Hello. Complete newbies here

[Woody]

Hello all,

My partner and i are complete newbies to all this fossicking. Although I love loved rocks and gemstones since I was a kid (thanks dad) I have never really got out and done any fossicking. Always wanted to and the time has come!

A couple months ago we headed out to Little River fossicking area just south of Oberon. We didn't find anything. I think it was pretty much fossicked out due to it being well known spot to fossick without a licence. But it was beautiful having Little River and the bush all to ourselves. It's a pretty little spot



Anyway, I think a fossicking licence is in order and some camping and fossicking trips.
We are from Sydney and love getting out of the rat race!

Looking forward to meeting some knowledable souls here who can help make our fossicking experiences that bit more fun and interesting

Justin & Mary...

 

[Mackka]

Good on you both. When we lived in Sydney, each weekend if we weren’t fishing up near Wyong, we would be at Oberon and having a great old time especially dinner with steak on the open fire and some spuds thrown into the hot coals and a nice bottle of red or two. That was 30 odd years ago and I guess like all things change was inevitable. Enjoy whats left. Cheers Mackka

 

[Woody]

Hi Maccka and thanks

My partner has been saying that we need to get out camping, So we figured combining camping and fossicking will be great.

We are off to the Thredbo for Mary's birthday at the end of the month, which is how we discovered this website and forum while researching where to fossick in the Snowy region. Might do a day trip out to Tumbarrumba.

 

[mbasko]

Welcome to the forum.
There's some info on the forum that may be of use to you in your NSW + any interstate travels.
https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...ecting-regulations-all-australian-states.125/
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/threads/nsw-a-minefield-of-rules-simplified-hopefully.40536/
Minview is another great resource once you work your way around the different layers etc.
https://minview.geoscience.nsw.gov.au/#/?lon=148.5&lat=-32.5&z=7&l=
In NSW there is no fossicking licence as such but some areas, like NSW State Forests for example, do require a permit which is easily & cheaply available.
https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visit/activities/fossicking

 

[Woody]

Hi mbasko, thank you very much for the links. I will good through them more thoroughly later. I had come across some in my internet travels already.

I'm trying to work the zones and what licence we need. Seems you purchase a licence to cover where you think you will do most fossicking. How does it work for zones you frequent much? Do we need multiple licences, or are you covered for a few odd trips in to less frequented zones?

It seemed a bit confusing which is why we haven't got a licence yet. I was going to make some phone calls to clarify. Unless someone here can?

Justin & Mary....

 

[mbasko]

The NSW Forests fossicking permit covers the whole state for any forest or areas of forest that are open to fossicking.
They only ask for a zone/area for survey purposes I believe - to keep track of where the majority of fossicking is likely going to occur.

 

[Woody]

Right. Thank you very much. That makes sense

 

[OBEROX]

Hey Woody, Still some nice sapphires and big red zircons out there at Porters Retreat. Just hard work, knowledge of the right layers, predicting where the river used to flow and good luck. Becarefull of the Tiger Snakes and Funnel Web Spiders though at this time of year. You might catch a glimpse of the platypus early in the morning if you are lucky. It is a top spot. Cheers Tex.

 

[Woody]

Hi OBEROX, thanks for the couple of hints. So much to learn. We did enjoy our day at Porter's Retreat. Even though we didn't find anything it was a great spot to detox from the city grind.

Knowledge of reading the land, water courses and layers is something we have no idea about yet. So it's all about good luck if we find anything

Snakes is something we were very concious of. Didn't think of funnel webs! We tend to hit the country areas more in the colder months. Summer is usually when we head for the coastal towns and beaches. Although we often head to the Snowys at least once. Love the mountains in summer. We are heading there next week for a few days.

Justin & Mary...