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Hi all, new here. Can anyone tell me if it's worth a trip to Walcha chasing gold ? If so is it more panning or detector ? Thanks
Queensland (Qld) Gold Fossicking Areas information & questions
- Thread starter HarriL
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Hi just wondering if anyone from cairns on here ?
Hey guys, I am planning on buying a river sluice in the coming months and would love to know some locations to look at around the south east coast. Also, if anybody around the logan area is knowledgeable in alluvial gold sluicing, I would love to learn as much as I can. Thanks.
The Oaks Goldfield Queensland
With reports of payable gold beginning in December 1907, the Oaks Rush was the last of the big alluvial gold rushes in North Queensland. The Oaks Goldfield encompassed roughly 1500 km2 and was located about 48 km south of Einasleigh, Queensland along the Copperfield River. While the Oaks Diggings, known as "The Knobs," was only 5 km2, the mining population peaked at 1,700 individuals, which is three to four times the estimated number it could support. The reported output of alluvial gold on The Knobs from December 1907 to December 1909 is 19,000 oz., though the actual total would have been much higher. It is well documented that determining exactly how much gold was actually found was impossible because so much gold went unreported. The Oaks Goldfield was completely surrounded by the Etheridge Goldfield and was only designated as a separate goldfield for administrative purposes. The Etheridge Shire was over 38,000 km2 and included the townships and goldfields of Cumberland, Georgetown, Charleston and Einasleigh. Due to the sporadic nature of the ore and the difficulties in mining it efficiently, goldfields in the Etheridge Shire were often designated "poor man's fields," even though well over 500,000 oz. of gold was reportedly mined there by the start of the First World War.
The photographs in this collection were taken by the Reverend Frederic Charles Hall (1878-1926) during the period 1902-1909 when he was the Anglican Curate appointed to Georgetown in North Queensland. Hall's foremost hobby was photography. He used both a half-plate camera with tripod made by J. Lancaster & Son, Birmingham and a quarter-plate Austral No. 3 made by the Australian company, Baker & Rouse. Glass negatives from Ilford and Austral were used; developing was done by the photographer himself and printing by exposure to sunlight.
The Photographer
The Reverend Frederic Charles Hall was born on the 26th February 1878 in Woollahra, New South Wales. As a young man he attended St Andrews Cathedral Choir School and later the Chinese School, joining the Chinese Choir. He volunteered for missionary service in China with the Church Missionary Association but was disappointed at not being accepted, probably for health reasons.
He subsequently met Bishop Gilbert White, first Bishop of Carpentaria and eagerly grasped an invitation to be trained by him on Thursday Island. Two years of study resulted in Halls ordination as a Deacon and appointment as Curate at Georgetown in North Queensland, an extensive parish which embraced Burketown, Normanton, Croydon, Golden Gate and smaller settlements in the south-east Gulf country. On the 24th June 1906, he was elevated to the priesthood in a ceremony conducted at the Quetta Memorial Cathedral on Thursday Island. Hall returned to Georgetown as Curate-in-Charge until 1909, when he departed North Queensland for Sydney.
Frederic Hall married Edith Searle in 1909, after an eight year engagement. They had three children: Kenwyn, Wensley and Gwyneth. He served as Curate in various parishes of the Sydney Diocese, was Rector of St. Thomass, Mulgoa with Greendale and Ludenham, and Rector of St. Marks, Picton with The Oaks and Yerranderie, until his death on the 7th February 1926, aged 48.
The Collection
Halls foremost hobby was photography. The photographs he produced are testament to both his technical skill and dedication to documenting the lives of the people he served.
He used both a half-plate camera with tripod made by J. Lancaster and Sons, Birmingham and quarter-plate Austral No.3 made by the Australian Baker and Rouse company. Glass negatives from Ilford and Austral were used; developing was done by the photographer himself and printing by exposure to sunlight.
