Icy Creek, Victoria and surrounds

[Coffee]

Hi All,

My partner and I are planning to do a little prospecting around Icy Creek in a couple of weeks time. We are both completely green - I think I tried panning once at Sovereign Hill as a kid, and my partner is probably similar levels of experience, but we are both outdoorsy hands on type people, and follow a lot of gold prospecting and similar YouTubers, so have a bit of knowledge/research behind us, just never put it to practice.

We have access to a creek (Specimen Creek) on family land that we are hoping will turn up something for us, as it has been recorded as producing gold in the 1860's, but at some point part of it was dammed in and a section of it we think was re-routed, so I'm not sure exactly where the original creek bed is or how accessible it will be.

The challenge we have is I have health and mobility issues (part-time wheelchair user) so that is going to create some barriers to where we can go and how much I can do. I think the plan is that my partner does a lot of the leg work while I sit back and scoop what he has collected into the sluice. Lol. We have a couple of small river sluices and will be getting a basic panning kit.

Any tips would be welcome! We know Tanjil River is off limits, and possibly the Latrobe River (we weren't sure from the exclusion list if it was the whole river or just part of it) but we were planning to stick to smaller creeks anyway.

*edited to add, we may end up living part time at this property for a period - if we do and want to spend a bit of time prospecting, is this area any good for detecting, or are we better sticking to panning and sluicing?

Our goal is to find enough gold (preferably on the actual property) to be worth giving to a jeweller or goldsmith to put towards wedding rings (I know we are going to need to supplement with other gold, but if we could find a gram or two to incorporate it would be fantastic, as the property is important to us).

Additionally, if anyone can point us in the right direction for getting gold processed so we can use it for jewellery, that would be fantastic too! We are based in Greensborough.

Thanks!

Sharon

 

[Hawkear]

Welcome to the forum Sharon.
I used to prospect around the Tanjil, Russells creek area before the Blue Rock dam went in and found some good gold there before the government started banning things.
I have attached an old map of the Russells Creek goldfield which shows Specimen Creek in the upper left corner.
From your general description maybe this is the creek on your family property.
The brown spots indicate that indeed Specimen Creek was gold bearing, as also were Snake Ck to the North and Doyles and Pheasant Crks to the South.
Noted on the map is a Quartz reef (Doyles) located on the ridge between Pheasant and Doyles creek. It direction is clearly marked and maybe if you were to extend the line of that reef across to specimen Creek, that might be a good place to start looking.
I am not sure about the character of the gold in specimen creek but gold further down at Russells creek and in the Tanjil exhibited nuggetty character that could have made it detectable. The name Specimen is given to bits of quartz in which visible gold can be seen so I do not think it would be unreasonable to think that detectable maybe there.
Usually when gold is found in a creek, the area is turned over by the early diggers. That you say you have no clear idea where the original creek working were indicates that it may have been flattened later for farming activities. If this is the case I would certainly be wanting to give the area a good detect with a modern machine capable of reacting to very small matchhead sized gold nuggets or specimens.
I won't say anything more about processing small amounts of gold, as others may be better equipped to do that. The first priority is to get out and find some and hope my comments have been helpful.

 

[Coffee]

Thank you so much! I had a brief look for maps in the area, but I hadn't found anything yet, so the map is hugely appreciated!

Doyles Creek is about 100m off our property line, so that reef is only about 300m away.

We think the creek has been shifted maybe 30m over - the land hasn't been cleared, but the exit from the lake doesn't match the maps, and we have never tried to find the original path. The bushland is pretty dense, so it may be challenging to access. The lake/dam isn't on the map, but the rest of the creek seems to match

This is really exciting - especially looking at where that reef is. We may have to pay Doyles Creek a visit as well!

Thank you so much again! This is a massive help!

