Using a dredge in Australia for recreational prospecting is illegal - information and questions

[Ben78]

Just use a yabby pump, suck it up blast it out, works a lot better than people give it credit for

 

[dryhorrors]

LOL yeah there is that option but im just wanting to be a bit slack haha

 

[AlluvialRic]

It's very sad to see your local haunt dredged out. Large stretches of Mitchell's Creek have been vacuumed clean to bedrock and i'm not happy ! It's just plain greed and has ruined it for us regulars to the area. Don't forget - Dob in a dredger !

Sadly a lot of the problems with greed and people going at it hammer and tong with no regard for rules, regulations or doing the right thing during this current "rush" is due to information being so easily available through the internet and the sudden increase in prospecting forums. It's not just the odd sneaky dredger either

Every man and his ten dogs are out going absolutely bloody stupid in the last 5 to 6 years and buggering it for those of us who have been responsibly plodding along for years.

I was down at Tuena and Mt Costigan a couple of weeks ago and could not believe what I saw. Some of the excavations I saw looked like a mining company was resposible Honestly, how hard is it to rake your digs back over when you finish?? Apart from the fact it fills the hole back in it also disguises where you have been

I have been going there for years and talking to a few locals they have just about had a gut full of the current wave of so called "prospectors". They liken it to the weekly circus coming to town.

All this irresponsible behavior is going to wreck the whole hobby for everyone.

Ric

 

[Keen Ken]

Just to make it clear, a high banker with a suction nozzle attached is still a dredge.

Dredging is the action of sucking up the gravels from the bottom.

Take you camera and take pictures before you dig so you don't get blamed should an inspector arrive and blame you.

 

[aushunter]

mate i saw the same thing at Tambaroora Creek near Hill End a month ago

i reckon less than a week before i got there they had shovelled it through a highbanker and then used a big vacuum cleaner to clean the bedrock . it was cleaner than my kitchen floor

Hey Headsup
It sounds like you are describing a completely different thing to "Dredging" mate to me it sounds like a very thorough operator to clean up the gully floor, as I would do to when on good gold, wire brush dust pan spoon all part of the tools to get the gold, very different to a dredge.
cheers
Lee

As Lee suggested they could of used the brush. That is what I do, dig out the crevice and then brush and scrap out all the fines as the gold will be down there just waiting to be picked up.
Lee do you use the Woolworths cat litter brush, only good in very dry dirt but a must in any diggers kit.
Good luck out there.
Cheers
Brad.....

 

[Goldrocs]

Not all prospectors use dredges to cleanup the bedrock I've been prospecting at tuena for years and in all the years I have never seen a dredge in action have seen a number of guys brushing and sweeping the bedrock,I know a lot of locals in the area and have access to private land and all the locals that I talk to are not worried about people fossicking in the creek the more in the camping ground the better it is for the town shop .
Just remember that holes in the creek will be gone after a small flood.......

 

[rc62burke]

Brad
No mate, but I will have a look at it next time I go to the shops.
cheers
Lee

 

[Tige]

Hi goldrocks, was at tuena Mon , Tuesday .. creek was dry as only a few puddles left

 

[Gold689]

You know what's funny

talking about not liking the dredging and all damage it can do. I agree with whole kindheartedly,,,

But what is this link in the bottom right side in my computer screen is doing

Just a thought,,,,

 

[AlluvialRic]

You know what's funny

talking about not liking the dredging and all damage it can do. I agree with whole kindheartedly,,,

But what is this link in the bottom right side in my computer screen is doing

Just a thought,,,,

Ehh???? :/ :/

 

[Marked]

You know what's funny

talking about not liking the dredging and all damage it can do. I agree with whole kindheartedly,,,

But what is this link in the bottom right side in my computer screen is doing

Just a thought,,,,

Ehh???? :/ :/

I think it is a random google ad:

Dredging Systems
www.dredgingsystems.com.au
Amphibious Mini Dredges Cutter Suction, Excavator


not there every time, but it is there now for me...

Edit: actually had a look at the page and their services are unrelated to prospecting...a commercial outfit of "waterway engineers".

