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

[Tathradj]

Using water to move material on the ground is classified as Hydraulic Sluicing.
No matter on how large or small the operation.
What we are doing is trying to have water pumps excluded in the NSW mining act.
Thus allowing High Banking properly.
It is a grey area.

 

[aussiefarmer]

Take the sluice to the dirt and shovel it on instead of into bucks, if its a river sluice pump into a hole and run your sluice in the overflow. Your talking of pumping water anyway just need to think logicaly .
I carried buckets for 2 trips then worked out how dumb i was , dont take dirt to water hoses will bring water to the dirt.

 

[aussiefarmer]

Started my catfish eating gold but i am buggered if i can get him to poo in the sluice :lol:

 

[Occasional_panner]

scare him with a cat. But someone will report you for dangling a cat over a sluice then. :|

 

[Eski]

Fair Call aussie farmer - but it gets difficult when water levels drop and there are only a few pools left in sections of creek. but then again the methods i mentioned wouldn't be doable then anyway.

 

[AtomRat]

Some methods take some time to do it, but it can be done Esky. Consider water level dropping a plus, instead of a downfall. Theres always a way around it all

 

[bend]

water level dropping generally translates directly to increased/easier access to the areas where the heavys drop out Eski. I won't comment on the dredging discussion.but I will say that low water levels, a pump, a sluice and the willingness to dig a gutter between two large puddles for flow/recirc (plus the right location obviously) can make for a good day.

 

[Tathradj]

Bend,
That is the way you are supposed to use
a Banker when working a River/Creek Bed.

 

[bend]

Bend,
That is the way you are supposed to use
a Banker when working a River/Creek Bed.

Pretty much yeah Tathradj, a sluice works just as well sitting in the gutter beside your spot and shovelling into it if you don't mind the losses due to lack of classification. The point was more to low water being an advantage for access rather than specifics of equipment.
Personally I wait a month or so and use a dryblower where possible instead of buggerising around with digging gutters etc. Hikers fly for shade, spend a day or so digging/ crevicing the bottom, dry it on a tarp as you go and run the blower after afternoon tea works quite well. Only got the blower recently, but there's a lot of dry ground around my way at the moment and most of the smaller waterways don't get much more than damp most of the time.
edit: A cradle works well with low water too of course, though the values need to be a bit higher to be worth the effort.

 

[Tathradj]

Yep.
As long as you are loading your river sluice by hand,
No problems.
Not washing the material into it.

 

[Tathradj]

Also meant to say I like the way you are thinking.
Turn the disadvantage to an advantage.

 

[bend]

You'd need more slope or a lot more water to wash material into the sluice without making a large bog instead generally. Might work on a hillside but there's a reason hydraulic ops/ booming were generally large setups with a lot of people involved and I can assure you it's not because anyone wanted to share the gold. Without a lot of water and a lot of ground prep (or a few helpers) to make sure that water goes where you want it you're not going to much more than make a mess and leave a lot gold behind, with a lot less overburden for the next bloke most of the time.

 

[Eski]

Liking what you are saying Bend...

I will retire to my garage to finish off the highbanker...

 

[reefer]

Which brings up another question.. and i do not mean to belittle you Bend or make judgment of any kind..but what about a dry-blower is that legal or are the fun police gonna confiscate that or what..Doug? thoughts :/

 

[bend]

For VIC it's legal same as a highbanker as far as I know, it's processing not excavation. That may change at some point of course, but as far as I'm aware there's nothing coming down the pipeline like that for us yet, they're to busy trying to restrict where we can go as far as i know. In any case if that does occur then I'll build a larger version of my hand operated puffer. A bit of knowledge of applied leverage and possibly some gearing should go a long way to making that a reasonably efficient tool hopefully.
Might have to build a an oversized cradle on a wheel barrow frame to replace the high banker then too, I guess. 8)

 

[Tathradj]

Legal in Victoria but not in NSW.
I really envy you guys down in Mexico.
But, I have my Victorian Miners right and it is only a 2 hours drive for me down there.
Then you have to get past all the National Parks......
Up around Bendoc and in that area is a place for me to go.
I know a lot of folks up that way.

Which brings up another question.. and i do not mean to belittle you Bend or make judgment of any kind..but what about a dry-blower is that legal or are the fun police gonna confiscate that or what..Doug? thoughts :/

 

[Eski]

Bendoc Is an interesting Place Tath , u'd think it seldom visited due to being out of the way...

 

[Russman80]

Is a DIY modified PVC yabbie pump legal? its classed as a hand tool yeah? I made one with a nozzle to get into crevices, works really well, would be disappointing if its illegal.

 

[Tathradj]

Yep,
It is hand operated.

 

[Russman80]

Yep,
It is hand operated.

Awesome! I'll keep it in my kit then! :Y: