Help for choosing right vehicle for prospecting at WA

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Hello all together,

we are planning a gold prospecting trip to WA area around Kalgoorlie, Menzies and Leonora. I don`t know the road conditions there and therefore i`m not sure if a 4WD Camper is really needed for our activities there. I would be glad to get a info from people which area prospecting at this area which can give me an tip for the right vehicle to choose. Finally we want to stay the whole time at camper and it is not planned to stay at a motel/hotel. Is there anything else which i have to calculate also ?

Thank you very much in advance for your tipps

Haiopai
 
Haiopai a Land Cruiser camper would be good
assuming you aren't very experienced off-road/4wding, just don't get too ambitious off-road if you are only 1 vehicle. If it rains be very cautious as the roads & tracks can become flooded in minutes & you can easily get bogged, even in a 4wd. If you go off tracks thru scrubland you can puncture tyres easily, so depending how far off the track you are going, you want a minimum of 2 spares.
Its a good idea to stay away from the salt lakes if you aren't familiar, including the perimeter that can look ok but be deceiving.
At least a basic course in 4wd recovery is a good idea before you go if you are a newbie.
AND TAKE MORE WATER THAN YOU THINK YOU WILL EVER NEED
wishing good luck but take care & think safety first, gold second.
have a read of this thread to be forwarned https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=28424
 
Great you have the ambition to go!
But beleive me, it needs serious research before you leave on your first trip to make it all go sweet for you.
I would even put on hold the vehicle of choice untill such.
Heaps of info here for you to look up.
Have a real good read up of our tips and tricks and advice of those that have done so firstly. Way before committing to such.
As good advice will change your opion several times.
This is not a simple trip to say the Vic gold feilds.
 
Thank you very much for your tipps till now. I forgot to to say we planned it for May till June to be there.

@Ded Driver, yeah i heard about it that it can be flooded very quickly and i`m more security orientated ;-), thanks also for the tip with the tires. With water i thougt about 10L per day per person, think this will be ok or? I`m litzle familiar with 4WD Offroading, but in different areas like iceland.

@Redfin thanks for the youtube link i will take a look on it.

@ Mudgee Hunter this is my thinking too because trip will start in 2020 ;) so i calculate much time for research, better good prepared as lost in nowhere
 
I suggest you plan a trip for next year as there are too many things that can and will go wrong.
It's winter where you live and 40+ degrees C in W.A. much to dangerous----go after planning a lot-lot longer.
If you value your lives , don't go this year.
Jaros :)
 
Hi Haiopai,

Here is a couple of links that should help you plan your trip.

http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Tengraph_online.aspx (this site will help you research tenements)

The Happy Prospector App. This can show you the Pending and Live Tenements on your phone and does not need mobile coverage to view map but you need coverage to update map.

http://www.goldtalkleonora.com.au (this mob runs courses to help you understand gold prospecting in WA)

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Doug
 
G'day Haiopai welcome to PA sounds like you've got some fun plan's ahead. Tell us a bit about yourself and where your from that'll help anyone offering advice. Allowing for people to consider your previous experiences so you receive the most appropriate advice. I can't offer any real life experience of the locations you mentioned. However if you plan to be remote and independent make sure you have a rescue plan and plan B if for any reason your original plan is halted. What ever trip you plan in remote locations it's very smart to detail your itinerary and make locals (police) and family aware of this. As for peace of mind buy and register a PLB (personal locating beacon) /EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon) either of these are a MUST have item you can also consider a Sat phone in the mix as a means of communication to notify people of any changes to your itinerary. Changes in itinerary can be forced on you due to weather events that weren't known at the time of planning and setting off on your trip. Keep us posted on your progress and make sure you have fun :Y:
 
@RM Outback i`m from austria and started prospecting a few years ago based on WW1-2, roman and celt things. I have a much experience in 4WD driving (own vehicle is 4WD) also a little with 4WD offroading in iceland, nevada, utah and arizona. I`m always pay more attention for security , better to arrive safe and without risk as taking too much risk and didn`t arrive or getting in a disaster :). With PLB i read and it surely on my list of things i have to take with me. Sat Phone is also i thing where i thougt of.
Also thank you very much for your tipps ;)

