Dredging in Australia for recreational activities IS illegal..

If I may add, go back to this area now, sure you can tell its been mined, but looks just like normal bush!
I'll add a photo for Shannon and the boys....
This is the rock bar!!!

In regards to the creek, if that was Queensland then our laws would be fine with it if it was classed as a gully on private land as that's sediment removal (wouldn't be ok to extract gold from it unless u had a mining claim) but if it was classed as a waterway or stream then you would be in court.
Our laws are so strange in some cases as a simple definition on a map regardless of if both areas look the same can be the difference between your responsibility as a landholder (reduce sediment and vegetation flowing into waterways) and being in court for environmental damage(moving a dead tree or digging into a stream/waterway).

Im rather ambivalent towards dredging, it's not necessarily bad and may even be good for the environment if done properly, but it seems to encourage very bad behaviour by some and that's what led to all the problems for everyone.

As for banning dredges from places like eBay, yes it encourages bad behaviour in some but some would argue the same for a lot of products. Dredges are not illegal in Australia, only the use of dredges in areas that don't have the appropriate approvals on mining claims.
There are still mining claims at very least in Qld and NSW that l know of that still have approval to use dredges, but l haven't heard of anyone getting a new claim approved for a dredge since the laws changed.

It's a pity that we have laws that are poorly enforced so some break them and because some break them the government responds with even more restrictive laws that they still won't enforce properly so the cycle continues...

Yep this is QLD,
And in my pics above, there is no way, that, THAT is a claim, being that a claim is non mechanical and thats a 30 ton excavator..
We've been thru this shit before!!!!
I can buy a bong at the local market!! Can I use it for purposes considered illegal... nup..
So legal to own, illegal to use... That is the be all and end all for recreatioan users in Australia..

Wow. I lost interest reading around the first paragraph.

Good luck on your crusade to have dredging reinstated. I think you might be pushing poo uphill though :rainbow:

I myself wish dredging continues to be banned.
The last thing I need is ALL of the gold going to some of the people. ( dredge users)
Dredging pretty much vaccuums the river bed clean
The good thing about digging with a shovel is your going to miss some gold and that gives the next hobbyist a chance of finding a flake or two.

Ok so that was a bit of a long read.... But yeah most of us are already fully aware that the reasoning behind a lot of the bans we have are complete BS and that many environmental groups have a lot more lobbying power than we do and don't care about truth as much as they do money.

Still we do still need to accept 'some' of the blame for things like dredging being banned as even though l agree it can be done in a positive way, there were still people doing it in a very damaging way that made everyone else look bad. I guess it is like banning all cars because some people drink drive, but our governments are controlled by the amount of votes they can get and money and cites are what gets governments the most votes and fossickers are too small a group for most politicians to take notice of. Even if we got the rural members on side it wouldn't matter as cities have all the power these days.

Just look at the tree clearing laws in Queensland, the problem with clearing was in the SE corner, the votes are concentrated in the SE so the law gets passed to protect the trees, democracy won. Problem is that the laws also cover the rest of the state and most of the rest of the state disagreed with the laws but were told to shove it because all the people in the SE corner for some reason know how to manage our land better than we do. To add insult to injury, the laws to protect from tree clearing don't apply to mining or gas companies or to most government projects and most developers have enough council members in their pocket to get permission to clear as much as they want. So we have a concentrated population in cities telling the country how to manage the land because they are worried about what is happening in their own areas while doing nothing to really protect the issue they were worried about to start with and doing major damage to the rest of the state (including harm to the environment).

Ship of fools said:

This starts with the individual not a member of any forum or club willing to jump fences and boundaries not filling holes, undercutting banks and generally showing all what a mess prosecutors make!
Landholders and lease operators then have fuel to feed politicians who are only to happy to appease their constituents!
If we dont talk to our local members telling them our plight then of course they wont do anything!
Councils also need to know how tourists come and stay and spend.
Matt T
Maybe of topic but? There are a number of quarries in and around Mackay most on public land some on private, two operating in the Pioneer river. When I look on mine maps on line not one shows up as a mine!
If they dont have to follow the why does anyone else?

Click to expand...

re the bold underlined above - that's a typographic error, aint it?

Holy Crap.....

I saw on the news this morning that some people want a 5kph leeway on the speed limit "What the F..." is that so they can talk on their phones or text and pay absolutely no attention to what they are doing.....

Probably the same bunch that try and twist the "NO DREDGING" laws to accomodate their own desires.....

I suppose if dredgers used pink hoses it'd be OK or if their mother had dimples and was born between 5 & 6 am on a Saturday and blah blah blah

Don't know if I'm for or against the dredging ban, but if you really don't like it the get off your bums get elected to parliament and change the law, wouldn't that would be GREAT another lazy do nothing bludger sucking the public teat

No dredging, means no dredging ! Right ?

Might have a lay down, now!!

Edit...........Sorry had to think twice.. :Y:

casper said:

Ship of fools said:

This starts with the individual not a member of any forum or club willing to jump fences and boundaries not filling holes, undercutting banks and generally showing all what a mess prosecutors make!
Landholders and lease operators then have fuel to feed politicians who are only to happy to appease their constituents!
If we dont talk to our local members telling them our plight then of course they wont do anything!
Councils also need to know how tourists come and stay and spend.
Matt T
Maybe of topic but? There are a number of quarries in and around Mackay most on public land some on private, two operating in the Pioneer river. When I look on mine maps on line not one shows up as a mine!
If they dont have to follow the why does anyone else?

Click to expand...

re the bold underlined above - that's a typographic error, aint it?

Click to expand...

Yes Typo! Ipad auto correct. I may like a good story but I am not a writer!
Or tech savvy!

Matt T

Smoky bandit said:

Edit...........Sorry had to think twice.. :Y:

Click to expand...

Don't worry about thinking, just get another drink and give us something fun to read
This thread doesn't seem to be achieving much anyway. We are arguing about laws that we have zero chance of changing anyway.

Matt80 said:

Smoky bandit said:

Edit...........Sorry had to think twice.. :Y:

Click to expand...

Don't worry about thinking, just get another drink and give us something fun to read
This thread doesn't seem to be achieving much anyway. We are arguing about laws that we have zero chance of changing anyway.

Click to expand...

Hahaha na mate trying not to argue anymore theres no point..I've lernt we all have the right to different opinions. arty: :Y:
Plus I'm at work until 6pm so I wont be pissed until at least 610pm ]

Are you on crack

Can you get your Crystal ball out please. Only reason it wont change is we are divided there is no point talking to you all you are mere slaves.

Funny millions of ounces of mercury were used in the gold rush days but the frogs seemed to survive

Funny millions of ounces of mercury were used in the gold rush days but the frogs seemed to survive (Quote)

Are you sure, many may have croaked it and how many species were lost!

No I'm not a greenie but is your point above made from fact or just the hope to have dredging re instated.

I do not want to see this thread go south folk's.
There are many arguments for and against.
And I am enjoying the comments from both sides but,
Please keep it civil. :Y: :Y:

I am proud of us all for the way this hasnt blown up yet , theres the odd nasty jab but its let slide :Y:
Its almost a debate :lol:
Its good we are free to express our opinion and we all know prospectors are stubburn old buggers and no amount of arguing will ever convince the other side they are wrong

Just my opinion, but I reckon without a lease nothing with an internal combustion engine should be allowed. And I think hand operated tools should be allowed in a lot more areas than they currently are. More for everyone.

I was surprised when I walked in to a very popular prospecting shop in Maryborough a few weeks ago to find them selling dredge components (nozzles etc)