 

[Gippyspecker]

Hi Sharon, as a newbie too here I’ve been doing a lot of research on the tanjil goldfields. Specimen, Doyle’s, pheasant, Kenny’s, pennyweight, & icy creeks all produced gold back in the day. I just turned 40 & my family chipped in to buy me a high banker for my birthday. I am thinking of going to give it a run up that way tomorrow, if I can find a spot that shows colour in a pan. I too, have mobility issues, so I will be looking for relatively easy access to one of those creeks. If I do any good I will let you know. Kind regards. Jamie

 

[Coffee]

Hi Sharon, as a newbie too here I’ve been doing a lot of research on the tanjil goldfields. Specimen, Doyle’s, pheasant, Kenny’s, pennyweight, & icy creeks all produced gold back in the day. I just turned 40 & my family chipped in to buy me a high banker for my birthday. I am thinking of going to give it a run up that way tomorrow, if I can find a spot that shows colour in a pan. I too, have mobility issues, so I will be looking for relatively easy access to one of those creeks. If I do any good I will let you know. Kind regards. Jamie

Not wanting to give away a spot before we get there, lol, but they have recently been logging the area that I am pretty sure covers Doyles Creek, so I am hoping the access through there is going to be a bit easier.

 

[Gippyspecker]

I did notice that on google earth. It might mean that some of those creeks have already been hit by others already, but I’m willing to give it a shot. They’ve been logging in there for a few years. Those coups might be gated too, if they’re still active. Hopefully there’s access to a creek somewhere. I’m not after your spot btw… I’d like to see my research pay off, so to speak.

 

[Coffee]

I did notice that on google earth. It might mean that some of those creeks have already been hit by others already, but I’m willing to give it a shot. They’ve been logging in there for a few years. Those coups might be gated too, if they’re still active. Hopefully there’s access to a creek somewhere. I’m not after your spot btw… I’d like to see my research pay off, so to speak.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting you were - I was joking when I said that. I just know that some of that has only been logged in the last 6 - 12 months, because it backs onto our property, so we are hopeful is still reasonably unexplored. We have driven through parts of it, so there is access, but I couldn't tell you exactly where in relation to the creeks, because we weren't looking for them at the time.

 

[Coffee]

My partner just reminded me there was part of the track that had been bulldozed closed, so that may limit car access.

I would be interested to hear how you find access through the area. I won't be able to walk any significant distance, so we are limited to areas that are accessible by 4wd.

 

[Gippyspecker]

Ok, that is good to know. Thankyou for the info. I will have a look around tomorrow & let you know how I go. Hopefully I can get a few specs in the pan & learn the highbanker a bit

 

[Hawkear]

I was thinking that the land may have been cleared but if not of course that would create some detection problems.
A priority would be to locate the old diggings along Specimen Creek. It is not unusual that the old diggers either deliberately or inadvertently diverted the course of the creek as they wouldn't want heavy rain to flood out their holes and workings.
Over years the old diggers heaps would have slumped and the holes fill in with soil and litter, making them difficult to make out today.
Those workings will be your best guide so give it a bit of a closer look and you may still see some vestiges of the diggers holes and heaps.
Be just a bit careful as one day looking around the area between Drouin and Neerim, I found a diggers hole by touch when my foot went through a raft of litter lying on top of a hole. I went in up to my waist fortunately with no ill effects, but I had no idea there was a diggers hole where I stood.

 

[Coffee]

Ok, that is good to know. Thankyou for the info. I will have a look around tomorrow & let you know how I go. Hopefully I can get a few specs in the pan & learn the highbanker a bit

This is the logging map. The bit of specimen creek that is still blue is on our property, but all the area marked south of specimen creek is freshly logged.



This is the logging coup details:

Logging coup 467-506, 0002 to 0008 have been logged in the last 6-12 months.

Best of luck tomorrow!

 

[Coffee]

I was thinking that the land may have been cleared but if not of course that would create some detection problems.
A priority would be to locate the old diggings along Specimen Creek. It is not unusual that the old diggers either deliberately or inadvertently diverted the course of the creek as they wouldn't want heavy rain to flood out their holes and workings.
Over years the old diggers heaps would have slumped and the holes fill in with soil and litter, making them difficult to make out today.
Those workings will be your best guide so give it a bit of a closer look and you may still see some vestiges of the diggers holes and heaps.
Be just a bit careful as one day looking around the area between Drouin and Neerim, I found a diggers hole by touch when my foot went through a raft of litter lying on top of a hole. I went in up to my waist fortunately with no ill effects, but I had no idea there was a diggers hole where I stood.

