Grabben Gullen Destruction

G'day all, I'm new to the forum but I'm hoping this post will get through to the thoughtless people who have seen fit to dig the huge holes in the public fossicking area and not even attempt to fill them back in afterwards. I've been coming here for over 40 years as I only live a short distance away and in the past people respected the site and the permission given by the local council and filled in any holes that were dug as well as replacing the larger rocks that may have been moved.
In the past few years this practice has rapidly disappeared and the landscape has been left scarred and ugly by people who couldn't care less. The private land above and below the bridge has not been spared either and is looking like a battlefield. The owners are NOT impressed and are seriously thinking of stopping all access to their property and who could blame Owen and Jenny when they see the damage done to once pristine areas.
The local council is also considering fencing off access to the public area and banning all fossicking as the soil and bank erosion is becoming excessive.
So, to the uncaring, disrespectful, unthinking people as well as the lowlife who took a dump in the middle of the public fossicking area and the 2 highbankers who abused me when I asked them to backfill their holes, I say a big "THANKYOU FOR SPOILING GRABBEN GULLEN FOR THE REST OF US".
Check out the photos I took today if you want proof, cheers Stoney

The water in the pic is the lowest I've ever seen it there. I haven't been there for a couple of years, could see it becoming a mess back then with garbage left everywhere and choking on petrol fumes while trying to enjoy a peaceful dig in the countryside, bit of a shame really.

Everyone thinks they're gonna get rich digging blue pebbles out of the creek, ha, not likely!

Unfortunately this sort of behavior seems to be the accepted modus operandi these days. People think that they can make a mess & leave it for the local council / Park ranger or scout group to clean up.
Camping & fossicking has become very accessible to the vast majority as they no longer need to have any bushcraft skills to go out and live in the great outdoors, just a fist full of cash and a BCF card.
It really shirts me to see rubbish left in the bush and dunny roll and worse not even 10 metres from the camping area. Its not hard to dig a hole FFS.
Dropping big green trees seems to be another campsite pastime that is gaining in popularity. I can tell these dills have no idea about firewood as there axemanship stinks.
rant off
.

Yeah that's pretty sad. They may or may not be on this forum but providing evidence such as vehicle number plates to the powers that be might provide some sort of benefit.

Jon

This is very sad to hear as it has come up now a few times now
We have only been out to GG about three times, each time only doing a little panning and sieving but have been able to find a few small stones.
Would be a shame to loose a spot like that due to a few prats.

Heatho said:

The water in the pic is the lowest I've ever seen it there. I haven't been there for a couple of years, could see it becoming a mess back then with garbage left everywhere and choking on petrol fumes while trying to enjoy a peaceful dig in the countryside, bit of a shame really.

Everyone thinks they're gonna get rich digging blue pebbles out of the creek, ha, not likely!

Click to expand...

Hey Heatho, if we don't get rain the creek will stop flowing within 2 weeks.The snakes are still huge and the pickings are very slim mate. I love the place and try to backfill the holes and pick up litter left by others but I'm fighting a losing battle.

I to back fill my holes I don't dig under the bank I work areas that will not damage the place I pick up rubbish broken glass it is only a matter of time if we don't stop this it will be closed down for good YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET RICH DOING THIS YOU WILL SPEND MORE MONEY HUNTING ELUSIVE STONES THAT 99% OF THE TIME HAVE NO MONETRY VALUE ONLY LOOK PRETTYY IN A JAR THINK BEFORE YOU ACT AND WE NEED TO TAKE VEICHLE REGO TO STOP THIS WE HAVE SO FEW PLACES WE CAN GO TO ENJOY AN ACTIVITY WITH THE FAMILY WE NEED TO FIGHT TO SAVE WHAT WE LOVE 8.(

Someone really needs to set up a motion camera and fill in those holes before the owners shut it down. I've filled several messy holes every year here from others who do the same amount of mess. Takes me an hour..and they do it again a few months later..but do what I can being a user of the area. If I see rubbish..I pick it up. Someone needs to clean it and it won't be the owners. Clean it up, show the owners, and proove you want it kept open by having people check on it.

