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Magnetic Island - Gold Diggings


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Thanks a lot Geof that's awesome! 

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Geof, i can't thank you enough for those map references and info.. i've now stood on the actual sites where some of these old goldmines were.. it's pretty bloody mind blowing.. I'll have to make it an early morning mission to have a look at the two sites along Butler's Creek, it's getting a bit hot to be about during the day.. the old goldmine site at Horseshoe Bay is now a row of houses.. I've talked to an old timer who remembers a pineapple plantation on that site and that the owners removed the mining equipment.. looks like i'll be searching in people's backyards on this particular site..

thanks again, it's a bit like playing detective.. 

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Erik, around 30 + years ago, wife and I in our LandCruiser and Caravan were west of Townsville. We stopped to ask an isolated house off the main highway, about the owner of a Farm down the road, because it was a site of some historical significance, Turns out the farmer was away and the house owner suggested we detect where his children had found some old pennies at a long gone railway station or an old long gone Cobb and Co station 100m away. 

We opted to leave the kids the railway station, and at the CanC site I think I found an old penny and threepence, later as it was starting to sprinkle rain, wife comes up and shows me a shiny Dollar only it wan't a dollar but a 1890 Gold Sovereign, we later showed our finds to the house holder who turned out to be detector operator interested in Gold.

He claimed thru his research he knew where gold was on Magnetic Island, but it was'nt legal for us to be there (In hindsight it was probably in the National Park) and he wanted me to accompany him in his Tinny  with our detectors to go prospecting there. (The sea trip, approx 8Km of open water in an open boat, with a bloke I had just met and outboard motor of unknown capability).

I was still working and had our FNQ ( Far North Queensland)Travels planned out, so declined his invite. What started out as a detecting episode ended up in a long coffee break, sharing detecting experiences with him.

Sorry I did not take more interest in the potential detecting site, I wish you all the best in your research and detecting.

Peter

 

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Peter, thanks for sharing this story and your encouragement.. three of the 8 sites are in the National Park, although i'm not sure about the 2 on Butler's Creek which might now be included since National Parks expanded their boundary on the island.. i'm friends with the rangers and am sure they won't mind me having a looksee.. your mate sounds like the man to know.. don't suppose he told you exactly where the gold was 😁..

 

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Erik, I am pretty sure he visited the location, as he all but guaranteed me finding gold, but that could be just to get my motivation up, we did not discuss the location, eg Dry Blow Heaps, Shedding downhill from a reef etc as I was more wary of the boat trip, the location may also have been on the East side of the Island ie a longer boat trip.

 

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Peter, that could the site at Hawkings Point (see the map above) although it would have been different there 30 years ago with no houses on the headland or a backpackers a few beaches down.. i only think it could be this site because you can land a tinny there, having done so a few times myself.. thanks again for your advice.. 

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  • 1 month later...

The first picture is at the old goldmine site at Hawkings Point.. Geof's awesome info puts it right where the creek flows onto the beach.. had another look this morning but no luck yet.. am sure that'll all change when the Equinox 600 arrives next year.. in the meantime, am keeping an eye out for 'fine gold' in quartz veins which has been reported for this site..

I did find a lead 'nugget' which send my heart racing when i dug it up.. the Chinese GBP indicated that i'd found the largest nugget i'd ever hope to find! the second picture shows a bit better what i mean.. i'm guessing its from a lump of lead thrown into a camp fire..    

Hawkings Point - Goldmine site.jpg

Lead nugget.jpg

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Glad to see the way-points were helpful. Your "lead nugget" to me looks like lead or tin that was melted while not buried in a campfire or bush-fire. I got a tin one of a 1Kg wieght it was most likely from a Tea Chest that was burn't. Now a days they use Alum. foil, which is light weight in comparison to Tin. Well lets hope fortune come quick in your Quest.    

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  • 2 weeks later...

'The Dot' along Ned Lee's Creek

In my research on Magnetic Island’s gold diggings I found this little gold nugget:

“Up in the hills along Ned Lee’s Creek is an abandoned goldmine known as ‘The Dot’. Doctor Sparks, one of Townsville’s earliest medical men, followed up a ‘good tip’ from an informer and invested a lot of money there in hopeful anticipation of making a fortune for himself and his young wife Dorothy. He named the mine after her, but all they got were lumps of quartz. Harry Butler (the Island’s first white settler in 1877-1920s), speaking to Jessie Macqueen about it years later, said “Oh yes, there is gold on the Island, but not there”. In reply to her further eager inquiries he only smiled quizzically. Not for him, anymore gold seekers despoiling his island”.

This is from a book called ‘Discovering Magnetic Island: A history and description of Magnetic Island’. By James G. Porter 

From the lat/long coordinates that Geof provided ‘The Dot’ is not along Ned Lee’s Creek, rather it’s further along the coast towards West Point.. Geof’s info tallies with that old article mentioning gold in quartz veins a ‘stone’s throw from the sea’.. From what I can gather, Butler had his own mines in mind, these are situated along a creek which is now named after him (Butler’s Creek) and at Hawkings Point..   

On 11/16/2019 at 9:54 PM, geof_junk said:

Hope this gets you started

 

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