Old mines

[Alienslayer]

Are you allowed to prospect around or in old mines? Talking shallow workings not shafts....

Hand tools only obviously and a detector

Just curious myself but Im asking for a friend as he doesnt use a computer and I actually want confirmation on an answer before I give him one

 

[user 4386]

Are you allowed to prospect around or in old mines? Talking shallow workings not shafts....

Hand tools only obviously and a detector

Just curious myself but Im asking for a friend as he doesnt use a computer and I actually want confirmation on an answer before I give him one

Even tunnels are risky for the inexperienced - people have died in them on a number of occasions (eg even gas can collect in a slight incline. When miners worked in them they used to bar down the loose rock every day before others entered - many tunnels have not been barred down in a hundred years and it requires expertise. Usually far less productive than the old dumps outside them - would take time to explain why but for very good reason (I am a mine geologist).

 

[Alienslayer]

Are you allowed to prospect around or in old mines? Talking shallow workings not shafts....

Hand tools only obviously and a detector

Just curious myself but Im asking for a friend as he doesnt use a computer and I actually want confirmation on an answer before I give him one

Even tunnels are risky for the inexperienced - people have died in them on a number of occasions (eg even gas can collect in a slight incline. When miners worked in them they used to bar down the loose rock every day before others entered - many tunnels have not been barred down in a hundred years and it requires expertise. Usually far less productive than the old dumps outside them - would take time to explain why but for very good reason (I am a mine geologist).

Talking shallow cut not tunnels either

 

[user 4386]

Ah well - if quite shallow with non hanging walls, but take great care. Anything 2 m plus high is a serious issue unless sloping.

 

[Alienslayer]

Ah well - if quite shallow with non hanging walls, but take great care. Anything 2 m plus high is a serious issue unless sloping.

What do you mean by serious issue? As in rules and regulations or safety?

 

[ProspectorPete]

What do you mean by serious issue? As in rules and regulations or safety?

Safety, if you presume it's ok to jump into a 2m plus hole you may not be able to get back out, you won't know if there's a false bottom on it and it may actually be a lot deeper, you jump in and the false bottom gives way and it's goodbye Alienslayer.......
Also a good chance the upper walls can cave in while you're in there.

Always be cautious and make sure you can enter and exit the hole safely and be sure there's no false bottom, stick to shallow diggings.

 

[Alienslayer]

What do you mean by serious issue? As in rules and regulations or safety?

Safety, if you presume it's ok to jump into a 2m plus hole you may not be able to get back out, you won't know if there's a false bottom on it and it may actually be a lot deeper, you jump in and the false bottom gives way and it's goodbye Alienslayer.......
Also a good chance the upper walls can cave in while you're in there.

Always be cautious and make sure you can enter and exit the hole safely and be sure there's no false bottom, stick to shallow diggings.

Yeh thats the plan ... shallow diggings as stated many times

 

[RM Outback]

Are you allowed to prospect around or in old mines? Talking shallow workings not shafts....

Hand tools only obviously and a detector

Just curious myself but Im asking for a friend as he doesnt use a computer and I actually want confirmation on an answer before I give him one

Check your state regulations :Y: have you joined APLA if not it's a good investment and source of current information. It also provides you with a state lobby group who work hard to maintain your ability to access land and contacts for these types of questions relative to your state. If the answer is yes it's the tip of the iceberg, Safety and proper procedures should be followed. It would be wise to do a confined space entry course which will highlight some of the dangers your friend may come across.

 

[Tathradj]

I have a post in here somewhere about that.

Jumped into a shallow digging and started detecting.
Could not balance the detector properly,
Some thing wrong.
Got a nice sharp signal off to one side,
Drive the pick in and it got stuck so RIP,
Up come an old sapling and there was nothing under it except an inky black hole.

Ever seen a cat upside down on a bank. ????

Decided that it was not a good idea to do this sort of thing unless I had severely checked the digging out carefully.

Detecting in the middle of a small open field in a heavily mined area,
There was a shaft about 50 feet away about 100 feet deep.

Standing there wondering why my detector would not setup properly.
Just happened to glance over the top of my coil and there was these cracks opening up.

Capped shaft.

As I walked past my mate, Be right back after I take care of a small issue.

The whole field was full of them.
Area is now closed off with warning signs.

Cocky I knew had aproblem with some sheep going missing.

Went on for a while.

Talking to him one night at the Pub,

He was wondering around a paddock butting up to some old diggings,

Could smell some thing dead.
Noticed some blowies around some tussocks.

Hole with a sheep stuck down it.

China men holes very, very deep.

So, Be careful. If you do not drown in the bottom, The long drop would
indeed be terminal.

 

[Swinging & digging]

Many historic mine sites in Victoria have a heritage protection on them and prospecting would be prohibited. You would need to do research.
I have found reef mine workings dumps to have lots of iron chips of picks and yet to find any gold in them. Just saying.

 

[Alienslayer]

Thanks his aware of the potential safety issue but the question was more the legality of it

 

[Ded Driver]

Assuming you're talking about WA, its not so much about whether access to the mine is legal or not just because its a mine.
The real issue is does it have an ML, PL or EP etc. (Obviously a working mine would, but a disused site might be ok)
You need to go onto TenGraph & research the area for tenements.

 

[Alienslayer]

Assuming you're talking about WA, its not so much about whether access to the mine is legal or not just because its a mine.
The real issue is does it have an ML, PL or EP etc. (Obviously a working mine would, but a disused site might be ok)
You need to go onto TenGraph & research the area for tenements.

Ill have to ask him but as far as I know pending