Goldierock's while you're technically correct sometimes you have a tendency to be overly technical with your advice/interpretations on what essentially is hobby fossicking/prospecting. We are but laymen & as such use layman's terms + phrases. We are not striving to be technically correct at every turn!
I enjoy your posts but keep in mind we are not anal Geologists writing technical papers here.
As hobbyists what we consider new or virgin ground may have obviously been prospected or even moderately worked previously but if there are no apparent signs of a concentrated work effort then for all intents & purposes this could be seen as "new or virgin" ground. While not technically correct it may be correct in regards to using modern technology like metal detectors.
Obviously goldfields ground that has never been explored or prospected at all would be very rare but IMO does exist, obviously not the gullies off extensively worked areas that would have received at least some attention.
Sawdan
Follow your "virgin" gullies up. If you find a test hole or three all the better - shows you're on the right track. If the old timers thought to check it out it would've been for good reason.
What they might have considered to be not payable back then might be very worthwhile to the hobby detectorist now!
Loamers sums it up well here:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=27737#p27737
"Look at areas around but not on the diggings"!
There's been many instances that I know of where the old timers missed rich areas with test holes by metres. One example in NSW is a series of test holes running up a slight slope from a rich creek. The test holes are sparsely spaced & appear to have not delivered anything in payable amounts to the old timers, hence no extensive workings. Above those holes & running near parallel to them a patch was found with metal detectors. I know of several multi ounce pieces that have come out of there & several more in the half to one ounce range + numerous bits still coming out today from subgram to multi gram size. Even though the area had been previously prospected/tested I'd consider that patch "new or virgin" ground as it was left relatively unworked but very payable in today's terms as a hobbyist.
Another area, where ounces have come out, was dismissed in a modern Exploration report as only delivering "a few specs" in only some of the samples. Pieces found with metal detectors here have ranged from subgram to ounce plus. There are also very sparse old timers test holes meandering through the gullies (these aren't apparent until you walk the area). Again previously explored/prospected but overlooked ground delivering reasonable results to the modern day detectorist. "Virgin or new" ground? Maybe not in the true technical sense but using metal detectors it may well deliver where others have passed it over.