Adelaide Hills Trip (Chapel Hill Echunga)

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Just back from SA. (Went over to look at a couple of players in the SANFL GF) Took the opportunity to go up to two of the three designated detecting sites that are crown land in the Adelaide Hills. Jupiter Creek/Chapel Hill Echunga. the other is Mt Crawford and ran out of time. Jupiter Creek is ok. Nil found. Chapel Hill is very overgrown with some deep holes. Took VLFs up there and did the mullock heaps (Christmas Lead is it called?). Some nice little throw outs and a couple of species. sorry about the garbage image - drink had been taken. The whole lot would be well under a gram and a bit. Not wanting to have a crack at SA but no wonder you folk come over here and go to WA. There is some very good looking crown and private land up in the hills that are big no goes. I don't know what Mt Crawford is like so can't comment.

1381229916_echunga_gold.jpg
 
Can't say much for detecting Loamer but as far as SA goes, your right. That's why I head to VIC,, the land of milk and honey whenever I get the chance. I'm down in the southern tip of SA and its quicker to Melbourne than Adelaide. Ararat is my best option. I hear the Flinders Ranges may be ok though, not sure if your allowed there though.

Cheers,
Matt
 
MJB - i think the Flinders are a no go as far as crown land is concerned. Ararat is an pretty good place. Your in Mt Gambier neck of the woods Matt?
 
Well at least there will be something here for me to get started with. What VLF was used? Your 705?
 
SA - used a 70 with the 10 x 5 18.75 khz DD coil. some of the clear mullock I ran the 70 flat out but backed it off for reddder spoil. would not waste my time at in either spot in echunga with a PI - the place is so well detected or is just too deep. cant say what mt crawford is like but from what i can gather is the better PI detecting site with shallower gullies and the like.
 
Thanks for the information mate, got the money saved and bought the sa government book that shows all the spots were gold was found in mines and alluvial rivers. Just need to decide either to go go the at gold or 705 gold pack
 
Yeah , in Mt gambier Loamer, nothing down here and the closest is most definitely over the border in Vic.
That book sounds pretty good SA bogan, maybe you could tell me if there was anything found down my way.

Cheers,
Matt
 
Matt - I think the book is "Goldfields of SA" - SA Govt PIRSA - 2004 is the copy I have. Sorry mate - nothing down your way and if there was/is, its covered in hundreds of feet of volcanic material. Geologically, down your way is pretty 'recent', hence the reason you still have the occasional tremors along the Mt Schank fault (and the reason there is no water in that 'extinct' volcano. The nearest SA to you would be the Hills so its probably quicker and more of a chance of good gold to do Ararat etc. I had a bit of a think for you - there is the South east detector club based in the mount.

I would concentrate on relics for when you cant get to Victoria. You had some WW2 prison camps down there plus a big air-force base at the airport which covered a huge area. Italian POW's were held at the Nangwarry Wood Camp near Mount Gambier in South Australia during World War 2 see http://www.ozatwar.com/pow/nangwarry.htm.

There are also the beaches, parks etc plus you have an interesting shipwreck coast to explore (check on the legalities of any finds) but sure as, if there was a wreck close to the shore i would check the currents and tides and detect the beaches/shore near those sites. There is also the Chinese connection at Robe where they walked overland to Victoria (and 'discovered' the Ararat filed in the process.

I don't know if you use it, but the National Library has the free on-line research tool called 'trove'. has free maps, books, articles etc. You also have the state library on-line e-resource tool. The local library may be able to get a copy of the above book as well.

Good luck mate.
 
No worries, ill have a flick through it tonight. Book was about $30 from the map shop in town. Had them for each state with detailed maps
 
Thanks Loamer,
Don't have a detector yet and have just stuck to panning and crevicing. I had heard about those WW2 prison camps and I bet there would be some good stuff to be found.
5 hrs drive to Adelaide or 2.5 to Ararat.....Ararat wins every time. I will be heading to the library though and chasing up that book, sounds great.

Thanks again Loamer, you have proved to be a font of useful info.

Cheers,
Matt
 
Hi Loamer sounds like you did really well in what I hear are difficult grounds, well done. Willo
 
As a South Aussie, it sounds like when not tripping to Vic or the West, beach detecting is pretty well all we have.......
 
Mt Crawford is a beautiful spot... very clean...certainly not polluted with gold! As it is a working state plantation forest, most areas are covered in giant trees. However when they log and pull out the stumps, a lot of the soil from under is exposed and worth a wave of the magic wand. Guy who sold me my VLF told of a 30 oz nugget found in a private lot bordering Watts Gully, that was last Feb 2012. Didn't see it so can't attest to it as fact. Part of the area is called Rocky Creek and has gold written all over it, with hundreds of smaller rivulets draining into it from the surrounding low hills, quartz everywhere, but so much mica that it makes it hard to see from all of the reflected glare sometimes! I panned that creek hard and found zip. I've been through a lot of Watts Gully. Lots of junk signals. Plenty of evidence of diggings from the goldrush days. Sadly plenty of evidence of recent diggings, someone's not backfilling..... If you plan to go, leave your dog at home, the whole area is baited for foxes.
 
its very small and we gave it a right old detect. four of us so that's about 50 hours worth of work. Mine is the very top left. The bigger ones , whilst not clear, are small pieces stuck in super hard pipeclay (which was odd).
 
Loamer, what does pipe clay look like? I hear people saying pipe clay, but have no idea what pipe clay looks like.
 
I'll have to go up there before I head back to Victoria with the 5000. Apart from Watts Gully there's also Snake Gully. It got its name for a reason I'm told - so at this time of year, BEWARE THE MOVING TWIGS.
 
Roscoe said:
Loamer, what does pipe clay look like? I hear people saying pipe clay, but have no idea what pipe clay looks like.

The pipe clay is white in colour, and is actually weathered pre-cambrian bedrock (slate). It is usually found on top of the spoil heaps as it is the last type of material they dig up after running a shaft through the tertiary cemented ferruginous conglomerate and another layer of cobble conglomerate. The gold sat in hollows (old stream beds), on the contact of the conglomerate and the weathered bedrock (pipeclay). I believe some gold was also found in the conglomerate as well.
 
condor22 said:
I'll have to go up there before I head back to Victoria with the 5000. Apart from Watts Gully there's also Snake Gully. It got its name for a reason I'm told - so at this time of year, BEWARE THE MOVING TWIGS.

Some areas at Chapel Hill may play havoc with your PI machine, there are high tension powerlines running through the eastern side of the reserve near New Rush. Christmas Rush is the place that most guys find the little tiddler pieces of gold, not far from the access track on the western side. There are literally hundereds of shafts in that area to explore around, but also plenty of PI unfriendly rubbish lying around in some areas, just have to have a wander around to find some decent areas. Plenty of deep, hidden shaft openings, so be very cautious. :)
 
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