How many buckets can I bring home? - Victoria

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Mar 14, 2015
Messages
2,899
Reaction score
8,847
Location
The back track
I've tried a lazy bum search but cannot seem to find any info. If anyone has the info at hand it would be much appreciated. I want to know how many, if any buckets of really rich gold pay dirt I can retrieve and bring home with me in Vic. 20 Litre size.

Cheers
 
Solid Luck said:
I've tried a lazy bum search but cannot seem to find any info. If anyone has the info at hand it would be much appreciated. I want to know how many, if any buckets of really rich gold pay dirt I can retrieve and bring home with me in Vic. 20 Litre size.

Cheers

I have a tub with Glad clip lock bags in & a texta that goes in the back of a car. I take sample with coordinates from some locations to run through later. My samples are usually a pan per bag.
 
Can't say I've ever seen anything that relates to litre limits for Victoria, but have seen them mentioned when researching NSW prospecting.

Think some of the gem people might be able to advise (not sure but think that was what the NSW stuff was in reference to, guess that would also apply tp their "pay dirt".

Option is to classify it down ... 40 - 60 liters of water and a Creswell type classifier can reduce a shite load of shovels full to less than 5 laters .... or put it through a sieve, but that can leave gold attached to the dirt.

Checked again, these are the NSW regulations (not Vic. thank god).....

3. RESTRICTIONS ON MATERIAL TAKEN

The following limits apply on the amount of material that can be taken per person during any single 48-hour period:

> 10kilograms of mineral-bearing material (containing gold or gemstones)
> 5kilograms of minerals (other than gold or gemstones)
> 5nuggets of 10grams or greater of gold
> 50grams of gold (except where found as nuggets of 10grams or greater)
> 100grams of gemstones.
 
only 10 kg mackka ,i would be greedy and want more than that

had the rangers running around the willows area 3 years ago putting up new signs and warning everyone that you can not take any wash home with you , but you can buy as much of it that you want when there and take it home :argh:, wish they would make there minds up

i can see there point, i bought a bag of wash for a mates grand daughter and we washed it here with her ,threw all the waste in a tub and about 3 weeks later it looked like a herb garden just about every weed that grew there was growing in that tub ,it was given a dose of don't come back and put in the bag it come in and taken back on the next trip
 
Solid Luck said:
I've tried a lazy bum search but cannot seem to find any info. If anyone has the info at hand it would be much appreciated. I want to know how many, if any buckets of really rich gold pay dirt I can retrieve and bring home with me in Vic. 20 Litre size.

Cheers
I'd be asking for clarification from Earth Resources on that before taking home multiple 20l buckets of material based on forum interpretation. That's even if they give you a straight answer? Probably more up to the Ranger on the day & what you've left behind in the way of holes etc.
Where your removing it from would also be a factor i.e. private land, crown land reserve, Parks Victoria areas etc. etc.
Most states have rules/laws in place over Crown Lands (& particularly Parks, State Forests etc.) about the removal of any materials (soil, wood, minerals etc.) from that land but do allow for mineral removal under permit (Miners Right, Fossicking Permit etc.). I'd be surprised if something to that affect didn't exist in Victoria especially seeing as though the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 No. 92 of 1990 specifically talks about removal of minerals discovered from the land as per below.

Sure the legislation doesn't specify an actual limit but it also doesn't talk about taking material, other than minerals, away either.
It does say:
Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 No. 92 of 1990 said:
Part 5Other authorities
(2A) If the holder of a miner's right is validly on any land under this section, he or she may remove from the land any minerals discovered by him or her on the land.
That specifically talks about minerals only not pay dirt or any other material/s.

It also says:
Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 No. 92 of 1990 said:
Part 5Other authorities
58 Obligations of holder
(2) The holder of a miner's right must repair any damage to the land arising out of the search.
How would you repair the damage (dug hole) to the land after removing multiple 20l buckets of material away from the site?
Earth Resources also state:
To minimise impacts from fossicking activities:

Immediately restore the area to how you found it, i.e. backfill any holes you dig and replace leaf litter.
Again how would we comply with this if removing multiple 20l buckets of material?

