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

[lukem]

I whole heartily and totally disagree with that statement. It all comes back to the skill of the person on the end of the shovel.
Jemba.

im not quite sure how you can disagree with the reality evident by every single person who has ever dug sand/gravel out of water?

A shovel head has a flat degreed central curvature. With no side walls or deep concave to stop any amount of loose material flowing over when lifted through water. Sensibility would suggest that the faster you lift unsupported loose material through water the more you would loose. If you overfilled a truck dog with soil the faster you go the more you'll loose; much the same. Sorry but there is no "skill" in using a shovel, its one of the first outdoor toys/beach toys any kid gets when they're 2. The method never changes. Dig, lift, turn, pour.

 

[lukem]

my input was never about whether or not using a yabbie pump was ok, it was about people saying "dredging is illegal, in any form" etc but confusing the case in point (for me anyway) saying yabbie pumps are fine.

either way i couldnt care less because i dont really see how you could use one productively anyway in rocky areas. Nor would it be an issue in QLD.

 

[AtomRat]

We are not digging with a yabbie pump, we are removing a small amount of material by a human operated device. A yabby pump is not powed by mechanical force (except human mechanics) and why it is legal. Its manual-mechanical not powered by external mechanical device like pump. If a yabbie pump has constant suction from someone pumping like crazy its not a dredge as its hand powered. Why not make it interesting.. What if i added an accumilator onto my yabbie pump to force the feed faster.. Still powered by 'non-mechanical' means but possibly breaching pneumatic rules there.

By the sounds of it lukem, you just gotta try and see for yourself. You use them especially on sharp bedrock and crevices in flowing waters. If theres gravel, its gotta be moved before yabbie pumping and then material placed back into the hole. This would'nt be useful where too much gravel is about or areas that have soft clay/silt bottoms. Easier to find an area where theres mininal gravel and exposed bedrock, the hand operated yabbie pump is the only way to get the gold out as shovel wont fit in the tight grooves. Its not a tool that you use every single area and place.

It is not constant suction, therefore not in anyway anything like a dredge. It can not kill fish, frogs or the leadbeater possum.

(p.s- to stop gravel / gold slipping off while shoveling hard n fast, weld walls and a back onto your shovel, once its in, it wont get out.)

 

[Eric2017]

As I said earlier I have a garden scoop. High sides in it. I barely lose anything with it

 

[Tathradj]

Yes,It had to be spelt out to a Green one that water pumps can not be used to pump
gravel and water.
True.
One of the recommendations is lay flat only between the pump and banker.
You can not use lay flat with a dredge setup as it would tear itself to pieces within seconds.

A little off topic and more for napfa and tathadj , in the fight to keep highbankers legal maybe making strainers on pump pickup hoses be made compulsory maybe specifying a max off 5mm holes might help the do gooders believe we arent running gravel through our pumps , just thinking out loud

 

[Jaros]

Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooook
If it's illegal DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!
It's that effen "SIMPLE"
Let It go and practice tennis. You know --backhand--) forehand : depend on whether which hand you use???!!!!

 

[AtomRat]

:lol:

Yeh its pretty simple. Dredges illegal, yabbie pumps legal. Wax on, wax off

 

[7.62marksman]

what now grasshopper

 

[shivan]

Before saying it was so simple i would be asking myself what the authorities definition of dredging is. Again that's why i would say its going to be more down to the ranger on the day when it comes to yabbie pump type setups.

 

[aussiefarmer]

this a merrygoround :lol:
How do you fill your hole in when digging under water :lol: :lol:

 

[Simmo]

this a merrygoround :lol:
How do you fill your hole in when digging under water :lol: :lol:

My dredge fills it in with the over burden and I keep going down the creek..................

 

[aussiefarmer]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ]

 

[Smoky bandit]

I use an under water hole filler..you can get them from bunnings.. :Y: ] :lol:

 

[yobskin]

Yeah i got one from bunnings to...they work well 3 cubic meters an hour.

 

[aussiefarmer]

Oh ok i will stop using selleys no more gaps then :lol:

 

[Tathradj]

Spakfiller is not too bad either I found.
Quickset cement got a bit too expensive.

 

[7.62marksman]

Can i put a wanted urgent on here
6 inch dredge nozzel
O

 

[AtomRat]

this a merrygoround :lol:
How do you fill your hole in when digging under water :lol: :lol:

You dont let the material 'accidently' be pushed downstream :Y:

 

[Jemba]

im not quite sure how you can disagree with the reality evident by every single person who has ever dug sand/gravel out of water? {Not every person only the ones who dont know the style in which to dig.}

A shovel head has a flat degreed central curvature. With no side walls or deep concave to stop any amount of loose material flowing over when lifted through water. Sensibility would suggest that the faster you lift unsupported loose material through water the more you would loose. If you overfilled a truck dog with soil the faster you go the more you'll loose; much the same. Sorry but there is no "skill" in using a shovel, its one of the first outdoor toys/beach toys any kid gets when they're 2. The method never changes. Dig, lift, turn, pour. { Now you see that is very hard for me to understand.... you say there is no skill just dig, lift, turn & pour. There is a whole lot more I could add to this. The art of using a shovel well some learn the skill others dont. but I will not go into detail and let you work it out for yourself. Maybe one day you may find the skill to digging in water I really hope you do. As they say you must have the right tool for the job at hand.}

 

[7.62marksman]

Went to Oallen today had a drive around to see who was there and came across these two having a ball
and yes i do have the video version
being a few vechiles there i could not say what number plate belonged to them

Edit.
Tathradj
I would really like to say exactly what I think but I reckon I can say the following,
The past few days every time I seen this post, My Blood boils so here we go.
My comments as both a Moderator and a Committee Member I take to be my own.
I cannot help it.

To the pair of Greedy, Ignorant hapless fools. Do you realize that your actions are an insult to all Fossicker's, The Land and the people who are tasked with the hard Yacka to keep our hobby alive both the law makers and we who have to abide by them.? Your personal greed would probably amount to no less than $100 worth of gold but no, You have to use one of the most illegal pieces of equipment to satisfy yourselves and I hope that you are happy with that.

If your facial features would have been a bit clearer, I would have removed this post but since they are as blurry as what is between your ears, I myself have decided to leave them up to make it apparent on who you are as you would be able to identify yourselves.

I see this sort of thing all the time and usually take the softly. softly approach and just delete it.
Not in this case Fella's.
Sure, One day you may run into me but I assure you, You are the loser's. Not Me.
Cheer Up. I am leaving this as an example to ensure that I hope is turning a bad example into a good one.
As a sticky.
I better stop now or I will be in more trouble than Speed Gordon.

I also implore the Fossicking community not take any vigilante action but to quietly without identifying yourselves, Gather your intelligence and
report it to the relevant authorities.
I am sorry if I have overstepped my boundaries but this sort of thing has got to stop if we have any chance of making better what we have.

Cheers.