I hope it says open so I can go there one day

cameras yes but who pays for them I don't have any spare trail cameras

Make a petition..fund raiser.. I know its not what's wanted to have to be done...but seems its more needed to be done. Culprits will be caught with rego..fined for destruction and possibly unable to return with that rego as well. Like WalnLiz said in one of his last posts.. some idiots are even saying they know wal personally around this place to get better access / spots. It needs regulation and the farmer would need as much begging and help to keep this place open the way its going. It will literaly shut down and be inaccessible for all and what a damn shame that would be.

I wish I had cameras myself too and currently undergoing a fundraiser to watch rubbish dumping and carcass dumping in melbournes drinking water. I sat here fir years complaining and wanting something to be done. It didn't happen until I personally did work myself and exposed it all online. My posts and photos caused a MASSIVE uproar which should have already existed.

I'd be getting very friendly with the owners and organise a meeting.. create a 'friends of GG' group and make it the way it should be.. fun.

I will donate a set off metal sieves for a raffle and help out when I can I am living in crookwell on weekends now happy to make patrols and set up cameras

I'd put to that *thumbs up*
I do it here and make sure most areas are kept tidy from others where I can. Its nothing like GG though..no where near that state. I did read the floods smashed a fair bit through there too and changed it somewhat, but still no excuse for excessive unfilled holes and whatever other riff raff goes on there. Sometimes even a sign can put a stop to things, warning that they are being under surveillance. I'm sure a few would add to the cause as well being such a wonderful place to preserve for further / future use

Ahh next major flood you'll never know anyone had been there, but all that undermining will make the next flood erode more than it would have. Hope it will wash all the broken bottles away.

might not be for some time it is pretty dry last time I was there creek will stop running soon then the snakes will be out hunting the stagnate ponds I wish the snakes would bite these bastards on the bum

Haven't been there in a few years now, it looks way different now to what it was then! Those banks are looking pretty bad and if I was the local land owner I'd be pissed too!
Seeing this stuff makes me mad.
I'm glad I have made a good mate who has a place I can chase stones with out the risk of others ruining it on me.

Haven't been out there now for around six months (see my previous thread on this subject). Pity that the actions of some make it bad for everyone else.

Terry

all that mess for twenty bucks worth of stones approx.

There was a previous post on this same topic and I offered to pass on to the Grabben Gullen progress association a proposed sign of the do's and dont's for the site , I asked forum members for a example of a sign hoping somewhere had one and we could get a photo of it but there were no replies . A sign wont stop the greedy but will educate the newbies that that sort of behavior isn't the way to dig.

My offer stands if we can get a example of a sign or a actual sign, responsible behavior starts with education of what is permitted and I am sure there would be funding for preserving areas if we were game to get authorities involved :/ but that could lead to a shirt fight.

I think as forum members we should be raising money for signage for a lot of areas and help preserve these playgrounds therefore stopping them being fenced out .

As for the terrorists that done this shame on them I hope they left with no decent stones and a backache that turns to arthritis and cripples them.

Seasoned prospectors have been warning forums such of this one that the proliferation of Internet wantabees would destroy much of the areas that we have enjoyed for so many years ! The OP is indicative of many places in all states . I recently took pics of a camping spot that was just disgraceful! Toilet paper all over the spot as well as excreata !! Filthy pigs ! But as I checked a few camping spots along the creek it looks like these pigs are doing this to all the camping spots to keep other users ,especially families, away ! The object of this carry on is that they can dredge the creek at leisure!!! Well after talking to the local ranger it now looks like action is going to be taken on all those who intentionally damage the banks ect! Not before time IMO !
So those who write posts of digging ect please be careful of those things you write about as they will ,believe me , haunt us all at the next inquiry! These forums are public ! You do not need to be a member to view the posts and all the damage is not ,as some might wish us to believe , being done by a small minority! To many holes, to many banks destroyed, to many dredge holes ect. We the true prospectors are a dying breed .

Wow! That place has changed a fair bit since I was there last. There's a lot of talk about GG.but really it's a small area for people to fossick so I totally agree that everyone needs to work together and keep it clean and tidy! And that go's with all places! I grabed a heap of energy drink bottles from Oberon the other day.

I'm down at GG at least once a week as I live just up the road, ive been horrified at the lack of respect for this beautiful creek, the diggings are so wide & deep they are under cutting the bank, at this rate there will be nothing left..of the embankment, which is also where people can camp.. park their cars.. I also got into a heated disagreement with 2 men fossicking there recently, filling approx 10 huge white buckets of gravel & loading them into their ute, if everyone did that we will have no creek left.!!!