best method to use to find gold?

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Hi there so I been back a day or two from hill end and well.. i realized how little i new about prospecting.. we went to bathurst from there we headed to sofala/hill end. Now for those that been to hill end you know that graveyard, close to that area there is a old greek/stream and we saw some people prospecting there so we decided to go about 5 minutes walk along the greek/stream line and decided to pan in that area. We came to the edge of the greek/stream where it was dry to stand on (there was a flood and most of the area still had water) there was a few puddles of water so i decided to shovel some dirt from the bottom thinking gold could be trapped there. It was really muddy and had like a black/silver colour to it i think, anyways we started panning some of that, friend found a little gold not even a nugget more like quarter size of a rice. That's all we found! =( I enjoyed the adventure but would of loved going home with a nugget.. We also started breaking rocks and lifting the rocks away and panning the dirt it was sitting on.. that failed..

I mean for me it was a bit scary because I had everything planned out, i googled the area and it was all good but once you get there it just really overwhelms you just the large area of nothing. you start getting paranoid about snakes and spiders and large caves, i also saw foot prints.

So my question is would a sluice be better or a metal detector? I was thinking getting a sluice and just throwing shovels of dirt like no tomorrow in it and hoping the best, but also with a metal detector, that allows you to find nice nuggets but pretty expensive.. so what is the best method?

I know im all over the place with my story sorry about that, it's hard to explain
 
Mate....your first time out and you find a picker....that equals success to me :)

In an area probably flogged to death and you won a piece of gold is reason to rejoice.

Maybe others disagree but the flour gold I am used to still excites me.

Cheers,

Matt
 
Up here. Joy and heartbreak walk side by side.Pyrite and gold are happily entangled. Every stone i bring home gets turned inside out with a sledgy. I really need more experienced prospectors. 20 mins with XIV the other day showed me some tweaks that helped alot
 
Gold is Gold.
My first gold was 2 specks from Tambaroora creek that my old mate Cliff had trouble seeing.
"You are sure you put it in the bottle?" where his words...It was that small...I have improved since then...but it was those 2 pieces of fly poo gold that started me wanting more.

As MJB says...you found gold in a heavily worked area.
Prospecting is never easy, is bloody hard work actually in less than favorable conditions most of the times.

The best method to find gold is the humble pan. Can be used in a creek or even dry panning
Even the big guns when testing do test pans before they bring in the heavy equipment.

If you have a decent water supply, sluice / highbanker can increase your processing power, however you will work harder to move that extra dirt.

Detecting.....you may hit something...you may not...if you do...you know it will not be flour gold.

Around Hill End, water is usually an issue...so panning or detecting is usually the only options unless there has been a recent good drop of rain.

By the way...I hope you did not dig too close to the side of the graveyard....
My Nanna is on that side.....You don`t wanna wake her up....she could be a cranky old girl at times :p
 
haha of course not the grave yard from the place we dug was a good 5 minute walk and on the other side of the road
 
1397724965_10264944_641128375955441_2763219047595210433_n.jpg


Btw is this gold?
 
I would ask Ray, Peter and Brian Mickelberg, I still reckon they won out.
 
I really can't see a simple answer to this question but I'll try and put it a simply as i can.

Detector. Requires large initial outlay, a step learning curve that is machine operation specific, requires research to find likely nugget bearing areas, challenging to walk and swing all day to cover area, requires good knowledge of topography and gold behaviour, and in many cases you are faced with areas that have been walked over by many others, possibly with much more experience and better technology. I call it the Tattslotto of gold chasing, if your in it regularly, or lucky, it will produce results that you would be hard pressed to match chasing alluvial.

Pan. Very inexpensive, portable and produces results, the disadvantage here is the amount you can process. Find a gold bearing water course and a bit of time studying stream dynamics and have some water and you can't really help but get colour. $1 stratchies, but can pay of in good trills in the right area with good technique.

Sluice. Higher entry cost than pan but greater production. Portable but requires running water or pump. An easy step up from pan, can do quite well, simple operation, can even be diy. Some excellent options to buy. $2 scratchies but less hard work.

Highbanker. Sluice but more production. Trade of is the need for water to be pumped, and greater cost. A fully setup banker and pump of the shelf could be a good payment on a halfway decent dedicated gold detector. Excellent production capabilities, can be set up as a dig and collect up all day option. Not a simple diy build, but very doable for the handy on a budget at a reasonable cost, the pump can still be expensive. Mechnaical dynamics get a bit more complicated, but generally these are an excellent option that can be an excellent reward for effort expended option. $10 scratchies option, , but good fun.

Coin/gold detector. Multipurpose detectors can help improve finds in variety and frequency, but with obvious trade offs. Pokies payouts with a sharpened operator with quality machine and good areas to detect in.