My take on the Victorian legislation is that you can find & remove as much minerals, i.e. gold, as you want as long as you restore the area.
A more efficient way of doing things (& likely the only legal way) would be to process the material on site down to a bucket or less of concentrates to take home to clean up.
Leave the bulk unwanted material on site & use it to backfill your holes as required. No problems then?

P.S.
Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 No. 92 of 1990 said:
Definitions
mineral means any substance which occurs naturally as part of the earth's crust
(a) including
(i) oil shale and coal; and
(ii) hydrocarbons and mineral oils
contained in oil shale or coal or
extracted from oil shale or coal by
chemical or industrial processes;
and
(iii) any substance specified in
Schedule 4;
(b) excluding water, stone, peat or
petroleum;

Schedule 4Minerals
1. Bentonite.
2. Fine clay.
3. Kaolin.
4. Lignite.
5. Minerals in alluvial form including those of titanium, zirconium, rare earth elements and platinoid group elements.
* * * * *
7. Quartz crystals.
8. Zeolite.
 
All great information mbasko :Y:

In Hindsight I should have titled my post "How many KG of pay dirt can I bring home" :D

I have no desire or inclination, nor the strength and stamina to move mountains of it. I would probably not be able to lift a 20 litre bucket full as I have back problems like a lot of us.
I have been in touch with Parks Vic rangers re a few areas I've looked at and will be in touch again to discuss this topic with them. At most I would probably bring back 10 kg at a time and then it would only be a few k's down the road and I would be back the same day dropping the remains off and settling the disturbed ground.

If this is allowed. If not, well then, I'll leave it.
 
The Miners Rights and Mineral resources act specifies to not damage the land.
When detecting you are meant to fill in your holes etc, not damage trees and shrubs in your search.

Imagine the impact of every Victorian prospector taking 10-20 kgs of gravel home per day prospecting.
Would soon ensure a new law is enacted to halt such a practice.

Lucky strike prospecting ( Gold shop out of Geelong ) posted a pic yesterday of a messy bullock heap where fresh diggings were not backfilled.

In my opinion only sluice concentrates should be what prospectors take home. :idea:
 
Sam here mackka covid last year, rain this year ,my window of opportunity has closed for me this year with the rain, i go in april , i have work safety inductions in may and the sugar crush starts in june, it is usually cool enough for a dig in april ,might have better luck next year
 
Solid Luck said:
I've tried a lazy bum search but cannot seem to find any info. If anyone has the info at hand it would be much appreciated. I want to know how many, if any buckets of really rich gold pay dirt I can retrieve and bring home with me in Vic. 20 Litre size.

Cheers

I use 15 litre buckets (never fill them to the brim), and take it from me, you don't want to be lugging buckets of wet or dry gravel up hill, and out of a deep gully on any day over 25C, and then repeating the journey another couple of times to retrieve your sluice, pans, backpack and tools...... and then repeat the same steps to relay everything from your cache at the top of the gully to your distant vehicle. do yourself a favour and carry the only concentrates out, in your poverty pot.
 
just for peoples information earth resources vic have just launched a massive campaign on education of Recreational prospecting. Can see where this is leading basically do the right thing or we going to get tough. In nice way atm. But the section that on topic everything they have released only on Friday in this BILTZ states "How do I minimise my footprint when prospecting? To minimise impacts on the environment always keep vehicles on public tracks and roads, take all rubbish home, dont damage vegetation, backfill any holes youve dug and replace leaf litter"

I would not be taking buckets out of anywhere as there also appears to be a ready made tv ad attached to the campaign if they need to use it. And joe bloggs the public will be all over it reporting it. If they launch that ready made tv ad

If anyone intertest the newly launched education campaign can be found here.

https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/l...Tt9VNQJxNPWMg1wkMiPrYTgAgI4sjTs-z-0MvhMuj61zI
 
Nice tourism ad. :perfect:
Think I'll go back to searching for sapphires. :heart:

1616924499_sapphire1s.jpg
 

Latest posts

Top