When a whole town is under a NSW mineral title....

[Pitstop]

When a whole town is under a mineral title....does that mean you're not allowed to fossick in your own backyard?!

Someone came through town recently and told me there's gold in my backyard, that his dad showed him it when he was a boy.

I've been mucking around online this morning, as it's something I'd like to investigate, and have seen on the Forest Corporation map page that our whole town is under a Minerals Title - I've just noticed it expired a couple of months ago, though. I didn't even know this, although there has been a bit of investigative drilling over the years and the town did previously have at least one gold mine.

How does it work, please? This is Central West NSW.

Thanks very much

 

[Jaros]

You could plant a veggie plot and accidentally find a bit of yella.

 

[Pitstop]

Ha ha. Fingers crossed!

Is that normal, though? For mineral titles to cover people's backyards? Nature strip, etc? I'm shocked!

 

[Jaros]

This might help.

https://theconversation.com/not-qui...rs-have-a-right-to-whats-under-your-land-4176

 

[Pitstop]

Thanks Jaros

 

[mbasko]

When a whole town is under a mineral title....does that mean you're not allowed to fossick in your own backyard?!

Someone came through town recently and told me there's gold in my backyard, that his dad showed him it when he was a boy.

I've been mucking around online this morning, as it's something I'd like to investigate, and have seen on the Forest Corporation map page that our whole town is under a Minerals Title - I've just noticed it expired a couple of months ago, though. I didn't even know this, although there has been a bit of investigative drilling over the years and the town did previously have at least one gold mine.

How does it work, please? This is Central West NSW.

Thanks very much

The mineral title/s you're looking at would be Exploration Licence/s & they can/do indeed cover large areas of land including urban areas. In reality they carry out exploration activities in only small portions of these areas.
There's little concern for alarm as they cannot just lob in your backyard & start exploration work let alone mining. There are regulations in place that govern this & Licence holders are also subject to a statutory prohibition on carrying out activities within 200 metres of a residence without the consent of the land holder and resident.
Probably best to read this if concerned:
https://www.resourcesandgeoscience....s-and-community/minerals-and-coal/exploration
https://www.resourcesandgeoscience....ty/minerals-and-coal/template-for-land-access

In NSW to fossick/prospect on these Exploration Licence areas by rights you do need permission from the licence holder unless the area is a declared Fossicking District.
Being NSW Central West it is highly likely that your area is in a declared Fossicking District so Exploration Licence holder permission wouldn't be required but the usual land access permissions from landowners/managers are still required.
You can view NSW Fossicking Districts here by selecting them as a layer under Fossicking:
https://minview.geoscience.nsw.gov.au/#/?lon=NaN&lat=NaN&z=NaN&l=
Add layer > Fossicking > Fossicking Districts

 

[mbasko]

Ha ha. Fingers crossed!

Is that normal, though? For mineral titles to cover people's backyards? Nature strip, etc? I'm shocked!

It's normal - see above.

 

[mbasko]

You could plant a veggie plot and accidentally find a bit of yella.

Great advice

 

[Pitstop]

Thanks very much for that, MBasko. I thought that I was in a fossicking zone but the mineral title cancelled that out, but now I understand that its the opposite way round.
Thanks to both of you for your info

 

[Pitstop]

That was a smile icon at the end of my last post, not a question mark.....

 

[CreviceSucker]

i could dig down 2 metres over my entire backyard looking for a decent spot to install a swimming pool.

but the missus would probably come home and decide she wants a vege garden instead so i would have to fill it back in.

i should clean the rocks first though ?

.

Last time i looked at the leases around Orange NSW i think there wasnt a single inch that wasnt covered by an EL or ML.

 

[user 4386]

The boundaries of mineral titles do not make everything enclosed by it part of the title (it can with a mining lease, but not right at surface only below a certain depth). It is a boundary of convenience - nothing within it can belong to anyone other than the title holder, but everything in it does not belong to him/her either. There are lists of exclusions (house lots, roads. parks etc).