Erik Oostra

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..

Phrunt, i didn't want to mention it before but that bay is my home bay (Alma Bay in Arcadia).. i live on the headland you took the picture from..

Phrunt, i've taken your invaluable advice and bought myself a Equinox 600 for xmas.. i got it off ebay for $650 together with a set of 4 gold pans and sieves.. i know this probably sends shivers down your spine but i don't think its a fake.. the seller is a bloke called Stuart from Sydney.. He says: Good condition Minelab Equinox 600 used twice and gold panning kit unused, both will come boxed, don't have the time to use them, feel free to make offers

thankfully i can't even imagine saying this.. but next time a cranky tourist gets abusive, i'll be sure to ask him if he's got a gun.. if he does i'll stop arguing and leg it as fast as i can..

mn90403, it thankfully hasn't come to that yet.. my only 'competitor' on the island usually sticks to his own bay and leaves all the others to me.. my main gripe with him is that he just won't fill his holes.. the first time i broached this sore point with him i told him i knew there was another coin-shooter on the beach because of the long line of deep holes he left.. he had a good laugh and said the high tide would fill them up again.. in my mind he's sorta right and wrong.. on our steep narrow beaches the high tide does refill any holes.. but what about in the meantime? like you say, he's not the only one on the beach.. anyway that's my little moan, just glad he's the only one to deal with here..

Madtuna, i thought it would've been the go to pull into the property homestead first.. even if you have a 'golden ticket' to prospect.. it's sad to think that this isn't the norm anymore..

Steve, afterwards i wanted to ask him if he'd lost some family heirloom, maybe that's why the reaction.. it was a first for me too.. mostly it's just as you say, i go very early in the morning and if i do encounter anyone they are usually just curios and happy that i've found something..

Has anyone else been harassed whilst prospecting? Whilst trying my luck at my local beach this morning I was stopped by a tourist and his family wanting to know if I’d found anything.. after I told him ‘no luck yet’ he called me ‘a bloody scab’.. I was a bit surprised at his reaction and asked him why he thought so.. instead of answering he demanded to know what I did with all the gold rings I found.. I told him I’ve never found a gold ring in my life, only coins and a shitload of beer bottle tops.. it was only when he realised I live on the island that he backed off, leaving me a bit perturbed.. Has anyone else had a similar experience? This has also left me to wonder what I really would do if I found someone’s cherished jewellery.. I guess that I’d first try to find its owner.. maybe through the cops (lost property)? Or is ‘Finders Keepers’ the first rule of the game?

The manufacturer deeply regrets to inform the global detector prospector community that the BastardXWave has been pulled off the market. Chinese industrial espionage together with dirty tactics by other manufactures to halt the development of XWave technology, has led to the last ever BastardXwave being sold to a little-known Australian company called Minelab Electronics (part of the Codan group). This company has reverse-engineered XWave technology and come up with a detector which far surpasses the BastardXWave: The Equinox 800. All they need to do now is bring back the lusty voice-assist girl and attach the Equinox to a drone; away we go!

I hope this aerial photo shows a bit better what i was trying to explain.. you can see the beaches and the hilly granite landscape..

Phrunt, this is what i've learned of the island's geology for a report i had to write for uni: The island was born 275 million years ago when volcanic forces pushed molten granite to the earth’s surface, overtime this volcanic rock shield weathered away creating a hilly landscape dominated by rounded granite domes and tors (the island’s highest point is Mount Cook, elevation 497 metres above sea-level). From my understanding the island is on the edge of a volcanic-rim system which stretches up the coast to Cairns.. The Chinese GBP's FeO readings are usually 1-2 bars on the beach.. (as you say this could be sand from the Coral Sea) but this changes dramatically once you go inland up creeks.. then it sits anywhere between 3-5 bars.. at the old goldmine sites in the hills it often goes even higher.. Thanks again for your advice..

Mada, your post has sparked an interest in the Sea Hunter.. i was also thinking about upgrading to an Eq 600 (or maybe Eq 800).. I'm also near beaches and from reading Steve's post above they derive from volcanic material or other mineralized rocks.. trouble is, i'm also near old gold diggings and i wonder what the Sea Hunter would be like for gold.. it seems a relatively cheap way to get a hold of a PI detector.. i just saw one on the dreaded ebay for A$735.. although its probably a knock-off.

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..

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 😁..

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..