@Ded Driver this would be also a good thing, who knows maybe here is someone experienced there at the same time this qould match then
 
Haiopai said:
@RM Outback i`m from austria and started prospecting a few years ago based on WW1-2, roman and celt things. I have a much experience in 4WD driving (own vehicle is 4WD) also a little with 4WD offroading in iceland, nevada, utah and arizona. I`m always pay more attention for security , better to arrive safe and without risk as taking too much risk and didn`t arrive or getting in a disaster :). With PLB i read and it surely on my list of things i have to take with me. Sat Phone is also i thing where i thougt of.
Also thank you very much for your tipps ;)

@Ded Driver this would be also a good thing, who knows maybe here is someone experienced there at the same time this qould match then

Good on ya mate :Y: Well done you've asked the right questions. Ded Drivers advice regarding taking the time with experienced people is quality advice even for experienced people. I've driven 4WD's pretty much all my life and covered ground some people wouldn't dare to however I'd treat the remote parts of the Australian outback with the same respect I do for our deadly creatures, unless you have experience tread very carefully :Y:
 
Haiopai, back on the question of an appropriate vehicle, there is a wide variety of vehicles, campers, trailers etc that are used in Au.
do a google search for caravan, camping, 4wd forums & have a good look at whats used to decide what might suit your needs, but get the best & most rugged vehicle you can afford. Getting stranded in remote WA is no picnic. Help can be many hours or days away. Hence the need for plenty of reserve water (you can fill water tanks etc on your way out of Kalgoorlie)
The most important issue is to make sure that whatever you use, it should be in good condition & well serviced & reliable. If you buy a vehicle here then get a mechanics review of it. The RAC (Royal Automobile Club) of WA can provide this service for a moderate fee, but most mechanic workshops will do the same.
Beware of buying privately, you don't know the history of the vehicle & could be buying a bad one. If you hire a vehicle it should be good to go, but do read the contract fine print on liability & insurance. A recovery from remote WA can be very expensive.
Also keep in mind that mobile phone coverage in remote areas out of the major towns can be sporadic, thin or non existent. A Satellite phone is a very good idea, plus a UHF Radio, & a minimum of 2 spare tyres, but 4 is much better. Make sure that they are not regular highway tyres. Ideally you should have All-Terrain (A/T) or Mud-Terrrain (M/T) or other appropriate tyres.
A good 1st Aid kit is a 'must have', & an understanding of snake bite treatment & the use of a pressure bandage.
These reasons & many more are why its a good idea to consider an 'escorted'/tag-along trip
When you do visit, let us know on this forum, & possibly others, & especially let family & friends, &/or at least a local police station know of your planned trip, approximate area & expected return date.
 
One other thing that I have not seen mentioned yet is to stay off the salt lakes in WA unless you absolutely certain they are hard. They may appear to be hard when in fact they may have a thin crust over the lake and once you break that your in trouble. People have spent days bogged on salt lakes for this reason.

1552225943_img_0910.jpg


This is a photo of what I'm talking about
 
Thank you very much for the additional tipps to all.
Yeah i saw some similiar moments in different situations too. This makes me more sensitive to ask locals of conditions and practices there ;-)

@Ded Driver finally we will rent a 4WD like Apollo Pathfinder, which is i think a good solution. I`m only not sure if the put additional tires to the car too, but i will ask them when it is possible to to make the booking for it. Now it`s too early for their booking system. With the UHF Radio i think i will add it to my buying list too.

@Nightjar thaky for the link you posted, it is alway good to have and read it if you are planning to be in the middle of nowhere ;-)
 
Hi Folks,

finally we will take a Apollo X-Terrain 4WD Camper, this fits our needs and cost efficiency i think. We only have to think about best way for charging our equipment like detector batteries, phones and GPS, maybe also second car battery which only holds 12 hours for fridge and cooler.

Happy Prospecting Mates

Marc
 

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