Tibooburra Gold.....a beginners "El Dorado."

[Xiang]

Hi WalnLiz, who did you pay your camp fee to? Were you in Dead Horse Gully area? Cheers for the great info here, really helpful for us first timers heading to the area

Dead Horse Gully is National Park, you must pay at the Parks office in Tibooburra. But no fires, smelly long drops and little water.

 

[Moneybox]

Some historical gold nuggets that are larger than most found these days.

TIBOOBURRA
1884 15 oz (467 g)
12 oz (373 g)
1885 1 oz (31 g)
1902 65 oz (2,022 g)
1906 13.5 oz (404 g)
1908 11 oz (342 g)
1922 1.5 oz (47 g)
MT BROWNE
1882 12 oz (373 g)
1885 3 oz (93 g)
1886 1-8 oz (31-249 g)
MT POOLE
1887 7 oz (218 g),
12 oz (373 g),
28 oz (871 g),
9 oz (280 g)

Not a lot of big ones listed in 20?? because Wal doesn't always display his

 

[WalnLiz]

Not a lot of big ones listed in 20?? because Wal doesn't always display his

I wish Moneybox ...we are all 80 years to late for the big ones... anything over 6oz these days get bragging rights for sure

 

[CooktownGold]

I’m thinking of heading up in the next few weeks, im assuming this is the warmer part of the year? Are the flys serious enough to bring fly nets? Thank you for the valuable information. For a non local and somebody who’s first visiting the field its priceless, I will only have my VLF gold monster with me as that’s all I could fit on the plane so hopefully I can find some areas that are slightly less mineralised, I commonly run this machine in hard ground so not to intimidated. Thanks.

 

[Moneybox]

I’m thinking of heading up in the next few weeks, im assuming this is the warmer part of the year? Are the flys serious enough to bring fly nets? Thank you for the valuable information. For a non local and somebody who’s first visiting the field its priceless, I will only have my VLF gold monster with me as that’s all I could fit on the plane so hopefully I can find some areas that are slightly less mineralised, I commonly run this machine in hard ground so not to intimidated. Thanks.

I've never been there but if the flies are like around here they are unpredictable. I think they are influenced by the direction of the wind. We rarely get many in town but they hang about the bushy areas. Sometimes there are none and a few days later they drive you mad. I'd go prepared.

 

[Greg_wilson]

Not much weight in a fly net so it shouldn’t push your luggage allowance over the limit. You could even wear it on the plane if it doesn’t fit in your carry on so I’d bring it even if you don’t end up needing it.

 

[Xiang]

I've never been there but if the flies are like around here they are unpredictable. I think they are influenced by the direction of the wind. We rarely get many in town but they hang about the bushy areas. Sometimes there are none and a few days later they drive you mad. I'd go prepared.

Do not leave your fly net at home. If you don't have it the flies will drive you mad.
As for using a vlf machine around Tib, we always did well around Tibooburra with our VLFs in the old days. The gold is mostly very small but often shallow. The ground is mostly good but some salty areas will stop you detecting it at all.
If you intend going up there in the next few weeks be prepared for temperatures up to and past 40 degrees. Work in the mornings and evenings carry lots of water and don't get lost. There are plenty of places to find gold within sight of town.
If you want a copy of my book, Tibooburra Gold, where and how to find gold around Tibooburra give me your email address and I'll send you a free digital copy.

 

[davsgold]

I bought a few of Jims gold CD's the Tibooburra one is good, so are the WA ones, but like everything most of the areas are live leases and need to get 40E or permissions

 

[Moneybox]

I bought a few of Jims gold CD's the Tibooburra one is good, so are the WA ones, but like everything most of the areas are live leases and need to get 40E or permissions

I'm surprised that so few people use the 40e permit system. Most seem to prefer to prospect illegally and that makes no sense to me. They'll say to me "It costs $105 now for a 40e". Well yes it does, so you have to find ONE GRAM of gold to cover your costs and you have a legal right to be there, you don't have to look over your shoulder at the sound of a vehicle in the area and you are more likely to be able to chose the ground that'll give you the best chance of finding gold.

If prospectors use the 40e permit system correctly they get access to most of the state of Western Australia and the lease holder gets free exploration done on their lease. A win-win for all concerned.

Sorry to put this in the wrong thread but it was mentioned here...

 

[sand surfer]

that's the problem these days phil
to many people think is ok to wonder all over your property/lease and make themselves at home
and when you ping them they get all narky as if they own the place
they should take a long walk off a short pier

 

[davsgold]

I'm surprised that so few people use the 40e permit system. Most seem to prefer to prospect illegally and that makes no sense to me. They'll say to me "It costs $105 now for a 40e". Well yes it does, so you have to find ONE GRAM of gold to cover your costs and you have a legal right to be there, you don't have to look over your shoulder at the sound of a vehicle in the area and you are more likely to be able to chose the ground that'll give you the best chance of finding gold.