It was the photographers grandson, Kenwyn Arthur Hall, who suggested to the Hall family that the collection, because of its significance to North Queensland, should be offered to James Cook University; and in 1980 JCU had prints made from the 700 odd surviving glass negatives. They were handed over, together with the half-plate camera and equipment, by Kenwyn (Snr) and Gwyneth Hall at a formal ceremony in 1982. James Cook University Library acknowledges the contributions of Mr Ken Hall of Roseville (now deceased) and Kenwyn Arthur Hall whose ongoing support has enabled the photographs to make the transition from print format to the digital environment of NQHeritage (JCU Librarys pilot online repository for Special Collections materials) where they can be accessed and appreciated by a national and international audience of researchers.
Hall, Frederic Charles Berdan pans at a battery for gold mining in North Queensland [NQ ID 544]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/127/
Hall, Frederic Charles Cart full of stone in front of a shed at a North Queensland battery [NQ ID 533]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/155/
Hall, Frederic Charles Corrugated metal hopper at a battery for gold mining in North Queensland [NQ ID 551]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/128/
Hall, Frederic Charles Couple having tea in the sitting room of a North Queensland house [NQ ID 577]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/91/
Hall, Frederic Charles Dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 494]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/140/
Hall, Frederic Charles Family mining for alluvial gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1204]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/157/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four mill workers posed around a water trough at a cyanide plant, Etheridge Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 907]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/117/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners posing at a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 507]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/142/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners posing in front of a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 506]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/141/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners stand near the entrance to a mine shaft, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 522]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/125/
Hall, Frederic Charles Landscape from an area mined for alluvial gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 483]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/149/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner and two children standing next to a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1201]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/108/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner emptying a bucket at a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 517]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/124/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner posing in front of a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 510]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/144/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner posing in front of a timber and bark hut in a North Queensland bush setting [NQ ID 737]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/135/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner using a combination cradle and sluice, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 498]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/105/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner using a spring dolly, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 487]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/103/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner with equipment for alluvial gold mining, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1203]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/110/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners at Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1199]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/118/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners at Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 505]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/151/ https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/ https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners posing at a puddling plant and shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 508]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/
Hall, Frederic Charles Mr. Johnson using a combination sluice and cradle, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1202]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/109/
Coleman and three other miners using sluice-boxes and a cradle, Charley's Creek, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 509]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/106/
Hall, Frederic Charles Oaks camp, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 486]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/111/
Hall, Frederic Charles One miner standing by a shaft mine with his horse, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 512]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/123/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners demonstrate an unusual puddling machine, Charley's Creek, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1198]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/147/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners standing with a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1205]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/148/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners working a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 511]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/152/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners and a dog posing with a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 489]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/120/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners sluicing for gold in North Queensland [NQ ID 497]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/122/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners sluicing for gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 190]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/139/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners using a sieve, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 485]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/119/
This list was generated on Fri Feb 2 00:20:06 2018 AEST.
I must thank James Cook University for making the links available to this fine unpublished collection of photos. Please note the links may be removed by the University, so please respect their copyright.
https://www.jcu.edu.au/
Books that may be of interest.
Handbook of Queensland geology / by Robert L. Jack
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-409636148/view?partId=nla.obj-409636774
The goldfields of Queensland : Gympie goldfield, 1868-1898 / by Wm. Lees.
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-415597879/view?partId=nla.obj-415760312
With reports of payable gold beginning in December 1907, the Oaks Rush was the last of the big alluvial gold rushes in North Queensland. The Oaks Goldfield encompassed roughly 1500 km2 and was located about 48 km south of Einasleigh, Queensland along the Copperfield River. While the Oaks Diggings, known as "The Knobs," was only 5 km2, the mining population peaked at 1,700 individuals, which is three to four times the estimated number it could support. The reported output of alluvial gold on The Knobs from December 1907 to December 1909 is 19,000 oz., though the actual total would have been much higher. It is well documented that determining exactly how much gold was actually found was impossible because so much gold went unreported. The Oaks Goldfield was completely surrounded by the Etheridge Goldfield and was only designated as a separate goldfield for administrative purposes. The Etheridge Shire was over 38,000 km2 and included the townships and goldfields of Cumberland, Georgetown, Charleston and Einasleigh. Due to the sporadic nature of the ore and the difficulties in mining it efficiently, goldfields in the Etheridge Shire were often designated "poor man's fields," even though well over 500,000 oz. of gold was reportedly mined there by the start of the First World War.
The photographs in this collection were taken by the Reverend Frederic Charles Hall (1878-1926) during the period 1902-1909 when he was the Anglican Curate appointed to Georgetown in North Queensland. Hall's foremost hobby was photography. He used both a half-plate camera with tripod made by J. Lancaster & Son, Birmingham and a quarter-plate Austral No. 3 made by the Australian company, Baker & Rouse. Glass negatives from Ilford and Austral were used; developing was done by the photographer himself and printing by exposure to sunlight.
The Photographer
The Reverend Frederic Charles Hall was born on the 26th February 1878 in Woollahra, New South Wales. As a young man he attended St Andrews Cathedral Choir School and later the Chinese School, joining the Chinese Choir. He volunteered for missionary service in China with the Church Missionary Association but was disappointed at not being accepted, probably for health reasons.
He subsequently met Bishop Gilbert White, first Bishop of Carpentaria and eagerly grasped an invitation to be trained by him on Thursday Island. Two years of study resulted in Halls ordination as a Deacon and appointment as Curate at Georgetown in North Queensland, an extensive parish which embraced Burketown, Normanton, Croydon, Golden Gate and smaller settlements in the south-east Gulf country. On the 24th June 1906, he was elevated to the priesthood in a ceremony conducted at the Quetta Memorial Cathedral on Thursday Island. Hall returned to Georgetown as Curate-in-Charge until 1909, when he departed North Queensland for Sydney.
Frederic Hall married Edith Searle in 1909, after an eight year engagement. They had three children: Kenwyn, Wensley and Gwyneth. He served as Curate in various parishes of the Sydney Diocese, was Rector of St. Thomass, Mulgoa with Greendale and Ludenham, and Rector of St. Marks, Picton with The Oaks and Yerranderie, until his death on the 7th February 1926, aged 48.
The Collection
Halls foremost hobby was photography. The photographs he produced are testament to both his technical skill and dedication to documenting the lives of the people he served.
He used both a half-plate camera with tripod made by J. Lancaster and Sons, Birmingham and quarter-plate Austral No.3 made by the Australian Baker and Rouse company. Glass negatives from Ilford and Austral were used; developing was done by the photographer himself and printing by exposure to sunlight.
It was the photographers grandson, Kenwyn Arthur Hall, who suggested to the Hall family that the collection, because of its significance to North Queensland, should be offered to James Cook University; and in 1980 JCU had prints made from the 700 odd surviving glass negatives. They were handed over, together with the half-plate camera and equipment, by Kenwyn (Snr) and Gwyneth Hall at a formal ceremony in 1982. James Cook University Library acknowledges the contributions of Mr Ken Hall of Roseville (now deceased) and Kenwyn Arthur Hall whose ongoing support has enabled the photographs to make the transition from print format to the digital environment of NQHeritage (JCU Librarys pilot online repository for Special Collections materials) where they can be accessed and appreciated by a national and international audience of researchers.