I'm only expressing my opinion here, but i hope it helps. Ask many questions, and read alot, everything here on the pa forum will help you.
 
I think this forum is a good learning opportunity, particularly now that I m doing Geoscience undergrad and need to build background knowledge. Great way to get going.
 
i realized how little i new about prospecting..

My opinion is you have already answered your own question. Practice and research are some of the best tools to increase how much gold you find, spending money on extra tools etc wont really help if you don't know much about prospecting. Just my 2 cents worth, I was where you are not long ago and practicing and research really helped me.
 
Prospector B said:
i realized how little i new about prospecting..

My opinion is you have already answered your own question. Practice and research are some of the best tools to increase how much gold you find, spending money on extra tools etc wont really help if you don't know much about prospecting. Just my 2 cents worth, I was where you are not long ago and practicing and research really helped me.

I confer with your information, 20 mins with a more experienced prospector helped me 10 fold.
 
Everyone is offering great advice so I will keep it simple. The best method to use to find gold is to look for it.

Your passion for the hobby will lead you to research. Research is the key to finding gold. Experience is the only real teacher and that comes with time spent doing what you are passionate about.

To start with don't go all high tech go low tech. Keep it simple a Goldpan and a pick and shovel and maybe a couple of buckets is all you will ever need to find gold.

Beyond that you can then choose to specialise i.e. Highbanker or metal detector, not both. Once you do you need to master your weapon of choice. But most of all have fun doing it. The real reward is getting time out in the bush, the gold is only a bonus.

Best of luck with it. :)
 
gcause said:
Everyone is offering great advice so I will keep it simple. The best method to use to find gold is to look for it.

Your passion for the hobby will lead you to research. Research is the key to finding gold. Experience is the only real teacher and that comes with time spent doing what you are passionate about.

To start with don't go all high tech go low tech. Keep it simple a Goldpan and a pick and shovel and maybe a couple of buckets is all you will ever need to find gold.

Beyond that you can then choose to specialise i.e. Highbanker or metal detector, not both. Once you do you need to master your weapon of choice. But most of all have fun doing it. The real reward is getting time out in the bush, the gold is only a bonus.

Best of luck with it. :)

I kinda like the idea of a metal detector with a highbanker ....makes it easy to check the header pile :)
 
Panning as you can follow the gold and map out the gutter with stakes, once this has been achieved bring in a self classifying sluice box.
1397814454_20140408_100541.jpg
 
Goldtarget said:
I really can't see a simple answer to this question but I'll try and put it a simply as i can.

Detector. Requires large initial outlay, a step learning curve that is machine operation specific, requires research to find likely nugget bearing areas, challenging to walk and swing all day to cover area, requires good knowledge of topography and gold behaviour, and in many cases you are faced with areas that have been walked over by many others, possibly with much more experience and better technology. I call it the Tattslotto of gold chasing, if your in it regularly, or lucky, it will produce results that you would be hard pressed to match chasing alluvial.

Pan. Very inexpensive, portable and produces results, the disadvantage here is the amount you can process. Find a gold bearing water course and a bit of time studying stream dynamics and have some water and you can't really help but get colour. $1 stratchies, but can pay of in good trills in the right area with good technique.

Sluice. Higher entry cost than pan but greater production. Portable but requires running water or pump. An easy step up from pan, can do quite well, simple operation, can even be diy. Some excellent options to buy. $2 scratchies but less hard work.

Highbanker. Sluice but more production. Trade of is the need for water to be pumped, and greater cost. A fully setup banker and pump of the shelf could be a good payment on a halfway decent dedicated gold detector. Excellent production capabilities, can be set up as a dig and collect up all day option. Not a simple diy build, but very doable for the handy on a budget at a reasonable cost, the pump can still be expensive. Mechnaical dynamics get a bit more complicated, but generally these are an excellent option that can be an excellent reward for effort expended option. $10 scratchies option, , but good fun.

Coin/gold detector. Multipurpose detectors can help improve finds in variety and frequency, but with obvious trade offs. Pokies payouts with a sharpened operator with quality machine and good areas to detect in.

I'm only expressing my opinion here, but i hope it helps. Ask many questions, and read alot, everything here on the pa forum will help you.

What if you went a path no one has ever went to? I mean has anyone with a metal detector just said F*** it im going to get out there literally where no man has ever been? I would do that if I new I wouldnt get lost, I'd get lost 20min walk from the car to be honest haha
 
"To go where no man has gone before", is great if you're on the "Enterprise" in "StarTreck", but the reality with gold is it forms in very specific locations, and beyond the fringes of these locations it's very difficult to find anything worthwhile. It's a big country and unfortunately the gold bearing side of it is extremely small and defined.

Stick to the known gold bearing areas and their fringes and you will be better rewarded for your efforts.

Cheers Wal.
 

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