If prospectors use the 40e permit system correctly they get access to most of the state of Western Australia and the lease holder gets free exploration done on their lease. A win-win for all concerned.

Sorry to put this in the wrong thread but it was mentioned here...

we believe the 40e system that WA has going is the best system in country, it's why we drive over 3000kms every year to go detecting

 

[bicter]

I’m thinking of heading up in the next few weeks, im assuming this is the warmer part of the year? Are the flys serious enough to bring fly nets? Thank you for the valuable information. For a non local and somebody who’s first visiting the field its priceless, I will only have my VLF gold monster with me as that’s all I could fit on the plane so hopefully I can find some areas that are slightly less mineralised, I commonly run this machine in hard ground so not to intimidated. Thanks.

Yes, It's the warmer part of the year: Tibooburra Observations
Assuming you're from Cooktown, you'll find the dry heat different to that of the tropics.
Make sure you drink heaps of water and yes you'll definitely need your flynet.

I've never been there but if the flies are like around here they are unpredictable. I think they are influenced by the direction of the wind. We rarely get many in town but they hang about the bushy areas. Sometimes there are none and a few days later they drive you mad. I'd go prepared.

The heat in Tibooburra is a dry heat, not like the tropics, make sure you drink plenty of water out there. Fly net is a definite YES.
Don't know if you've seen Chimpycorp's post here https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/threads/tibooburra-gps-marks.1504/#post-13935 for some possible locations to start with.
We always seemed to do better out on the pay to detect stations, especially Gum Vale.

 

[WalnLiz]

I’m thinking of heading up in the next few weeks, im assuming this is the warmer part of the year? Are the flys serious enough to bring fly nets? Thank you for the valuable information. For a non local and somebody who’s first visiting the field its priceless, I will only have my VLF gold monster with me as that’s all I could fit on the plane so hopefully I can find some areas that are slightly less mineralised, I commonly run this machine in hard ground so not to intimidated. Thanks.

Extremely hot up there in the summer months and the only way to go is to detect at night unfortunately ..my honest opinion is to wait until it gets cooler to really enjoy the location

 

[CooktownGold]

Thank you fellas, fully understand the heat Issue, however I have Flown south on holiday, brought a car while I’m here and have the opportunity to drive through on my way back north, so I will definitely go and put up with the heat Thanks for the heads up with the fly nets. Merry christmas for tomorrow and thanks for the info.

 

[gardnep]

View attachment 2826

Tibooburra is situated 351km from Broken Hill via the Silver City Highway. Until recently there was quite a bit of gravel road in these sections but now the full length is sealed and an easy drive, especially for those with caravans or trailers. The goldfields start in the south at Milparinka where the rich Mount Brown gold deposits yielded some of the largest nuggets from the whole region. The best I've witnessed personally from there was a nice 6oz slug unearthed by a friend. It was our place of choice back in the day but is now off limits to prospectors. The town, or what is left of it is still worth a visit as the museum has some great relics and goldfield information for the whole region.

The Tibooburra Field is made up of numerous interlocking deposits covering an enormous amount of ground. Just up the road is the New Bendigo Field which unfortunately is now under a mining lease and as such off limits to prospectors. To the left of these is the Mount Poole diggings and above them the Good Friday diggings which are now also under a mining lease so off bounds. From here the goldfield traverses the whole length of the Warratta Ranges up to the reef areas where the Pioneer, Rosemount, Elizabeth, and Phoenix mines proved to be the richest. There is still a stamp battery and old stone hut up there which is well worth a visit and accessible via Gum Vale station of which a mud map is available from the service station when you get your daily fossicking permit.

From here the goldfield still heads north to the top end of the Warratta Range and here you will find the German Gully and Evans Gully deposit. These were extremely rich in their hay day and still produce many small "nugglets" for those who put in the time. I'll say it here and probably repeat myself on many occasions during the thread...on the Tibooburra field you have to go "extremely low" and "extremely slow"...to the point of scraping your coil on the ground on all occasions. A centimetre or two above the ground on this field just doesn't cut it and you "will" walk over a lot of soft targets that will be gold. It is for this reason I highly recommend you pack a spare skid plate in your kit as the ground out here is very abrasive to your coil covers.

View attachment 2827

From here the goldfield crosses the Camerons Corner road and heads east to the Nuggety Gully and Tunnel Hill deposit. This was very rich for the old timers and still remains an area where it gives up gold consistently for the operators who go slow enough and scrape their coils. The surrounding hills are a source of many small patches and most come from shale covered hills devoid of the usual quartz strewn fields.

