Well hello everyone - I hope you can give me some advice :)

[Checkers]

Hi all,

I'm hoping that all you knowledgeable people are able to help me out! I'm in Far North QLD (North of Cairns) and my father who is avid and experienced in all kinds of fossicking and prospecting for many many years is heading up here for a holiday in early September. He is and has been heavily involved with the Victorian Fossickers club and is always the first to take new members and visitors to his favourite haunts.

Mainly interested in gold - Panning and Sluicing usually - he is has a couple of requests of his visit to me.

1 - to attend a local prospecting meeting. Can anyone please tell me if there are any gold prospecting clubs in the area (Port Douglas, but I would say within 150km :| ) and if anyone does know if a club exists would you happen to know the meeting date for September?

2 - to head to Palmer River (Yep, we are Victorians, it's the only place we have heard of up here to hunt gold) if anyone has any advice on places that we should check out please let me know. We will probably only have a small 2wd

I also wonder if anyone would know where we could hire some gear or maybe cheaply buy some second hand stuff as it will only be used for Dads holiday I imagine.

I thank you in advance for your help or at least reading to the end and I promise if you are able to help that we would be very happy to return the favour should you ever find yourself in Outer Eastern Melbourne

Warm wishes x

 

[Ag Man]

Hey Checkers,
Sorry you got no replies yet. I'd like to help you but I'm in Vic myself & never prospected out of this state.

I'm sure soon somone can shed some light on what you're after.

Cheers mate & good luck.

 

[Hillbillies Wife]

Hmm mate I cant help either Im NSW. Hope someone there can give you a hand...

 

[Jacko]

Hi Checkers,
It's great that you're looking after your dad's interests when he goes to that beautiful area, FNQ. I would suggest you could contact North Queensland Miner's Den, Anderson St. Cairns. They would be able to give you the info you are after and probably hire equipment as well. Their phone number is freecall 1800805728, or 07 40514413. They have their ad in the Gold Gem & Treasure Magazine which is out monthly. You could Google Dept Natural Resources & Mines in Cairns for map info but then I believe Miners Den has them. They would also know what clubs are in the area. We have hired equipment, quite convenient & not too expensive. Hope you have some luck there. A few of us are hoping to head that way next year.

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Hi Checkers, dont know of any prospecting clubs up north here apart from the cairns lapidary club. Most prospectors up here are solitary creatures.
As suggested above give George at NQ miners den a ring or drop in and see if he can help you out with some gear, not sure if he does rentals but may do you a discount if you need to buy a swag of new prospecting gear.

If your heading out to the Palmer river, make sure you do some research first as alot of the country out there is a mix of private property, private mine leases and some areas are designated traditional aboriginal land. They also discourage metal detecting so probably prepare for a fair bit of digging and sieving.
Another area that has had gold finds is Mt mulligan station, its a working cattle station so there is a fee for use of their camping ground and fossicking on the grounds. Their phone number is 40981149.

Depending on the dates you plan to go digging I might be up for taking a sunday drive and lending a hand, shovel, maps etc.
Cheers GW.

 

[Checkers]

Thanks for your replies. Well my Dad's here and doing a little scratching around today (While im stuck in the office ) but we are headed up to palmer on Sat morning, have had some good feedback of people to contact for a little bit of 2wd access land up there so will give it a go although we may head to Mt Mulligan area on Sunday.. sounds like that might be the go too!

GW, thank you for this lovely offer and sorry I didn't see this or respond sooner (Gosh time flies)

Regards,
Checkers

 

[The Green Wanderer]

No worries Checkers,
I've been stuck with the weekend shift this sat anyhow. Am making plans for a trip sunday 22nd somewhere on the tablelands, just working out how far I want to drive yet.

 

[GTOZ]

sorry, im from Victoria as well...

Best of luck...

Cheers

OZ