Hall, Frederic Charles Berdan pans at a battery for gold mining in North Queensland [NQ ID 544]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/127/
Hall, Frederic Charles Cart full of stone in front of a shed at a North Queensland battery [NQ ID 533]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/155/
Hall, Frederic Charles Corrugated metal hopper at a battery for gold mining in North Queensland [NQ ID 551]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/128/
Hall, Frederic Charles Couple having tea in the sitting room of a North Queensland house [NQ ID 577]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/91/
Hall, Frederic Charles Dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 494]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/140/
Hall, Frederic Charles Family mining for alluvial gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1204]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/157/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four mill workers posed around a water trough at a cyanide plant, Etheridge Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 907]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/117/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners posing at a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 507]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/142/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners posing in front of a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 506]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/141/
Hall, Frederic Charles Four miners stand near the entrance to a mine shaft, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 522]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/125/
Hall, Frederic Charles Landscape from an area mined for alluvial gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 483]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/149/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner and two children standing next to a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1201]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/108/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner emptying a bucket at a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 517]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/124/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner posing in front of a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 510]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/144/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner posing in front of a timber and bark hut in a North Queensland bush setting [NQ ID 737]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/135/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner using a combination cradle and sluice, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 498]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/105/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner using a spring dolly, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 487]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/103/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miner with equipment for alluvial gold mining, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1203]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/110/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners at Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1199]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/118/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners at Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 505]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/151/ https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/ https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/
Hall, Frederic Charles Miners posing at a puddling plant and shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 508]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/143/
Hall, Frederic Charles Mr. Johnson using a combination sluice and cradle, Copperfield River, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1202]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/109/
Coleman and three other miners using sluice-boxes and a cradle, Charley's Creek, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 509]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/106/
Hall, Frederic Charles Oaks camp, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 486]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/111/
Hall, Frederic Charles One miner standing by a shaft mine with his horse, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 512]. [Image] (Unpublished)
https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/123/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners demonstrate an unusual puddling machine, Charley's Creek, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1198]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/147/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners standing with a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 1205]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/148/
Hall, Frederic Charles Three miners working a shaft mine, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 511]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/152/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners and a dog posing with a dry blower, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 489]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/120/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners sluicing for gold in North Queensland [NQ ID 497]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/122/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners sluicing for gold, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 190]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/139/
Hall, Frederic Charles Two miners using a sieve, Oaks Goldfield, Queensland [NQ ID 485]. [Image] (Unpublished) https://nqheritage.jcu.edu.au/119/
This list was generated on Fri Feb 2 00:20:06 2018 AEST.
I must thank James Cook University for making the links available to this fine unpublished collection of photos. Please note the links may be removed by the University, so please respect their copyright.
https://www.jcu.edu.au/
Books that may be of interest.
Handbook of Queensland geology / by Robert L. Jack
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-409636148/view?partId=nla.obj-409636774
The goldfields of Queensland : Gympie goldfield, 1868-1898 / by Wm. Lees.
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-415597879/view?partId=nla.obj-415760312
Groan 
all more than 50ks from me! Getting desperate to start shoveling some dirt, garden just doesn't do it for us.
But.... finding a coin in the dirt was a big surprise, shows we are on old ground not a scalped development block
all more than 50ks from me! Getting desperate to start shoveling some dirt, garden just doesn't do it for us.But.... finding a coin in the dirt was a big surprise, shows we are on old ground not a scalped development block
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Hi all,I know we are all allowed to fossick in the GPA areas.My other question is can we legally fossick creeks and rivers if we have permission from land owners.
- Joined
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Cant see why not .
Just beware of the Karen's and the Darren's and you should be fine.
But like moneybox said if you want to know the rules of a specific spot email the mines department and keep the reply email as prof. :beer:
Just beware of the Karen's and the Darren's and you should be fine.
But like moneybox said if you want to know the rules of a specific spot email the mines department and keep the reply email as prof. :beer:
It is all explained here:
https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/areas-facilities/fossicking/rules/designated-areas
https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/areas-facilities/fossicking/rules/designated-areas
Excellent info Simmo.
Hi Gary, did you ever get any info about Monal. I phoned the Monto post office a few months ago to get info about access but had no luck. Happy hunting. Kind regards, David at Winfield.
Welcome Gary-good luck.
Palmerville Station info:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/threads/palmer-river.37448/
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/threads/palmer-river.37448/
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