 

[AlluvialRic]

Ahh OK I don't get any adds or pop ups the're all blocked

 

[artsaus]

Nah Lee this is an underwater cleanup and impossible for anyone to accomplish in a few months

mate i saw the same thing at Tambaroora Creek near Hill End a month ago

i reckon less than a week before i got there they had shovelled it through a highbanker and then used a big vacuum cleaner to clean the bedrock . it was cleaner than my kitchen floor

Hey Headsup
It sounds like you are describing a completely different thing to "Dredging" mate to me it sounds like a very thorough operator to clean up the gully floor, as I would do to when on good gold, wire brush dust pan spoon all part of the tools to get the gold, very different to a dredge.
cheers
Lee

 

[Creekbed]

lol was browsing the net and found this little thing
was gonna get one and try make it work for hand dredging
http://www.dhgate.com/product/new-a...siphon-fish/131231789.html#s1-17-1|2389270332
dunno if it would work cant hurt to try i guess hahaha

I know it does not seem much BUT you will be breaking the law if you use this as it is a dredge regardless of how small and insignificant it may look. If you are caught you could be charged and have all your equipment including you vehicle confiscated.

Just a bit of food for thought. Keep it legal and we will all be able to prospect into the future.

Regards Creekbed

 

[BumbleB]

lol was browsing the net and found this little thing
was gonna get one and try make it work for hand dredging
http://www.dhgate.com/product/new-a...siphon-fish/131231789.html#s1-17-1|2389270332
dunno if it would work cant hurt to try i guess hahaha

I know it does not seem much BUT you will be breaking the law if you use this as it is a dredge regardless of how small and insignificant it may look. If you are caught you could be charged and have all your equipment including you vehicle confiscated.

Just a bit of food for thought. Keep it legal and we will all be able to prospect into the future.

Regards Creekbed

Don't get too carried away Creekbed.
Personally I think Dryhorrors calling that 'aquarium suction filter' a dredge is simply wrong terminology. I doubt very much that something that small could even suck up any half-sized gravel- as suggested, a yabbie pump would easily suck up many times the gravel that it could. It would be a pretty flimsy case that any Inspector would be relying on to claim that this piece of equipment (plastic rubbish) was a 'dredge' in the real sense/spirit of the intended Enabling Legislation (Law).
I think Dryhorrors would be wasting his time with such a device- a small stone or two would simply block the whole unit halfway up the suction tube & then that's the end of the experiment!
By chance Creekbed, you're not an Inspectors trawling our Site are you?? The pedantic nature/tone of your statement makes me think that you are looking a little too deeply into the issue- perhaps searching for something- anything to 'flex your muscles' on- possibly a 'keep the bastards honest' warning shot across the bow. If you are, then you know as well as I do, that any apparent breach of Enabling Legislation (Law) must be well & truly satisfied under the condition of the said Law. I would imagine that you would be laughed out of the Court room with such a Case (if it indeed even got to Court).
The 'intent' of the Legislation surrounding 'Dredging' would have been designed to protect the Environment from the damage caused by uncontrolled, rampant, widespread vacuuming of areas of Creek & River beds- not the clearing out of crevices with a plastic aquarium filter.
This Forum, the Administrators & ALL of its members that I have witnessed, are extremely conscious of the somewhat precarious position that our tiny Hobby has & the potential for that to be removed from us with the flick of a pen. 8.( I have experienced first-hand the guidance/advice given to "newbies" from the Senior Members of this Forum, whenever they have seen the potential for any Breaches of the Legislation, whether through deliberate actions or plain ignorance. We (Forum members) are not the problem out there- those that tend to 'do their own thing' are the real enemy of the Environment & to our beloved Hobby as a whole, & it is there that the 'Investigators' & Dept should be focusing their attention, 8) so please stop trawling the Forums from your armchair, get out in the field & actually catch the people doing the wrong thing & crush them!; eg: anyone that goes & truly dredges an entire section of Creek is not going to hop on a Forum & start talking about it, so slyly trawling the Forums is really a bit of a waste of time in that sense. If the Powers That Be really wish to be involved in Forums (& I personally think that is a great idea) then join up "Officially" (maybe even as a Sponsor) & be a proper avenue of eduction to the wider Community & help us, to help you to protect our Hobby & more importantly the Environment as was intended by the Enabling Legislation.
The concept of sitting back, aimlessly trawling Forums, waiting for deliberate damage to be done to the Environment, & then using that damage by a very small minority, to stop the innocent majority from enjoying our tiny Hobby is not beneficial to the Environment at all- the damage is already done! Education & prevention is the ONLY logical way forward in this situation. Unless of course the real motivation is to shut the Hobby down anyway! In which case, this is a whole different 'kettle of fish'.
I have no doubt at all that most (if not all) members of this Forum would be more than happy to be eyes & ears for the Environment, & it seems that such an approach would be a glorious win-win situation for all parties involved- The Department can more effectively protect the Environment (that's their role) through education & a more open relationship with the vast majority of the Law abiding members of our Hobby. Us Hobbyists get to be a part of protecting the Environment & our Hobby at large, through better education within the rank & file, & through the extra eyes & ears on the ground. What the Dept seems to fail to realise is that a damaged Environment greatly effects our Hobby aswell- if a whole section of creek bed is dredged, then we can't use it either. Personally, if I were to witness something illegal occurring that might impact on my future opportunity to enjoy my Hobby, then I would be greatly motivated to report it in some way- maybe take photos of the people, the activities, their vehicles etc & pass them onto our 'new friends' from the Dept that might be welcomed Members of the Forum.
The way I see it, it breaks down to these 2 questions:- does the Dept want to protect the Environment as best they can? Or, does the Dept just want to shut down the Hobbyists no matter what? If it is the first one, then the way forward is pretty clear. If it's the second one, then ladies & gentleman we should start preparing a 'war-chest' for the legal battle that WILL be coming, or start selling your gear before it too late.
Personally, I would like to think that the first question is the appropriate one, in which case I feel the way forward is pretty clear.......friends ALWAYS work better together than enemies! We don't have to be enemies with the Dept. We are all on the same page here, even if we don't realise it yet.