This morning's haul at 'XBase' beach on Magnetic Island. The good news is Matey hasn't been there yet! No sign of unfilled holes (he's a bit wild like that).. besides a load of lead sinkers, bottle tops and fish hooks, i found $31.70 worth of coins.. I think i might be getting a better feel for the Chinese Gold Bug Pro.. as long as it keeps going like this, i'll make back what bargain price i paid for it..

Thanks a lot Geof that's awesome!

Lacky, from what i can gather nobody ever laid claim to any of these goldmines.. this part of Australia's coast was only just being settled around that time.. as far as i can tell they are only known because they produced gold..

Although the lat/long coordinates are wrong, where would you get this sort of detailed information? This is regarding the two known goldmines along Butler's Creek, named after Harry Butler who was the island's first settler (early 1870s)..

Lacky, this is what Doug has done for me.. he's got access to some mining website which tells you about old goldmine sites in Australia.. I'm not sure where these sites are on the island.. I've been trying to find them on google but no luck, maybe they are on 'pay to view our gold maps' internet pages? I've been trying to work out exactly where these places are.. all i've got to work on is the google map below with the blue flags that he send me along with dodgy lat/long coordinates.. having said that, his blue flags do match historical records and pub gossip, especially the two goldmine sites along Butler's Creek and Chinaman Creek (which i'll have a look at over the next few days).. Happy days it's a small island and the known goldmine sites are scattered all around the place..

Phrunt, this is the site mentioned in the 1886 article you posted to me previously.. it's the Bolger Bay site at the foot of Goldmine Hill (as it's known today) a 'stone's throw from the sea'.. where quartz was found 'showing fine gold freely'.. The first photo is of a rock outcrop which marks a swing in the topography on the map (see above) where i recon the old goldmine site was.. The second photo shows where a small dry creek flows into the site (the island's creeks are dry for most of the year, except for our 'wet season' - which hasn't happened for a while).. The third photo shows some of the quartz crystals i've found along this creek (none showed any fine gold, freely or otherwise)..

This is what the old goldmine site at Hawkings Point in Picnic Bay looks like.. I've swung the Chinese GBP along the dry creek and the beach it flows into.. I'm not expecting any nuggets but i'm keeping a close eye on the geology of the area to get a feel of what a gold bearing site is all about.. those 'grass balls' in the second photo are waist height.. am using a stick to lift up the bottom to sweep the CGBP underneath (a bit like one does on the beach, when you get people to lift up their legs as you as you search for coins)..

I've been having a looksee at some of Magnetic Island's known goldmine sites.. from what i've have researched so far, between the 1870s and 1920s there were 8 active goldmines on the island that produced gold (albeit all under 500 kg). I've had a look at Hawkings Point and Bolger Bay (the blue dots on the map below).. there was no evidence of any old goldmine sites.. although i didn't really expect to find anything i was still looking for anything that looked like a mount or maybe a filled in shaft (needless to say i found hundreds, as a newbie i'm seeing gold diggings everywhere).. although i've been send a map with all 8 sites by Doug on Australian Prospector, unfortunately the lat/long coordinates he's given me are way out (they put me on the mainland).. Nonetheless, I took out my Chinese Gold Bug Pro and worked out as close as i could where the sites might be.. i've only used the CGBP on the beach so far and straight away i noticed that the 'ground phase' was different, on the beach it hovers around 79 whereas at both these sites it jumped between the 80s and 90s.. also the the CGBP squawked like mad over certain rocks (they are all over both sites), these all had high 'FeO' readings.. I'm guessing these are the famous 'hot rocks' i've been reading about.. I've tried the suggestion of members on this site to bury pieces of mashed up lead in the soils i'm encountering.. also a thin gold earring.. both reading for these hover around 40 on the 'speed dial'.. as i've said i'm learning as i go along.. i'd love to be searching these sites with someone who knows what they are doing.. still, if i find anything i'll probably end up like one of those cagey old blokes who won't tell anyone where he's found his little nugget.. I'll keep posting photos in this post of what these sites look like on the ground..

