What To Look For On The Goldfields (New To Prospecting)

[user 4485]

Not really disagreeing with anything you said just didn't think your interpretation of virgin or new ground follows what our interpretation might be in some circumstances.

Lack of old diggings is not virgin ground, nor is it unprospected, it is simply ground where then old-timers did not concentrate their efforts because they found there was little gold there.

To a lot of us that would indeed be considered virgin or new ground especially when the lack of gold to them could be worthwhile ground for us now to check as relatively unworked.
The same can be said of modern Exploration reports. What's not financially viable to larger scale mining can still be of interest to us. While previously explored it's still virgin or new to us as amateurs.
Also that Exploration report did contain the usual several pages of analysed sample results from several different recorded areas within that larger area - along a section of creek front + some other areas of interest they had obviously identified (funnily enough the better runs were outside of their identified areas - dumb luck of the amateurs?). The author had also made mention of testing some samples on site & used those words so I assume along the creek section they also ran some test pans which only showed a few specs in some of them? I wonder how enthusiastically they got down into the crevices?
Overall with all their testing & sample analysis they deemed the area to be not viable & relinquished the EL.

 

[Solid Luck]

I say if you want "virgin ground" research up about the Blackwood Trentham area.
Hard slog out there.

 

[SCOOPY]

Testament to how great a post this was started by LOAMER that 5 years later it is still helping people with their hobby. Well done mate!

 

[Chewy]

I say if you want "virgin ground" research up about the Blackwood Trentham area.
Hard slog out there.

Mountain goat country hey.

 

[Guest]

G'day all,

Very interesting and informative forum.

Referring to the golden triangle area I have some questions, thoughts/other, regarding detecting.

Q1. Was all the land that is now designated crown land, cleaned out of readily accessible gold, before being handed over to the public for use?

Q2. As many acres of crown land are useless to detect in, would not the areas that may have been fruitful, already have been well done over by experienced people over the many decades since the inception of metal detectors and, subsequently so as technology advanced?

Thoughts,

1.Having spoken to many people in this area, over a considerable amount of time, including some well worn prospectors (detecting) , whom I only sought out the genuine from the storytellers, the above adds up.

2. It seems prospecting (for detectorists) in Victoria is dead and more akin to scavenging where the old timers have already done the hard yards.

4. The only gold to be found in Victoria these days would be to own a business selling equipment ,tours etc. A bit like back in the early days where grog shacks, brothels, general stores could make more gold than the dreamer.

Just my thoughts and questions. I have found a couple of grams, but this game is flogging a dead horse ha ha. Hope I don't offend to many people whom have a vested interest in this area or for the dreamers

Good luck to you whom persevere, me I'm going back to fishing

 

[user 4386]

Q1. No

Q2. In the main, yes - but sometimes in noisy ground with inferior detectors, and often with a fairly poor idea where to concentrate their efforts.

2. It is recreational - but there are still some full-timers making a living and nuggets of hundreds of ounces mass are still discovered each year.

Is your glass half empty?

 

[ProspectorPete]

Good luck to you whom persevere, me I'm going back to fishing

So, my question to you is,

Why did you bother to join a prospecting forum to tell us this if that's your plan??
Good luck with the fishing :Y:

 

[Guest]

To Goldierocks,

Not half full, not half empty, in between in middle age ha ha. All the best.

 

[Guest]

To Pete,

Good luck Pete.

 

[Dave79]

Woohoo, another cheap, barely used detector coming up for sale!

 

[user 4386]

To Goldierocks,

Not half full, not half empty, in between in middle age ha ha. All the best.

Last big one close to where I live - July last year

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-27/gold-nugget-found-in-ballarat-by-retiree/11353044

and 3 years prior to that:

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2016/08/41kg-gold-nugget-found-in-victoria/

and 3 years before that:

https://www.livescience.com/26371-gold-nugget-ballarat-australia.html

That is what keeps hobbyists going. But if you don't enjoy it, good luck with something else. Recreation should be fun.

 

[Redfin]

90% of decent finds go unreported.

 

[Teemore]

Good luck to you whom persevere, me I'm going back to fishing

Don't know why I'm bothering to reply but ........

BYE

 

[Deepseeker]

I guess if it was as easy as landing a big fish, the current gold price wouldn't be well over $2,400 an ounce.

 

[A-team]

I say if you want "virgin ground" research up about the Blackwood Trentham area.
Hard slog out there.

Mountain goat country hey.

Thick scrub, tough tracks, steep hills - wet weather is a no go zone, even most for 4WD's, narrow gullies, sounds like it has plenty of potential layful: ower:

 

[Goldaddict21]

I've spent the past hour or so reading through this thread. There is heaps of valuable information here. Thanks all who have contributed their wisdom. Cant wait to get back out there and find more GOLD erfect:

 

[nuggethunter247]

What a great post!

I cam across this a few years ago before my first trip and always come back for a refresher read before heading out again. Best info around!

 

[Jaros]

This a constant reference, very worthwhile reading.

 

[Pecky]

Thanks Loamer and everyone else that has contributed; this has been a very educational post and a credit to you for being willing to share what you have learned over many years.

thanks
Pecky

 

[HippyProspecting]

This is one of the first posts I read when I join the forum.
Great information and I go back and re read it every now and then