BumbleB

 

[dryhorrors]

agreed bumbleb
purchased a manual bilge pump working on something now, they can try take my sh*t away they wont get far when a shot gun is up their clacker, and if you are from the gov i welcome you to come for a fishing trip who knows we might need some extra bait

 

[BumbleB]

agreed bumbleb
purchased a manual bilge pump working on something now, they can try take my sh*t away they wont get far when a shot gun is up their clacker, and if you are from the gov i welcome you to come for a fishing trip who knows we might need some extra bait

Mate as much as I understand your obvious frustration, & I know you were only joking, but the threats of shot guns up the ass & 'fishing trips' is probably not to type of signal that the Forum wants to send to anyone, let alone the Dept. You have to remember that threats (even joking threats) to Gov't Authorities are taken very seriously these days & it could lead to serious problems for you & the Forum.
Remember, we want/need to be 'friends' with these guys, & they need to feel that we are not the threat to their role of protecting the Environment. I'm not an Administrator or Moderator, but I would assume that they will have a similar view point.
Let's keep the peace mate......

 

[dryhorrors]

I have worked hard for what I have just stating the obvious
Yeah jokes aside apologies to the forum

 

[WalnLiz]

Lets not blow the whole thing out of proportion guys. Nothing i have read here has anywhere near indicated any departmental watch dog conspiracy. If someone wants to filter some bacteria out of a stream bed with a fish tank filter, I'm sure the powers to be wont be filing for a gold dredging operation.

Lets all use some common sense here and keep the topic respectful,

Cheers Wal.

 

[Marked]

...and on a lighter note:

Had a look at the "filter" in question, and having been a keeper of tropical fish in the past, I can with some authority say that the said "filter" is specifically designed not to pick up any gravel whatsoever, but to remove sediment (i.e. fish-s^*t) from said gravel. So I concur with Ben78, that a yabby pump will beat any action this "filter" (even modified) could possibly have about 100 to 1. There is "being a bit slack", but the aim is still to find some gold...