Off to Mathinna

I have a work field trip to Mathinna to collect some native, undescribed daisy shrubs, so I thought I'd extend onto the weekend and do a bit of prospecting. I'm taking my Angus McKirk AU Boss and light gear to check around the gullies that drain that area, and north into the Dan. Anyone been up that way?
Wish me luck! I'll post pictures of anything worthwhile.

Good luck mate, sounds like you have a great job too.

In case you have not used it yet. I read the gold is chunky. I may pay a visit in Jan.

http://prospectingaustralia.com/forum/downloads/TAS_Gold_Google_Earth_Overlay.zip

Launceston Examiner 1939.

On the Mathinna goldfield a few
prospectors are operating in the hills,
in the direction of North Mount Vic
toria. Attention is also being paid to
the country about four miles south of
Mathinna, where it is stated fairly good
prospects are being obtained from a
show close to the old Daylight mine.
Almost in the centre of the township
Messrs. Brock Bros. have sunk a shaft
to a depth of 125ft.; and a drive is
being put in in a southerly direction.
Prospecting for gold is going on over
a wide area on the Mangana field, and
two or three shows are opening up
well. The reefing propositions above
Mangana are also receiving attention.
A little alluvial gold is being obtained
in Major Gully, also in the narrow val
leys from the south-cast face of Tower
Hill.

Good luck mfdes.
Don't forget to take pics

im off to moina on sunday for a poke around the old workings around the old sunrise and shepherd murphy mines. going to take the atmosphere monitor and head into a few old adits. been meaning to head out mathina way as ive heard there is a fair bit of gold there.
Ben

I spent the day poking around the creeks in the old Dans Rivulet goldfield. Nothing at all. There were quite a few hard rock mines in there, but the creeks are steep and with small catchments, doesn't look like they hold much. Looks like the easily accessible creeks in Mangana, which was mostly an alluvial field, are either in private property or under lease. Might try Lisle next time instead, up and downstream of the current lease.

I have found gold at Lisle. State forest there. Might be worth a separate thread.

Going to go for sapphires at the Weld soon.

Yes, the only issue at Lisle is staying out of two current mining leases in the area. Supposedly there are sapphires there too.

Lisle is difficult without a Highbanker. The creek doesn't flow enough. Found an area worth checking out but was only there for one trip.

Parsons Rd.

There is a side road down to Lisle Creek

Around

N 41 14'07.68
S 147 19 46.06

The diggings will be visible.

Hi Redmanti,

Be careful around there, I'm pretty sure that spot is inside a current mining lease, and I'm sure the leaseholders don't appreciate others mining their gold. It's a bit grey, since the lease is pending renewal, the person that had it is dead. I know what you mean about low water, though. I was thinking more downstream of the current lease, in Lisle Creek below the junction with Bessells. Most of the creeks around that area are very slow flowing, including Cradle and Tobacco Creek to the north, which supposedly had gold as well. I'm still unsure about the legality of highbankers in Tassie. The gold in Lisle was very fine, with no nuggets to detect...

Miguel.

mfdes said:

Hi Redmanti,

Be careful around there, I'm pretty sure that spot is inside a current mining lease, and I'm sure the leaseholders don't appreciate others mining their gold. It's a bit grey, since the lease is pending renewal, the person that had it is dead. I know what you mean about low water, though. I was thinking more downstream of the current lease, in Lisle Creek below the junction with Bessells. Most of the creeks around that area are very slow flowing, including Cradle and Tobacco Creek to the north, which supposedly had gold as well. I'm still unsure about the legality of highbankers in Tassie. The gold in Lisle was very fine, with no nuggets to detect...

Miguel.

Click to expand...

I talked to one of the guys with a lease when I was there last. I think Lisle's just better for the guys with the leases. Cannot use a Highbanker there and without it the flour gold option isn't worth doing. Don't want to bother just panning flour gold. My Highbanker stays on the mainland. I couldn't even find Tobacco Creek when I was there earlier this year with all the forestry roads.

I think it may be possible to get access at Mathinna. Saw it mentioned in another forum will post it later. I figure Savage River area or any area with chunky gold mainly due to these restrictions. Flour gold locations are not worthwhile in Tas.

It will be sapphires and metal detecting Lefroy this summer plus some panning at Doctor's Rocks. I'm going to try the Weld River for sapphires so appreciate your tips in the other thread. Have a Goldbug 2 to work the Lefroy diggings. DiggerDude did well there last time.

My sluice does an OK job on the fine gold (McKirk AU Boss), and gold is gold. It's water-hungry, though.

Cool! I'll be in the Weld River area the Australia Day long weekend, probably staying at the Weldborough pub. I haven't done any detecting yet, but I'm keen as can be to get into it. Mathinna is very good detecting terrain, as far as Tassie standards, and the old reports often mention small nuggets being reasonably common in the alluvials. Worth a crack, IMO. I hear Lefroy has been OK, and I heard good reports years ago of nuggets detected in the Bell Mount area, though part of that is now also under lease.

If we coincide in Weldborough, it would be great to have a beer and go for a fossick!

Miguel.

mfdes said:

My sluice does an OK job on the fine gold (McKirk AU Boss), and gold is gold. It's water-hungry, though.

Cool! I'll be in the Weld River area the Australia Day long weekend, probably staying at the Weldborough pub. I haven't done any detecting yet, but I'm keen as can be to get into it. Mathinna is very good detecting terrain, as far as Tassie standards, and the old reports often mention small nuggets being reasonably common in the alluvials. Worth a crack, IMO. I hear Lefroy has been OK, and I heard good reports years ago of nuggets detected in the Bell Mount area, though part of that is now also under lease.

If we coincide in Weldborough, it would be great to have a beer and go for a fossick!

Miguel.

Click to expand...

The McKirk AU Boss looks good but I didn't see bedrock at Lisle. Might be better at Mathinna or other places with water flow and bedrock.

Will plan to go to the Weld for a day trip over that weekend. Will try and get some sapphires. Looking at prospecting on the designated area as I don't know gem prospecting. I'll be around the pub. Looking to break in a small nugget as on diggings so I'll try and post a map here on the Matthina post based on some research.

Long Gully Creek South of Town on the Golden Gate Rd also Black Horse Gully.

State Forest not private land road right next to the creek.

Map is made from this. http://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/app/list/map

That's the access point.

