Stuart Town, Lake Burrendong and Mookerawa NSW information + questions

[Ratty]

Hi all

Wondering if anyone has had any luck at Stuart town nsw.
Went out there last weekend on my way home to test pan.
Got a few little pickers out of the pan didn't get any flower gold

Thanks ratty

 

[user 4485]

Most people I see out there are usually detecting & still find a bit here & there. Have seen people set up with highbankers near the dams but never asked how they were going. In my mind, knowing what I've found with a SDC there, I'd reckon digging in a few spots out there would get some good results panning/highbanking.

 

[Ratty]

Mite have to look more down the road I didn't go past the gate

 

[GaryO]

Getting pickers and not flower gold is a good thing isnt it ?

Gaz

 

[Ratty]

Took about 10+ pans to get 8 small bits

 

[Eldorado]

Took about 10+ pans to get 8 small bits

Got any photos of these little bits?

 

[user 4485]

Mite have to look more down the road I didn't go past the gate

Yep that'd probably be better

 

[Ratty]

I'll try get some up. Still a new member didn't let me when I last tried

 

[nuggethill]

A bloke that lives in the Mudgee caravan park finds gold there when ever he has to pay his bills
he finds it there all year round
sorry he never told me the spot

 

[AussieGamer_Ben]

I reckon pickers are better then flower gold

 

[Twapster]

Most people I see out there are usually detecting & still find a bit here & there. Have seen people set up with highbankers near the dams but never asked how they were going. In my mind, knowing what I've found with a SDC there, I'd reckon digging in a few spots out there would get some good results panning/highbanking.

Have to ditto Mbaskos comments - I reckon a highbanker in the right spot would be a dream result having seen some of the gold come from detector finds that way. Possibly a recirc sluice somewhere at the common and BYO water!

 

[JeffP]

....please . Coming from Gulgong . want to have a look at the common with all the gold .

 

[Narrawa]

Once you get over the train line at Stuart town...turn right...drive for about 7-800mtrs and turn right...cross cattle grate the road will swing to your right...turn left on the bend and follow that track till you get to the creek crossing...cross the creek and turn to your left for the surfaced area (just above the big dam)....or continue on past the house on your right till you get to two large pepper-corn trees on your right.

You are on the common from the time you cross the cattle grate....stay within the fences and you cant go wrong...anything fenced off is a no go zone.

 

[JeffP]

Thanks Owen

 

[Flash_crusoe1]

Hey guys i'm hoping to go to stuart town within the next couple of weeks and i was wondering if anyone has some tips. I have a fisher Gold Bug detector (which is a bit old but still works).
Thanks

 

[Syndyne]

G'day Flash_

One good tip I can offer up is to bring good mosquito repellent! All the diggings are completely full of water currently and the mozzies are out in full force!

As far as detecting advice goes I can't offer you much as I mainly swing a Zed or SDC, but can advise to bring a rake as the current thick overburden will kill the depth on a VLF. There are a few cleaner holes that can be worth sticking to, working the little slopes etc. could be good as you won't really suffer the EMI that the PI machines do.

I'm sure there may be a member or two that have possibly run a Gold Bug out there at some point and may be able to offer some good tips?

All the best and beware that pesky lead shot
Shauno.

 

[Bison71]

Hi all
Looking at spending a few day in Stuart Town Detecting, apart from the commons where else can one go without breaking the law.
Looked at Hill End but to many leases to figure out. Or if anyone can suggest any maps I can download.

 

[user 4485]

The Common is pretty much it around Stuart Town itself but there's more ground in there than you'll cover in a few days. Mookerawa Waters is another option with some diggings around the park which is detectorist friendly https://www.inlandwaters.com.au/park/info/mookerawa-waters as is Lake Burrendong state park https://www.inlandwaters.com.au/park/info/lake-burrendong
Doug Stone maps are a good starting point to branch out from. There are other areas not included on his maps if you follow your nose
I don't know what leases your referring to at Hill End? There are a few small areas under current mining lease but they are well signposted/fenced off. You'd only wander into one if you meant to! The whole area is under EL's but Bathurst Regional Council LGA is now a fossicking district so no permission from EL holders is required on land, such as Hill End Common, that you have the right or landholder permission to be on. There is also more ground at Hill End than you'll cover over a few days.

 

[Narrawa]

The Fisher Gold Bug will do ok at Stuart town......lower the gain if having balance issues....balance right to the ground and use manual balancing if you have to. The trick is getting them close to the ground...work the area just to the left as you cross the first creek. That open flat area including the tracks/road leading up to the dam, gives up gold to most VLFs. Plenty of ferrous targets hiding small bits off gold, so better to use Disc rather than do your head in trying to use AM. The GB has an awful AM threshold....never smooth, and its recovery rate is poor....a SAT feature would have been nice...but that is just another method of dumbing the machine in order for it to handle nasty ground. Remember that the unit needs to be in AM in order to GB...switch back to Disc and up the gain a tad to compensate for having to lower the gain in AM to GB. Disc mode often helps iron out nasty ground on most units...the more Disc you use, the better the unit will handle the ground, and the more gain you can use....however, you sacrifice small bits of gold in doing so. Nasty bits of flat rusty tin/metal litter the ground there, and the Gold bug is no different in sorting it out compared to any other make model VLFs in that situation. I prefer to run the Disc on my VLFs at 0 -5...id prefer to hear the junk because you often can still hear a small high tone close by if the larger iron target pulls low (hence the reason many folks circle the target while sweeping across it)....to much Disc and that little close by high tone is gone due to the larger junk signal...and the amount of Disc...canceling it out. Remember to recheck the area after removing junk targets....the gold was there first....and good ol ST has given up many nuggets by applying this rule.

What you will find with that unit...and many others in places like this...is plenty of high tones that turn out to be flat rusty tin/iron. Sweep from all angles when you encounter this...and look at your TID...(walk in a circle round the target and sweep)..dig as many as you can as this will teach you much about the accuracy of your machine. Dont worry to much about miss identification....there isnt anything out there that can with much certainty.

I had some fun with the GB out there...so much so. i bought the F19, which was simply an updated version of the GB....i sold it just recently due to having to many detectors.

Stuart Town is a tough gig for VLFs...so if you find color there...you earned it. Its a great place for testing the abilities of VLFs...more so when the ground is wet to 4". Hill End and Wattle Flat are also similar grounds.

Good luck.