Recent content by Hawkear

That’s a great story Vegemite and a lesson for many. Be prepared to ask a few questions, do some research, then get out there and do it. Thanks for the follow up report which is especially pleasing for those that responded to your post.

I remember when TelecomAustralia used a mole plough to lay cables with a dozer running behind to smooth out the trench. In the golden triangle there always seemed to be a detectorist lurking a little bit further back with a then VLF machine. Don’t know whether they did any good but the only...

Yes, that’s another problem when you bring back muddy and wet coils to the car. Gina sewed up some elasticised protective coil covers to fit over over coils shower cap style whilst being used at any time to prevent mud and dirt being spread in the car. Probably could have made the openings a...

I now have a heap of coils with a range for my 5000 and now a number for my new 6000. Finding it a hassle storing and carrying these especially when on a prospecting trip. End up leaving behind some in the caravan under beds and those that are in the car usually with lower shafts attached seem...

Very sad news. Appreciated WalnLiz’s posts always seemed to give sound advice and knowledge. Gina and my condolences Liz.

Gem people call this Moonstone. Moonstone is a member of the feldspar family, a really broad family of minerals which are contained in Granites and of gem size in Pegmatites. Feldspars are aluminium silicates of Sodium, Potassium or Calcium. Other well known minerals in the Feldspar group are...

Was round at a friend's place for dinner the other night and he produced this magnificent flawless white egg sized example of a Catseye feldspar.

Many think panning is only for gold. Started my panning when a kid in suburban Melbourne in Gardiners Creek alongside the East Malvern golf links. Those days finding and reselling lost golf balls was the way to make a bit of pocket money. Bought myself a gold pan as was keen to see if the creek...

Kurt Vonnegut tells his wife he's going out to buy an envelope: “Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell...

You have done well to do a SG on such a small nugget. 1.5 grams at a SG of around 17 to 19 would occupy a volume of under 0.1cc which would be very tricky to work with. I go along with the gold filling idea. Gold fillings may not be pure gold but alloyed with other noble metals such as...

Trying to work out from where this picture was painted. Guessing that is Mt Buninyong in the distance. That would suggest it is looking South. My guess is the artist would then have been near the fire station on Bakery Hill.

Correct me if wrong but I think sapphires are associated with volcanic rocks eg basalts. Daylesford is a volcanic area where streams have cut deep through the volcanic basalt into lower gold reef bearing slates. I would look up a geologic map of Daylesford, (should be available on line from...

Problem with using gold as a currency is that it can easily be forged ie adulterated with impurities so everyday traders would have no way of knowing its purity. Just stamping an ingot with for example 99.9% pure is no guarantee. The price of gold must therefore in part reflect the difficulty in...

Scotch whisky is not a survival currency in my house.

That makes a 20% rise from about $3000 at the end of last year to about $3600 now. Not wanting to put a damper on Holding or investing in gold particularly as a diversity, but Commonwealth Bank shares rose about 20% over the same time frame plus about $70 in spending money as dividends.