It was big weekend in the Top End town of Pine Creek which celebrated its annual Gold Rush Festival.
The undisputed festival highlight is the Gold Panning Championships which draw locals and tourists alike to the water's edge to sift through the silt in search of gold.
Competitors are given 10 minutes to find a pre-determined number of gold specks within their bucket of sand and watching over proceedings is judge John Fisher.
"I just check to see that there's no hanky panky going on with reaching into the water and picking up what's dropped previously, because there will be left over gold in there [from previous heats] now," he says.
John has been prospecting for close to 40 years and says he can spot a half decent gold panner in the water very easily.
"You can see it in the style straight off. We don't have a lot of good prospectors around today but they will have done a lot of panning in the bush, where it's clay, which is very difficult to pan.
"So when a chap turns up here and he uses this granite sands you'll pick it up straight away because it's very very easy to do," John explains.
Experienced prospectors can find their six specks within three minutes of swishing and swirling in the creek, but the competition also includes divisions for children and beginners.
15-year-old Luke Cobby is part of a veteran Pine Creek gold panning family and says success is not just in the wrist flick.
"To be a good gold panner it's just patience. It's patience and determination."
Luke's family claimed their third consecutive win in the Team Gold Panning event over the weekend and Luke's mum Jo Cobby was named both Skilled Ladies winner and overall Pine Creek Gold Panning Champion.
Local Jocelyn Moir says the much-loved festival is about staying true to Pine Creek's roots.
"That's what Pine Creek is built on, the gold industry and afterwards people are down in the creek looking for the bits people have missed, so it all continues for a few weeks yet."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-01/pinecreek-festival/4791700
The undisputed festival highlight is the Gold Panning Championships which draw locals and tourists alike to the water's edge to sift through the silt in search of gold.
Competitors are given 10 minutes to find a pre-determined number of gold specks within their bucket of sand and watching over proceedings is judge John Fisher.
"I just check to see that there's no hanky panky going on with reaching into the water and picking up what's dropped previously, because there will be left over gold in there [from previous heats] now," he says.
John has been prospecting for close to 40 years and says he can spot a half decent gold panner in the water very easily.
"You can see it in the style straight off. We don't have a lot of good prospectors around today but they will have done a lot of panning in the bush, where it's clay, which is very difficult to pan.
"So when a chap turns up here and he uses this granite sands you'll pick it up straight away because it's very very easy to do," John explains.
Experienced prospectors can find their six specks within three minutes of swishing and swirling in the creek, but the competition also includes divisions for children and beginners.
15-year-old Luke Cobby is part of a veteran Pine Creek gold panning family and says success is not just in the wrist flick.
"To be a good gold panner it's just patience. It's patience and determination."
Luke's family claimed their third consecutive win in the Team Gold Panning event over the weekend and Luke's mum Jo Cobby was named both Skilled Ladies winner and overall Pine Creek Gold Panning Champion.
Local Jocelyn Moir says the much-loved festival is about staying true to Pine Creek's roots.
"That's what Pine Creek is built on, the gold industry and afterwards people are down in the creek looking for the bits people have missed, so it all continues for a few weeks yet."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-01/pinecreek-festival/4791700
