Dry area Gold searching while hiking info needed

[Amaturegoldhunter]

Hi ladies and gentleman,
I've had some success in Victoria using a home made sluice in river and creeks , but now I've moved to mount isa (dry as a bone) so I'm back to knowing nothing and no spots

I've got 4 days off soon and I'm and planning on doing a trip up and down some of the local dry river and creeks beds on foot so I can get everywhere no one else could .

When I leave , should I just search around looking for sun baking gold and move on if I find nothing ? or should I dig around abit in every creek and do a few dry pans to be sure there is nothing before I move on ?

I want to mark off as many creeks and such as possible in the few days I'll be out and about.
considering it's 30 odd degrees I don't really want to have to dry pan unless I no I'm on a sure thing after all it is the desert and I don't really feel like dying of exhaustion .

Basically I don't want to just walk around looking for sun baking gold for 3 or 4 days if it's useless and I could have missed hundreds of spots .

Has anyone done what I'm going to do ? Do you have any tips ?

Thank you for any input I get , it's greatly appreciated
Jacob

 

[Jaros]

Hi Jacob, I don't think anybody here is going to give away where they find their gold. Your best search is to research and ask the mining shops in the area .
Jaros

 

[Amaturegoldhunter]

Hi mate, sorry if that's what it sounds like I'm asking , I'm not .
I'm just asking if I should just look for sun baking gold or dry pan in the creeks .
Aswell as any other tips they may have because I've never done dry fossicking before .
I have every intention of finding my own spots , and to keep them secret aswell

 

[WalnLiz]

Hint... ....looking for "sun baking" gold is harder than finding a needle in ten haystacks pushed into one heap. Dry pan the creeks and try to hook up with a local who knows the area is your best shot. Colmacca is a fellow forum member who is in your area, and a great chap to have a chinwag with over an ale or two. Send him a PM and see if he can give you some local knowledge. There's some good gold up that way but it's not an easy location to go into blind.

Best of luck,

Wal.

 

[Amaturegoldhunter]

Hey wal ,

Thanks mate that was the answer I was looking for but not hoping for ! Haha!

Its going to be one hell of a trip dry panning out there ! I'll have to take a bucket load of water !

I've got a 500 litre water tank & pump on my ute so I'm thinking of designing some sort of recirculating sluicing system to run the dirt out in the field .

I reckon finding a local to help me out will be a peace off piss if I get that going , that would be a hell of an advantage over all the other fossickers and there with there dry blowing methods !

I might have to look him up !

Thanks again mate , now I won't waste my time trying to find a needle in a hay stack hahaha !

 

[WalnLiz]

If you've got a Garrett Super Sluice you can dry pan quite easily, and don't need any water at all till you find a location rich enough to necessitate a greater volume to be processed. Col is a great guy and I'm sure he will put you on the right track as far as worthwhile locations is involved....well worth sending him a PM once you have got 10 posts up, and say Wal said G'day.

Take care up there,

Wal.

 

[Amaturegoldhunter]

Is that garret super sluice a pan or a vibrating sluice box ?
Just wondering because I've googled it and can only find 'garret super sluice 15 inch pan '
If you think their a good pan for dry panning I'll defiantly get one .
Aslong as your not a sales man for them hahaha !
Thanks mate I will try to haha!

 

[WalnLiz]

Not a salesman mate, but have used pretty much every gold pan on the market under varying conditions. The Garrett Super Sluice is a "Gold Pan", and in my view the only one that works efficiently when dry panning. Grab one of these pans and compare it to what you've been using in Vic with dry material only. I'll put a case of beer on the Garrett as the one that serves you best up in the Isa region.

Wal.

 

[AtomRat]

I find my needles in a heystack now with neodymium magnets..much faster.

Have you seen forum member MJB 's dry blower sluice?

 

[Amaturegoldhunter]

But gold isn't magnetic ? Or are you actually talking about needles in a haystack haha ?
No I havnt unfortunately ill have to check it out

 

[Digginholes]

Hmmmm gold is not magnetic but many other heavies that deposit in the same locations as gold are could be worth a shot to find where in the dry creek bed the concentrations are

 

[Amaturegoldhunter]

Thanks digging holes -I understand now , I'm generally pretty good at having a guess where gold would be , but so what your saying is , if I get a long stick with a magnet on it and search around for black sand and such with it then pan in that area I'll have a more efficient process going then I would if I was to just dry pan the potential areas ?

 

[Guest]

The best long stick for following the black sands is the Whites GMT. For a starting point take a gander at Australianminesatlas. Interactive map. Create a map. Zoom to your area, then enter river, roads, population centres. Now in the mineral occurrences click on gold. All the best mate.