prospecting on the edge of the ocean

We never hear of anyone working the sea side areas... when we look at the gold occurances on the east coast and inland on google earth it almost seems clear to me that there must be gold on the coast and under the waves as well.. I know the beaches were mined but hey whats in that cliff face???

Look up Doctors Rocks, Tasmania.

There was gold wash plants set up at Red Rock and Woolgoolga in NSW in the 1890's and there was a quartz reef with visible gold running into the sea at Emerald Beach NSW that was mined around the same time. Most beaches and headlands now find themselves incorporated into some sort of NPWS managed zone which heavily limits just what you can do there. I am surprised that even beach metal detecting is allowed in the intertidal zone... (it probably isn't but don't say anything lol)

Hey yeah, iv thought of this too, also seen on you-tube, these blokes in the states were running a pretty big highbanker on the beach, and shoveling sand into it!
Whats got me is, gold being so heavy, wouldnt it sink even easier and quicker in tidal sands. how deep is bed rock on beaches? pretty freaking deep id rekon??
love to hear from someone who knows a bit about it..... possibly wal? pretty sure he was around when MOSES PARTED THE SEA! AHHHahahahahaha

Good one trech....never actually had the pleasure to meet the guy, but wish i had some of his talents,

Several places south of Batemans Bay (NSW) that we've panned some good colours in the salt water....don't use a metal pan All gold bearing creeks that run into the sea....especially where there's "Pebbly Beaches" around them can surprise. Just keep away from the Nat Park boundaries. ....nothing like "Bearing Sea Gold" though,

Cheers Wal

That clears that up.. Gov regs stop it from being done..

WalnLiz said:

Good one trech....never actually had the pleasure to meet the guy, but wish i had some of his talents,

Several places south of Batemans Bay (NSW) that we've panned some good colours in the salt water....don't use a metal pan All gold bearing creeks that run into the sea....especially where there's "Pebbly Beaches" around them can surprise. Just keep away from the Nat Park boundaries. ....nothing like "Bearing Sea Gold" though,

Cheers Wal

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I'd faint if I pinged a nugget on a beach. The 5000 in Coin/Relic mode is great at finding Black Sand layers on the beach, sounds like a muffled dragging type of signal, just saying.

Can't remember anything in the fossicking rules that say beaches are off limits. If you were set up with a highbanker on a beach most people would probably think you were mad and leave you alone.

This is one of the quartz seam that is at the bottom of a headland close to home. The seam runs along the front of the headland and a few years ago a large section came crashing down. There are heaps of quartz boulders just a bit further around the corner.

trenchfighter said:

Hey yeah, iv thought of this too, also seen on you-tube, these blokes in the states were running a pretty big highbanker on the beach, and shoveling sand into it!
Whats got me is, gold being so heavy, wouldnt it sink even easier and quicker in tidal sands. how deep is bed rock on beaches? pretty freaking deep id rekon??
love to hear from someone who knows a bit about it..... possibly wal? pretty sure he was around when MOSES PARTED THE SEA! AHHHahahahahaha

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Actually some of the beaches here in the Shoalhaven have exposed bedrock

Seen heaps of these very wide quartz veins heading out to sea. Generally anywhere there was volcanic activity

There is a ripper on the southern headland of Loves Bay just south of Kiama where the coastal walk track starts. Got heaps of quartz rocks and big pebble stones from there for my Nan's garden when we were kids.

It is very interesting geology around this headland as there is exposed basalt flat bedrock topped with various layers of sedimentary deposits which contan many shell fossils and this massive quartz vein intrusion which runs from well inland and continues well out to sea I would expext.

All the small beaches including Loves beach and southward until Gerroa are pebble stone beaches mainly made up of well washed and rounded basalt rocks of all sizes. There are a number of these quartz intrusions along this stretch of coastline.

We have always called loves beach pebbly beach since we first went there in the 60's.

**I should add, there is no Gold anywhere along this area 8.(

Just over 12 months ago we were at Mystery Bay , just past Narooma & was doing a bit of beach detecting. An older lady asked if I had been down to Bermagui & told me that the recent storms had erroded the sand banks where the trees grow , which had exposed many of the recently hidden root systems. She also said that most of the gold at Bermagui was found in that exact area 150 years ago. I dont know if those storms revealed any new gold , but there were many detctors out looking

Ben78 said:

There was gold wash plants set up at Red Rock and Woolgoolga in NSW in the 1890's and there was a quartz reef with visible gold running into the sea at Emerald Beach NSW that was mined around the same time. Most beaches and headlands now find themselves incorporated into some sort of NPWS managed zone which heavily limits just what you can do there. I am surprised that even beach metal detecting is allowed in the intertidal zone... (it probably isn't but don't say anything lol)

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Hey mate I have been trying to find some detailed information on mining around the woolgoolga/emerald/redrock/diggers point particularly the mining around heathlands and beaches etc but can't seem to find much myself on the web. Would be much appreciated if you could share any knowledge you have or possibly provide a link to your information. I grew up in the area and actually used to play in some these old mines around the beaches as a kid never knowing what they were. Anyway any information you might have would be greatly appreciated..cheers

Im pritty sure Australia is the only place in the world that seems to not fall under maritime law below the hi tide mark ? They make there own rules to suit, big coastline boys , we are all pirates at harts

What we today call the oceans edge, is not where it has always been.
But your on a good path to knowledge!
Trivia, the Macquarie river say, fed from Sofala, Bathurst, Mudgee, Gulgong etc, dose not feed into the sea like most rivers do.
It ends up a swamp land, the Macquarie marshes.
Trapped over time with nowhere to go. A basin.

mudgee hunter said:

What we today call the oceans edge, is not where it has always been.

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I agree with that, look at the various places you can find shells, clams and mussles etc. The below mussel I found was found just near Coober Pedy and I have a box load of them.



The lands are always changing. At one stage there was ocean beds near Coober Pedy, thousands of years ago.

Where the ocean edges are today the sea will continue to wash away the land and continue to change the landscape.

The below druzy Quartz sample (photo does no justice) with sand inclusions was found at the bottom of a cliff face near the ocean in the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia last year. I carried about 15 kilos of them about 3kms back to my car

Goldfever96 said:

Ben78 said:

There was gold wash plants set up at Red Rock and Woolgoolga in NSW in the 1890's and there was a quartz reef with visible gold running into the sea at Emerald Beach NSW that was mined around the same time. Most beaches and headlands now find themselves incorporated into some sort of NPWS managed zone which heavily limits just what you can do there. I am surprised that even beach metal detecting is allowed in the intertidal zone... (it probably isn't but don't say anything lol)

Click to expand...

Hey mate I have been trying to find some detailed information on mining around the woolgoolga/emerald/redrock/diggers point particularly the mining around heathlands and beaches etc but can't seem to find much myself on the web. Would be much appreciated if you could share any knowledge you have or possibly provide a link to your information. I grew up in the area and actually used to play in some these old mines around the beaches as a kid never knowing what they were. Anyway any information you might have would be greatly appreciated..cheers

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Check out the minview website, has some info on those areas, it lists the deposits anyway.