topics and posts. Gold normally deposits in certain patterns, which can take some time to learn, but a quick google search of stream dynamics and gold placer deposits will give you some illustrated examples of where and how gold forms in deposits. Common areas are inside bends, slow water, and Eddy points. Gold will drop out at the first opportunity and these are great places to start. Gold can be a fickle thing at times though too, as the saying goes, gold is where you find it.

If you dig enough dirt eventually you will capture some. When you do take note of the material and place it was in, it can help you to find the next deposit. Don't be to discouraged if results aren't instant, and practice panning. Any questions you have can be answered by the members. Good luck in your search, may you find many golden pans in your search.

 

[Spud]

Thank you so very much for the info i'm hoping to meet to find some locals to learn off
i went out to detect a den on the weekend and had a look through the gear they have available, i think i will rent some equipment in the first instance so i can work out what works for me.
You are right, its a lot to take in and a bit over whelming.

when i was talking to my partner about looking for gems the first thing he said was " you wont know how to recognize them, they don't show up looking all pretty like your rings"
whilst i'm not that silly i can see my self keeping every little stone that has a shine in case it is something good lol

i think i'm going to head out to either Grabben Gullen or Brindabella valley hopefully this weekend.
fingers crossed its not raining

 

[Twapster]

Hey Spud, you will love grabben gullen if you have a set of sieves. Watch Wal & Liz vids on how to sapphire and its not that hard...the good stones will stick out so don't be worried. Same as gold...its extremely heavy and again sticks out. When u have never seen it you think you will miss it....when it presents itself you will sigh and realize how easy it is to spot. With gems, the very dark blue/green ones can look black, and the black spinel looks like a gem....as long as your rocks are wet and you use the shake and centre method...watch the vids!!!

Dig anywhere and just go through the motions and within half an hour you will have a rhythm as long as you have WATCHED THE VIDS!

Good luck. I found a beautiful 7 carat stone on my first trip! Second trip about 40 small uncuttable stones including a 7 carat bomb. Its gets easier every pan and just learn as you go. Gems are my new favourite hobby!!!!