Thanks for the warning and the advice!

 

[Gippyspecker]

Oh wow, I didn’t know they had logged there next to the main rd. The coups I was referring to are down Fergusons rd. I may have to consider those coups as access tomorrow then. You have my word that I will not go near your place. I may have to focus on pheasant if doyles isn’t accessible. I had initially planned to see what duggans rd was like and pick a creek either side, but this may change things. Thankyou again for the info

 

[Coffee]

Oh wow, I didn’t know they had logged there next to the main rd. The coups I was referring to are down Fergusons rd. I may have to consider those coups as access tomorrow then. You have my word that I will not go near your place. I may have to focus on pheasant if doyles isn’t accessible. I had initially planned to see what duggans rd was like and pick a creek either side, but this may change things. Thankyou again for the info

There are areas of specimen creek that are on crown land too. It is pretty difficult to access the area, though. We have road access on the property to parts, and even then I don't know how much of it we can reach!

Yeah, the Google Earth info is a bit older - we only really know about the logging through there because we can see it from the back of the property.

Good luck! We are going to be around there in about 10 days or so, so I would love to hear what you find!

 

[Gippyspecker]

I’d be happy to share info. I’ve done a bit of rough translation from a few surveyors maps onto modern maps & I am guessing that Doyle’s reef runs through the south west corner of your property, above the dam. I will try to attach a map with where I think the reef runs. I will confirm this tomorrow if I can gain access to that coup.

 

[Gippyspecker]

Of course, the location isn’t going to be exact, but that is the general direction it runs. If I were you I’d start prospecting specimen above the dam. Feel free to let me know when you are there & I’ll pop in and introduce myself, if you’d like

 

[RM Outback]

G'day Coffee welcome to PA. Have a read of this link "Exempt Rivers and Streams" where you CAN'T prospect. Definitely keep a copy of the link and check for updates before you head out for your planned adventures. I don't see any problems with your plans, the link is just a heads up so you don't find yourself in a situation you weren't aware of.

The only other important part of your plan is to make sure you have a Miners Right, available online from Earth Resources.

Best of luck with your adventures, sure would be nice to find some/all of the gold for your wedding rings. Looking forward to reading your updates.

https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/l...ick/rivers-and-streams-where-you-cant-fossick

 

[Coffee]

G'day Coffee welcome to PA. Have a read of this link "Exempt Rivers and Streams" where you CAN'T prospect. Definitely keep a copy of the link and check for updates before you head out for your planned adventures. I don't see any problems with your plans, the link is just a heads up so you don't find yourself in a situation you weren't aware of.

The only other important part of your plan is to make sure you have a Miners Right, available online from Earth Resources.

Best of luck with your adventures, sure would be nice to find some/all of the gold for your wedding rings. Looking forward to reading your updates.

https://earthresources.vic.gov.au/l...ick/rivers-and-streams-where-you-cant-fossick

Thanks RM!

Yep, we have checked the list. A couple of the rivers in the area are exempt, but the creeks are fine.

We will be sorting out the Miners Right next week before we head off.

We do the odd bit of fishing and yabbying, so we are used to checking what rules and licences apply. The main difference is that fishing and yabby people are WAY less helpful when it comes to sharing information! The community here is amazing!

 

[Gippyspecker]

Speaking of info, I got back from my little mission today. It appears that easy access to the creeks from the coups is no good, unless you own a dozer. I tried to take some guess work out for you & didn’t get far, so i went to prospect. I managed to find a little flake on the other side of the asphalt in pheasant from about 10 shovels. First bit for the new highbanker!

 

[Coffee]

Thanks for the update, and congrats on the flake! Hopefully the first of many!

That's annoying about the coup being inaccessible. There is a road on our property that runs not too far from the boundary between Specimen and Doyle Creek, so if we can get through we might jump the fence and see if we can get to it from that side. It's pretty unfriendly terrain through there, though. Definitely beyond my abilities.

We aren't sure about timing of the trip now, because we just found out they may be turning off the power at some point while they move the lines on the property underground, but once we confirm dates I'll let you know. My partner is a talk to a anyone and everyone type, and would love to meet up if you're around.