Using a dredge in Australia for recreational prospecting is illegal - information and questions

[Hiluxlou]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

 

[Tathradj]

LOL, Read between my lines and we are equal. :lol:

So sniping with a snuffer bottle is dredging.
.
Um... 8)

Dude read between the lines.it was a JOKE.lol

 

[Ryan1981]

LOL, Read between my lines and we are equal. :lol:

So sniping with a snuffer bottle is dredging.
.
Um... 8)

Dude read between the lines.it was a JOKE.lol

there you go mate.

 

[Horse]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

not unless there is a secret yabby pump in the hande

 

[Marked]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

not unless there is a secret yabby pump in the hande

If the river is on the excluded list in Victoria, I believe so.

 

[casper]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

not unless there is a secret yabby pump in the hande

If the river is on the excluded list in Victoria, I believe so.

errrrr! ....... should be okay if you don't dig your targets in the unlikely event that you get one

casper

 

[Tathradj]

PMSL, I love it. :lol:

LOL, Read between my lines and we are equal. :lol:

So sniping with a snuffer bottle is dredging.
.
Um... 8)

Dude read between the lines.it was a JOKE.lol

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/330/1422765915_baby_m_f.jpg

there you go mate.

 

[Marked]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

not unless there is a secret yabby pump in the hande

If the river is on the excluded list in Victoria, I believe so.

errrrr! ....... should be okay if you don't dig your targets in the unlikely event that you get one

casper

LOL - using that rationale, I guess we can all detect in National Parks too - as long as we don't dig the targets

 

[dazza513]

Is it illegal to use a detector in a river ?

not unless there is a secret yabby pump in the hande

If the river is on the excluded list in Victoria, I believe so.

errrrr! ....... should be okay if you don't dig your targets in the unlikely event that you get one

casper

LOL - using that rationale, I guess we can all detect in National Parks too - as long as we don't dig the targets

I've been detecting for coin's in National parks for years and never had a problem, that's legal yeah?

 

[user 4485]

For the NSW guys:
NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE REGULATION 2009 - REG 16

16 Cultural heritage
(3) A person must not in a park:

(a) use any metal detector or other apparatus for detecting any metal or metal object,

 

[Marked]

For the NSW guys:
NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE REGULATION 2009 - REG 16

16 Cultural heritage
(3) A person must not in a park:

(a) use any metal detector or other apparatus for detecting any metal or metal object,

Being National Parks, I would assume that legislation is uniform across all States and Territories, not just applicable to NSW ...

 

[G0lddigg@]

emphasise on NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE REGULATION 2009 - REG 16

 

[user 4485]

Only few 'national' parks are managed at a national level by theAustralian Federal Government in comparison to the thousands of National Parks & Conservation Areas in Australia. Most parks and reserves are conserved by government agencies in each of Australia's eight states and territories i.e. managed at a state/territory level. As such legislation in each state/territory may not be uniform although I do recall reading something in Victorian legislation that has similar rules in regards to removing, disturbing, damaging etc. any relic/s. In legislation a relic is usually any object older than a specified time (some are 25 years, some 50 years depending on state, legislative instrument etc.) that could be used to verify, study etc. an areas history/heritage. I would assume old coins would fall into the "relic" category particularly as they have a date on them or can usually be traced to a date which can tell a lot about an area.
I would think most states would have something to do with cultural heritage in their National Parks legislation that would prevent metal detecting or make it very hard to be done outside of a designated fossicking area, which in NSW are very few.
I only mentioned NSW as I am very familiar with our rules & only have minimal understanding of other states. I only usually study up on other states if traveling or out of interest if a question is asked.

 

[G0lddigg@]

In Victoria Under miners right- http://www.energyandresources.vic.g...requently-asked-questions-about-miners-rights

26. Is prospecting in State Parks permitted?

Generally, prospecting is not permitted in state parks. However, prospecting is permitted in limited areas in the following Parks:

Beechworth Historic Park
Enfield State Park
Kooyoora State Park
Paddys Ranges State Park
Reef Hills State Park
Steiglitz Historic Park
Warrandyte State Park

Gemstone only fossicking:

Cape Liptrap Coastal Park
Cape Schanck Coastal Park
Mornington Peninsula National Park
Otway National Park

28. Is prospecting permitted in National Parks?

Yes, in designated areas (as listed below) and where listed above for gemstone fossicking.

Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
Greater Bendigo National Park
Heathcote-Graytown National Park
St Arnaud Range National Park

 

[Ryan1981]

What do these last posts have to do with the topic of this thread????????

 

[user 4485]

LOL - using that rationale, I guess we can all detect in National Parks too - as long as we don'tdigthe targets

I've been detecting for coin's in National parks for years and never had a problem, that's legal yeah?

Yeah the threads gone off topic a bit - it & **** happens all the time.
I thought the responses were pretty straight forward & did flow on from the current discussion though, which had got onto detecting National Parks.

Back on topic - if a ranger wanted to he would find sucking up gravel with a straw to be dredging. :lol:

 

[Horse]

It does not matter if it is considered dredging or not.
Rules are broken and openly so even by the members of this forum.

I say read the rules and interpret them the way you want and go get the yellow.
IF you break the rules...it is your own ass that ends up in a sling and you can not blame anyone else.

 

[user 1769]

Interesting replies there guys. This used to be a fairly good-natured forum, but reading some of the replies here and in other threads leaves me scratching my head...

In response to some of the comments. Magpiez, if you know the people who did this, can you kick them in the nuts for me? They left 44-gallon drums full of crap, as well as leaving garbage and bottles strewn everywhere, and generally left the area, and particularly the creek in the sort of state that one single greenie taking a photo would have the whole of the Tasmanian Greens and Wilderness society screaming bloody murder and asking for prospecting and fossicking to be made illegal. Anyway MRT have been involved now for some time, as several reports, not just mine, have come in. If it's the case that dredges were not used, it hardly matters, the creek was left in a shocking state, and that does not help anyone who likes to fossick.

It is a condition of prospecting licences that: 11. All care is to be taken in the prospecting of materials and any diggings shall be restored to normal surface level before leaving the area. Somehow I doubt the cowboys involved bothered with such technicalities as getting a licence. In addition, ff you want to systematically extract everything out of a large section of creek, you should apply for a mining lease.

excalibur: I wasn't born here, though I'm not sure what that has to do with anything... perhaps those of us who were born elsewhere have a better appreciation of how beautiful Tasmania is, and how **** it can get with unchecked degradation, as it already is where I come from? If it matters, I have been fossicking in NE Tasmania a few times a year since the early/mid 90s.

The problem with things like highbankers, as well as river sluices, other than them being technically illegal, is that, in my opinion, they wouldn't work in areas that are overloaded with cassiterite, which is approximately twice as heavy as corundum. Most of the rivers and creeks I fossick have way, way more cassiterite than corundum, and it quickly clogs the riffles. You'd need to clean up every couple of minutes. For me, in some of the more productive areas, it takes longer to dig the wash than to sieve it anyway.

 

[GaryO]

Doesnt a dredge re deposit the tailings back behind where you have done ?

 

[Metamorphic]

Interesting replies there guys. This used to be a fairly good-natured forum, but reading some of the replies here and in other threads leaves me scratching my head...

Your on the wrong page dude, may i remind you that every member i know here cares about the bush and does the right thing. This will become evident to you if you can be bothered at all to read most of the posts regarding enviromental issues here.

Now i wasnt going to even spend my time formulating a reply to your biased thread, but now you have managed to upset my goodself with your bulls**t rant.

As i said, we are all for doing the right thing here, but those that constantly groan and carry on about the minority who dont, give me the chits frankly.

Let your old thread die gracefully, most here would not be interested in you continually reviving it in order to bag us out.

I have not seen a suitable contribution from you in any other topic on this forum.

The problem with things like highbankers, as well as river sluices, other than them being technically illegal, is that, in my opinion, they wouldn't work in areas that are overloaded with cassiterite, which is approximately twice as heavy as corundum. Most of the rivers and creeks I fossick have way, way more cassiterite than corundum, and it quickly clogs the riffles. You'd need to clean up every couple of minutes. For me, in some of the more productive areas, it takes longer to dig the wash than to sieve it anyway.

This says to me that your knowledge regarding these matters is substandard.

Cassiterite is primarily a tin ore with a specific gravity of 7.

This makes it lighter than other elements commonly found associated with it.
These would include molybdenum, silver, zinc, monel and nickel......Arsenopyrite being only fractionally lighter.
Not to even mention gold which is our primary metal in question here.

If you cant pass SnO2 in your hibanker/sluice, your doing it all wrong!

And no, they are not illegal here in Victoria.

Have a nice day