Heading east from here you will come to the Easter Monday Diggins which are just out
of the town of Tibooburra itself. This field is generally the first area most prospectors tend to visit because of its close proximity to the town itself. The field was extremely rich with surface gold and as such the whole area was worked with dry blowers by the old timers. With the use of a sturdy rake, and the will to rake down these mullock heaps, it is almost impossible to walk away without finding some of the thousands of small nuggets the old timers missed. Again.....low, slow and scrape the ground with your coil.

A friend of mine on our last trip out there raked down one such heap and worked it for 3 days netting him 14 grams of very small nuggets and detectable flakes. Some of the old dry blowers were not well maintained and threw out more than they captured. This field is extremely mineralized and unfortunately only the latest technology machines will be of use out here. VLF machines will drive you mad with ground noise and the numerous hot rocks the place is famous for. Gpx 4500, 5000, 6000, Z 7000 and SDC are by far your best bets.

View attachment 2828

The area surrounding Tibooburra is covered by a "common" area and this still produces gold but not anywhere in the numbers of the better known fields mentioned earlier. My advice to newcomers is work the known fields if you just want to have fun and take home a bit of gold for your efforts. If you want to get serious and possibly find a "Patch", then work the perimeters of these fields and the country joining these fields. That is where your bigger gold will be found, but be prepared to sometimes go days with no results. Either way the scenery, the abundant wild goats, emus, wedgetail eagles, Sturt's desert pea in flower and brilliant night sky's will be reward enough for those who venture into NSW's best known desert goldfield.

We ourselves hope to be back out there soon as because of COVID border closures we have spent the last three winters out there instead of our usual 3 month pilgrimage to the WA goldfields. We first visited the area 40 years ago and it still has the same drawcard now as it did way back then....It is hard not to fall in love with the place....good luck to all who venture out that way and may the gold gods be kind to you. Cheers Wal.

I inserted this video for those with a keen eye to see the type of terrane that the better nuggets come from.
Please note that most of the better nuggets come from shale slopes devoid of most quartz as is seen on

Visited in 2020 and came up empty, like most treasure hunters. Found about 3 lead shots in the slate so the whites was working. Contrary to other advice, this has been a small field with a small yield 9000 oz rings a bell and even if it was 10 x higher it is still a small yield. Australia is the second largest producer of gold in the world and if the Tibooburra field was compared to our current production, there is a good reason why the big companies have not moved in. One mine, Newmont Boddington gold and copper mine in WA produced 798,000 oz in 2022 and 898,000 oz in 2021.

Secondly, before claiming that there is a mining lease over the country, please check the NSW mines department website because an Exploration lease is different to a mining lease and mining leases usually take years to get approved. Some property owners use the terms interchangeably to claim we metal detector operators are not allowed when there is no restrictions on an Exploration lease. I believe the claimed lease was withdrawn a few years ago.

There are many small gold specks at Tibooburra and I hope we all find a few and it never was an Eldorado.

 

[user 4485]

because an Exploration lease is different to a mining lease and mining leases usually take years to get approved. Some property owners use the terms interchangeably to claim we metal detector operators are not allowed when there is no restrictions on an Exploration lease. I believe the claimed lease was withdrawn a few years

Not quite correct.
In NSW you need the permission of the Exploration Lease (EL) holder to fossick on any land covered by one. This is only negated if the area is within a Fossicking District (Tibooburra is not).
A large amount of area up there is indeed under EL (shown below in blue/purple) & there are still Mining Leases (ML) that require permission of the leaseholder regardless near Mt Browne & the Good Friday bore (shown below in red).


Many people do pretty well at Tibooburra fossicking/prospecting & Historically it produced 1700kg of mostly alluvial & eluvial gold (~52,000 ounces).
Comparing those historic figures against a completely different modern mine that's producing gold/copper concentrates from greenstone ore isn't really showing the hobby fossicker/prospector anything of value. Although Boddington produce a lot of gold it is too deep for hobbyists & may even be too fine.

At least one company has an interest in potential at Tibooburra, Manhattan Corporation (owner of the Tibooburra Gold Project) say it's an "Underexplored Goldfield with Multi – Million ounce potential".

 

[owenh1]

Heading up in 2 weeks time. Looking forward to hitting the ground armed with some good maps. Hopefully some colour still there for me!

 

[Detrack]

Heading up in 2 weeks time. Looking forward to hitting the ground armed with some good maps. Hopefully some colour still there for me!

 

[Detrack]

Out at Gum Vale Station is always a good place to go, pick a goat and ride him around the range

 

[Ben Mag]

I'm thinking of heading up there, I only have the 4500 (I really don't want to spend more on equipment). Will that be able to get the small gold that's up there? Is the 4500 too large-gold-seeking machine for Tibooburra?