Forget VLF and PI: here comes the BastardXWave! Fully utilizing the latest XWave technology the BastardXWave detector punches far deeper than any other detector ever invented in the long history of detector prospecting, both on land and sea (it’s submersible to -801 metres). With this detector there is absolutely no need to dig for anything except your favourite metals, coins, jewellery or relics. Its vastly superior XWave detecting technology ignores all crap, including bottle tops, aluminium foil, nails or lead sinkers/birdshot (and everything else you don’t want to dig). It’s as easy as flipping the dial to the ‘IGNORE ALL CRAP’ mode and the BastardXWave does the rest. In the IAC mode the user has a ‘Voice Assist’ option where a very seductive female voice suggests you dig a bit further to the left or right to hit the hot spot. Obviously, by dialling the ‘DIG ALL CRAP’ mode you’ll be digging crap all day long. Although any serious detector prospector will scoff at the DAC mode, it does keep newbies and kiddies entertained for days (if not weeks). Once you’ve flipped to the desired mode, you’ll need to tell the BastardXWave what it is you’re looking for. If you only want to find gold just push the ‘FIND GOLD YOU BASTARD’ button in the IAC mode. In the FGYB setting the BastardXWave will immediately find gold no matter how tiny or deep in the hottest ground, just wave the detector in the general direction of the area you want to search (you don’t even have to leave your car, just make sure you wind down the windows). You can rest assured that in the FGYB setting all you’ll be digging for is gold, in fact you’ll find so much of the yellow stuff that you’ll be able to pay someone else to do the digging for you. It’s the same for all other metals (such as silver, copper, lead or zinc), just hit the right button whilst in the IAC mode and become an instant billionaire! If you have the urge to find only alloys, just hit the ‘FIND ALLOYS YOU BASTARD’ button in the IAC mode and the BastardXWave will hone in on any alloy humankind and aliens have ever created. Here the ‘Voice Assist’ girl tells relic hunters whether they are digging for an ancient pewter goblet or a wrought iron spoon. In fact, the seductive voice easily identifies the age the relic was created, for example during the Victorian Age or even the Bronze or Iron Ages (if some hunter-gatherer smelted it, the BastardXWave will find it!). Besides analysing age and metal combinations, the detector also shows the condition and current market value of any relic it has spotted, this is of great value in deciding if your lackey digs or not. To find any coins of any country no matter how old just push the ‘FIND COINS YOU BASTARD’ button in the IAC mode and away you go. Just walk around any public place (parks, sporting grounds, beaches etc.) with the FCYB setting turned on and the BastardXWave will alert you to the nearest coins in the vicinity, no matter how deep or how salty or hot the ground. This handy feature means there is no need to swing the detector until it plays ‘We’re in the money’ (a very appropriate ditty by the ‘Gold Diggers'). Likewise, simply pushing the ‘FIND JEWELRY YOU BASTARD’ button does the same thing for any piece of jewellery you can think of. In the FJYB setting the detector will play George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s ‘Golden Ring’ before you need to start swinging. The BastardXWave is also extremely sensitive to diamonds and other high-value gemstones; in the ‘FIND GEMS YOU BASTARD’ setting it’ll play Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Diamonds are a girl's best friend’ as soon as it shoots your latest stone-clad crown. Finding rare earth metals (including cerium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, holmium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, scandium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium or yttrium) is also simplicity itself. Just flip the dial to IAC mode and hit the ‘FIND RARE EARTHS YOU BASTARD’ button. This will promptly find all of the rare earth metal thus far discovered (and even those that haven’t) down to extreme depths very close to the Earth’s core (some might be a bit too deep to dig). As with all the other settings, the FREYB setting can be tuned to the maximum depth you feel like digging; for example, your average detector prospector will be very happy with the 1-5 metres range whilst global mining companies use the BastardXWave to find tiny deposits of rare earth metals several kilometres deep. Likewise, finding meteorites of any size or composition is as easy as pushing the ‘FIND METEORITES YOU BASTARD’ button whilst in the IAC mode. This will instantly link the detector to satellites which beam down the latest lat/long coordinates of impact zones near you and pinpoint the nearest fragments. The BastardXWave also accurately predicts where and when the next meteorite strike will occur; another very handy feature which besides finding meteorites also allows you to take cover at just the right time. The BastardXWave’s manufacturer is currently working on ‘ERADICATE POVERTY’ and ‘STOP CLIMATE CHANGE’ settings. These awesome new settings will be available in latter models (including the BastardXWave Pro, BastardXWave Lite and BastardXWave Drone). Disclaimer: Due to deep fears of Chinese industrial espionage, the manufacturer will never release any photographs or technical information on how the BastardXWave works. None the less, you can still order one by privately contacting the manufacturer to haggle a fair price. The manufacturer will only sell the BastardXWaves on the condition that the buyer promises not to brag too much about how much money they’re making from this detector. Because the BastardXWave is so undeniably unique, the manufacturer regrets that there will be no refund after it’s been mailed to the buyer. Nor is there any form of warranty or spare parts. Just one left! Buy it now before it’s sold out!