Milparinka / Tibooburra area NSW information and questions

[Jim.]

Hi all,

Darren, good luck mate. Good idea on sluicing creek dirt that area probably wouldnt have had that level of attention (due to lack of water)

Keep us posted.

Jim & Kerrie

 

[greeny01]

Hi all, Picking up my new GPX 5000 shortly and thought I might head up to Tibooburra for a week. I have a couple of questions though:

I'm looking at towing my caravan up there and need to know what the condition of the road is like, ie sealed or some dirt. I would stay at the Tibooburra Caravan park and conduct my detecting form there.

Does Telstra have mobile phone coverage from the Town?

Does anyone have any tips on where to start my detecting from for the slim chance of a speck or two.

Cheers

Greeny01 (I use 01 as there is another greeny registered but with 0 posts)


I'll be travelling from Adelaide.

 

[Chimpy]

G'day

I'm leaving Friday for a few weeks in that area. I was speaking to somebody in Broken Hill last week and they had just got 50mm of rain that day. 50mm cuts the main road to Tibooburra for 3 days and the station tracks for 7 so check in advance if there is weather about. I wouldn't be taking a van off road there and if you're going bush be prepared for 7 days cutoff if it does bucket down and DON'T camp on any of the creek beds or flats next to them. Flash floods are the norm if it rains The main Silver City Hwy is fine for caravans. Not sure about phone service but I've heard the top of any decent hill should get you service. I'm going to look into a yagi aerial set up next time.
The common at Tibooburra still gives up gold and you can get onto some of the stations for a nominal daily fee
Try some of these spots I've plotted for my trip

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1504

Good luck if you go. I'll be in town for a few days but mostly out exploring the Warratta Inlier

Cheers

Chimpy

 

[greeny01]

Thanks Chimpy, I'll be leaving the Van at Tibooburra Town and come back to it at the end of the day. Should be nice and warm during the day time this time of year, better than 15c in Adelaide at the moment.

 

[Diggerdude]

I have taken my van along the road from broken hill north a few times. Pretty crap road, rattles hell out of the van, besides potholes and corrugations it is driveable. You get good Telstra reception around Tibooburra not sure about Optus etc. Most of the well known spots still produce nuggets, use the 11" mono on factory presets, go really low and slow and hold your tongue to the left and you should pick up a few bits.

Goodluck
DD

 

[greeny01]

thanks for that diggerdude, I think I might leave the van home and stay in cabin for a few nights probably less hassle than shaking the van to bits as it isn't an off roader. Can also get there quicker.
I'll let you know how I go.

greeny

 

[richard70au]

Hi All, Does anyone no if the area around warratta creek flats is under the EL for the area. I have found a map that it looks like it may be the boundry of the lease but its not quite clear. Cheers Darren

Hi Darren,

Did you get out to Tibooburra? if so do you have a report we can have a look at?

Cheers

 

[Outback]

I do OK up there usually just on the common but last trip was harder , when showing the lady at the store some of the little bits I'd found she mentioned that I should be happy as many don't find any 8.(

OB .

 

[steveo1]

it on my bucketlist to . we should all get togever and go up here for week. steve

 

[Mungass]

hcx
From my last trip to Tibb . Flat bit is nice

 

[jethro]

Hello Daz73
I went to tibb about 15 years ago. We spent a week or 8 days up there prospecting / touring. I was only using a Whites goldmaster 2 and my dad was useing an XT17000. Would have loved to have had an SD series machine back then .
Anyway in answer to your question Mt stuart or Gumvale, I can say that the gumvale gorge is well worth the drive up through it just for the scenery.
Mt stuart station wasn't open to prospectors when we were there however Gumvale was.
We camped in the gorge for a couple of nights & it was much nicer than the wind blown flat near the shearers shed at Mt Browne, just had to keep an eye on the weather in case of a cloud burst as we were actually in the creek bed.
Anyway we had a look at the warratta diggings & Jeffreys Flat for a day. The area at that stage seemed to have had a lot less attention from detectorists than Mt browne. In about the last 15 minutes of available detecting time, on a small flat bordered by 2 gully washes with a reef outcropping across the top I snagged a nice 1.2gram specie. i had a look at the rest of the flat and there didn't seem to be another dig mark on it (unlike Mt Browne ) Unfortunately we had to make our way back to camp before dark as we didnt really have a good idea of the shortcut that would save 20minutes on the return at that stage. I've often wondered if there was more gold on that flat just waiting to be detected.
Go Gumvale I say nice people too.

 

[Adelaide Retiree]

Hi Guys. I will be detecting in the Tibooburra area next week for about 11 days,really looking forward to it. A lot of places are not allowing you on their property because of Mining Leases,which is a shame, as like a great number of people, i enjoy this hobby.Well i'm all packed ready to head North in the morning for this great adventure,will let you know if any luck on returning later on. Cheers and good detecting everyone!!

 

[richard70au]

Good luck out there, I will be eagerly awaiting your return with plenty of information I hope. I am cracking my neck to get out there and have a look around.

Cheers

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Good luck mate, hop you find a nice patch up there.

Let us know how you get on.

Cheers, Tone

 

[headbut]

Have a great trip AR , hope you finds heaps of yellow & looking forward for the photos , Cheers Paul

 

[Syndyne]

All the best out there AR!

Make sure to keep one eye on the weather forecast (storm season has started here in the upper western) and keep us all posted on how you're getting on. Amazing part of the country out that way.

Kindest regards,
Shauno.

 

[Adelaide Retiree]

Well home again after a very adventurous time at Tibooburra. We stopped at the Granites Caravan Park in town,good facilities and power for $18 per day,some trees and park has some shelter from the winds by large granite boulders to the West. Made contact with Mark Black re Mt Stuart Station mob 0427005635, $10 per detector per day,mud map given to cover some vast gold bearing areas,also plenty of places to detect around the town "Common Area" A lot of people have been over it,but you will still get some if you persevere putting in the hours! I was lucky enough to find 2 small bits close together,about 12 cms down,scanned the area closely--no more--obviously some one had missed these!! The road is unsealed and shocking in places between Broken Hill to Tibooburra,did a tyre and rim in plus stone punctured my wagon, so have good tyres--roos, goats everywhere,good to see the wild life around --good prospecting to you who are going that way, all the best to you. Regards AR.

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Great trip report AR, especially about the road conditions!

Cheers, Tone

 

[Adelaide Retiree]

After finding these 2 nuggets close together,i am wondering why they are so different in texture,one is solid, the other is a straggely looking nugget,yet they were 10 cms apart does anyone have any suggestions ?? Regards AR

 

[trashmagnet]

After finding these 2 nuggets close together,i am wondering why they are so different in texture,one is solid, the other is a straggely looking nugget,yet they were 10 cms apart does anyone have any suggestions ?? Regards AR

hi mate
that happens a fair bit up that way, what we have put it down to is "cement of different types" protecting some nuggets longer than others.

your two nuggets most likely came from the same source but the rough one would have been protected during travel by quartz/ironstone or cement(happens just after coming out of source) and because of the very high temps during the day and low temps at night the gold breaks out of its protection and is very rough but the nuggy next to it had no protection while traveling and is smooth.

the nuggets you found may have been 12" deep when found, but sometime in the last couple of hundred million years they were on the surface allowing the heat and cold to break the protected nugget out of it's cocoon.

this is just our theory.
regards trashmagnet