Launceston Examiner 1906

In his second report on the Mathinna
field ;Mr. W. H. Twelvetrees, the Govern
ment Geologist; makes the following re.
marks on the Alluvial flats:
in both the Black Horse and Long Gul
lies there is a good deal of alluvial,
which .has. been washed' down by the
main creeks and their tributaries. As
'these creek-courses intersect reef lines,
besides receiving the sheddings from auri
ferous reef outcrops on the hill flanks,
a good deal of gold must have found its
,way into the valleys. Thirty-five years
ago a considerable number of men were
engaged in working the ground, which, I
am informed, has never been what may
be called rich. Considering .the number
of gold-bearing reefs in the surrounding
hills this might be thought inexplicable,
if we did not take note of the fact that
the gullies are comparatively recent in
origin. They have been formed while the
country- has been assuming its present
configuration, and consequently there
has not been time for any large con
centrations of gold to accumulate. The
best part of the alluvial field 'sias been
that at the mouth of thle Black Ilorse
Gully, cast of the township, awhere the
deposit averages from six to seven feet
in depth. hi7ber upp the gully the depth
increases to between 10 and 30 feet.,
finally sihallowing to it few feet. It
would seem, therefore, that some bar of
bedrock crosses the valley lower down,
cdamming the .alluvial to some extent.
The lead otn this lile has been turned
over at intervals for 1 ntl'iles for a
width of about 400 feet. .In the e:irly
days small nuggcets up to 4 or i dwt. were
commtllton, and .i aln inlforlmed that oncte a
piece was foundl weighing Io.. l]ldwt.
,.tlhe gold is alwa3s well wa.terweirn.
Mr. W. Stevens tells me that lie founld
the alhlvial cant of the Golden .alhirs
yielding igrs. to the dish. Ftor a ling
time it lhas beenc thought that ithe era
dling operations of fortmer :lays itd noti
exclude tile possibility of tile deposit
being paiyable if treated by the modern
'method of hydraulic sluicing. Mr. Les
lie Jolly has recently enleavoured to as
certain the value of the grountd., and
some extensive boring was carried out
byl Mr. Ce0. Webb, of Mathinna. Eilghty
sreen hboles were put down, a chain apart.
ill 10 lines; the lines .being eighti to 10
chains apart. Tihe result twas an ave
rage yield of half a pennyweight of gold
per cubic 'yard.
The deposit consists of about three
feet of clay and small drift,- covering
quartz wash mixed with clay, and the
whole lying on a layer of pipeelay, which
covers the bedrock. I was informed
that the gold is found on and in thle
pipeclayS. General information is to the
elfect that sullicient .water for Ihyraulic,
sluicing can be brought in fromn the Tyne
.with 100ft. of pressure; and tie report
furnished to SMr. Jolly is to the effect
that the total cost of recovering the gold
would not exceed 3d per cubic ayard, or.
say. equal to lt grs. of gold. The
ground is certainly shallow, but there
is a total absence of boulders and tree
stumpsth The valley of the South Esk
miust certainly hold a good deal of gold
in the aggregate, brought down by1 th tto
river and Dan's Rivulet, and all the lute
ral tribuitaries. It is, however, a broadti
valley, and the gold will no doubt be
found considerably scattered. The best
alluvial is nearest to the present river.
1 understand that boring was carried on
at Marshall's some years ago, and that
as ttuch as half a tdwt. per dish has been
obtained there. Some desulto;y hole
sinking has been done here and there in
the alluvial of this plain, but withoutC
result. If the South Esk alluvial could
be systematically prospected, there is a
fair chance of some discovery of pay
able ground, for there must be placesec
where concentration has taken place. For
ages quartz gravel and anyl accompany.
ing gold have been carried down from
the ~lathitnta and South Mount Victoria
fields, and deposited in the Esk Valley.
I suppose that everywhere over this
rather broad plain at little gold can be
found; but it is also extremely likely
that definite channels of conceentration
exist somewhere as yet undiscovered.
0-

Hi guys

I'm in tasi at the moment and are keen for some detecting. Ive got a new ATgold and ready to have some fun.
I'm a new to detecting and this is my first. I grew up in kyogle nsw , and panned around the clarrence basin etc as a kid. And I won the ATgold though jack at Tasmanian detecting. Had it for a few weeks now and found plenty of coins etc MDing the gold coast
(home). Great detecter to use , and I'm getting very used to the readings.
If anyone is going somewhere ?? Detecting colour in tasi ?? I'm at st helens now.
Flick me a Txt 0417707749

Tim

Good luck with all your adventures guys

Hi Timbuck,
I hear Lefroy is worth a look. Mathinna interests me in spite of the eerie feeling I get there, and is only an hour or so drive from St Helens. The other big alluvial field in the area is Lisle, but only very fine gold there, and a fair bit under lease.
If you have sieves, go looking for sapphires at Weldborough. Also Mark and Felicity at the Weldborough pub rent sieves out. Sorry I'm in Townsville at the moment, heading off to Charters Towers this morning.

Thanks mfdes

I spoke with a local near weldborough yesterday , and he told me about a local there that would probably let me detect on his private land. great to know the pub rents out pans
Thanks.
Lefroy sounds interesting , it is forestry ??? What area's would be accessible to public ?

Flick me you number and I'll give you a call if that's ok

Tim

mfdes said:

Hi Timbuck,
I hear Lefroy is worth a look. Mathinna interests me in spite of the eerie feeling I get there, and is only an hour or so drive from St Helens. The other big alluvial field in the area is Lisle, but only very fine gold there, and a fair bit under lease.
If you have sieves, go looking for sapphires at Weldborough. Also Mark and Felicity at the Weldborough pub rent sieves out. Sorry I'm in Townsville at the moment, heading off to Charters Towers this morning.

Click to expand...

Hey mfdes
What are you doing in Townsville? ( My backyard) how long are you in the area for, I can put you on to an area where you could pan some nice "Gold" just pm me.
cheers
Lee