Alluvial gold equipment

What's the best equipment for alluvial prospecting. Have moved to cootamundra NSW. Had a recent look around Sofala & sunny corner with GPZ7000 and have come up with conclusion that alluvial gold would be best shot. Thanks in advance.

As in sluices, highbankers, dry blowers etc?

My advice would be to start with a Super Sluice pan and a few sieves and learn how to be proficient with that, while at the same time learning where the most productive spots are likely to be. Double panning is a good strategy at first. That means panning into a second pan that you can re-pan to check for losses the first time around.

Then think about what equipment (river sluice, highbanker etc) might be worth a look. Be aware that highbankers are a no no in NSW for the time being.

Whatever method you use, it is hard to break even, let alone make some money, but there is a lot of pleasure in learning how to read a creek and gradually accumulating some alluvial gold.

There are gold deposits in the Cootamundra area, and the publication you can get at this link may give you some hints. It may be worth having a poke about in the creeks near known gold locations.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280612169/download

Thanks DrDuck, don't know how you guys find all this info. Have been looking for any info I can find. Worked with old bloke that used to pan in this area so now it's a gold area. Have had a bit of a look around with my GPZ7000 but no joy.
Cheers Jamie.

Pan it mate :Y: once you get 30 colors in a pan get a river sluice in the juice :Y:

Kit needed for crevicing
Good pan
Gardening shovel and trowel
Spoon
Long screw driver or tyre iron
1/2 inch sieve
Sucker bottle
Bucket to sit on

You forgot something mate

Haha yup need feul :inlove:

I was looking on trove the other night and I found an article about gold at a place called "Bongongolong".

I had to look it up to make sure it was a real place! What a funny name!

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/...39/1879/10/18/page/16293687/article/143907507

I have an Angus McKirk sluice they are very good, but expensive. A pan and a classifier are all you need to get started, or build a yabby pump out of PVC and strap on a mask and snorkel if you want to try wet crevicing.

A good strong short crowbar is definitely worth its weight to carry while crevicing.
Mines 600mm but sometime i wish it was that little bit bigger for a bit more leverage layful:

Every once in a while Aldi has some very good short and strong crow bars in stock at a great price. You need to keep your eye out in their cattledog.

Dron said:

I was looking on trove the other night and I found an article about gold at a place called "Bongongolong".

I had to look it up to make sure it was a real place! What a funny name!

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/...39/1879/10/18/page/16293687/article/143907507

I have an Angus McKirk sluice they are very good, but expensive. A pan and a classifier are all you need to get started, or build a yabby pump out of PVC and strap on a mask and snorkel if you want to try wet crevicing.

Click to expand...

Not sure Angus McKirk can still be sourced from aussie suppliers, that said if they are still available they are a bloody good bit of kit, worth 10x their weight in gold.

i use a rybar which is used for opening big boxed pallets and a dummpy hammer for clay and fencing wire bent into u shaps about 40 cm long with 4 or 5 tyed together with tie wire for bed rock scrape outs made a thing for braking up clay out of 200mil pvc and therded rod and angel allow a stiff brush for sweeping rock and a custom willaby and sives for seperation every areas different and half the fun is making things to work in different areas
good luck :goldpan: