Has anyone done any gold detecting in the Otways, Victoria?

[Bez]

Just curious as no one ever really mentions it. but does anyone ever detect on the Otways? more specifically near Lorne to Anglesea area?

There is a small article here from 1887 in the Camperdown Chronicle we a man is looking to take a party into the Otways to prospect for payable gold.
He has stated he has already found gold there several years ago and is convinced there is more payable gold there to be found. It also says that gold has been found as early as 1851.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18911417

Any thoughts?

 

[Bez]

Here's the same add printed in the Colac Herald, much easier to read though.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/art...=185|||l-title=241|||l-word=*ignore*|*ignore*

 

[Teemore]

Hi Be,
Very interesting reading and would be intersting to follow up whether anything was ever found. The reply makes a very valid point, if the gold was so readily identifiable why request cash from the Govt, Id shut up and just collect it.
Recall reading a report (may have been on some ABC program) that the next big Golden Triangle is north of the existing known gold areas, they're talking tonnes of the stuff, have no doubt that other areas exist ..... as is borne out by the many successful blokes working their own little patches with good results. Just need to keep searching.
Cheers Tom

(re ABC) Me thinks most of the stuff is well buried and requires serious mining to extract

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Are the ottways a national park or something?

 

[Bez]

I've been reading a quite few articles from the 1880- 1890's where some gold was found in the Otways and it always seems to come back to the same area of origin. It's said that there has been some gold found, albeit not much and not payable. Most of fine gold and small nuggets from what I've read seem to have come from east of the Gellibrand river in the Latrobe ranges, it was followed up buy a government geologist at the time, though he suggests there's not much hope

This is his report : http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/art...title=241|||l-word=*ignore*|*ignore*|||sortby

There was a bit of fuss about it at the time, because there was lots of drifted deposits of fine gold found over large areas, but seems no one ever found the primary source.

Still i live only and hour away now, might be worth swinging a detector east of the gellibrand river for a day, you just never know what you'll find!

 

[Bez]

Are the ottways a national park or something?

Yeah mate, It's a national park on the south coast of Victoria left of port Philip bay.

 

[Rusher]

I've heard stories from different people of shafts in different areas to the west of the ridge not sure if they were test holes or actually got something and my grandfather supposedly had a spot he would get fingernail size pieces gonna try and find it one day, (he had an old whites coinmaster don't know if he panned it or detected should have quizzed him when he was alive but I hadn't caught gold fever then)

 

[Bez]

I've heard stories from different people of shafts in different areas to the west of the ridge not sure if they were test holes or actually got something and my grandfather supposedly had a spot he would get fingernail size pieces gonna try and find it one day, (he had an old whites coinmaster don't know if he panned it or detected should have quizzed him when he was alive but I hadn't caught gold fever then)

Yeah it's all very interesting, and seems very much untouched ground for modern day prospectors. Maybe with our advances in technology we might have better luck than the old timers.

Think i'll definitely get out there next week or so for a look.

 

[Teemore]

Most of fine gold and small nuggets from what I've read seem to have come from east of the Gellibrand river in the Latrobe ranges

Might be worth your while to pan a few creeks or such within the area to determine if there's any 'colour', that may be more beneficial than just blindly detecting an area.
If a few panning sessions turn up something then at least you can detect that area, or upstream from it That way you may be able to find a source.

Cheers Tom

 

[yournutz]

i think i read some were your not a loud to look for gold in the otways