Norvic

Nuggets on the way via Cobb & Co.

Got you, and many thanks for explaining. I very rarely run across a detector operator in my area. It was given up as non productive by most years back.(the easy gold was got) Except for the Goldhounds, whilst I have never run across them in the field, they are, I presume, doing the same as I, except on a bigger scale, I presume this from their vids. NQ is a massive prospective area, but it takes a lot of hard slog, persistence and I just envy their youth. Certainly I don`t begrudge their finds, they have used the GPS as a important tool as you and I do, and they embrace new detecting tech with enthusiasm. I guess to sum it up OZ has not had the population effects the US has, and snow, well that is foreign to me. Hopefully Steves insights into the use of the GPS on the GPZ will influence others to explore out further. With an up to date GPS & todays standards on the GPZ, rather than the 20 year old features it has, so much more could be realised.

I`ll have to take a photo next time I`m in that area, the ground just makes you drool, but that was it and I`m fairly sure it had not been visited by a detector before me, probably none since even. Wolfram, Molybdenite and Bismuth country.

Do you folks get away from known workings? Looking at the distribution map of gold in the US, Steve posted a few days back, you seem to have a lot of country that appears to have a chance, like ours the gold coloured areas are only generalised. I have not been to the US so my question may be a dumb question. But I do know most of my good finds over the years have been miles from mines or workings, in what I call fringe country, many days even weeks go without a find, even with very few ferrous signals. This is why I rely so much on GPS tracking and mapping. But I`m talking of areas that have seen few people, perhaps with your population that is just not possible. I think unless you visit OZ gold producing areas with a guide, chances are slim until you get to know the area. I know it was a shock, when I ventured to Victoria, NSW, NT and WA, totally different approach for each State. Would love to see a thread that elaborates a little on this from US folks that have chased the yellow in OZ.

From a few years back, got this piece in an area littered with ironstone-quartz on surface. But despite extensive search nothing more, came in a little over 8 ozs, about 2 inches deep could have got with a Tandy Special.

Boy that looks deep and solid, you beauty, lovely piece. How about the story? Been tracking you its not from OZ or is it?

Gotta agree make sure they don`t take any of that heart of gold.

7 double O 5 gold, you beauty.

Klunker, the cat`d give my nervous Kelpie a hiding, that`s if it could catch her. Goes faster than a greyhound. Yeah Strick, know what you mean, we spoil ours rotten. Tis a dogs life.

Get that heart up to scratch to match the 7005. All the best from downunder Paul.

Blimey, another lout that gives their dog diabetes.

Bloody hell, John, I thought I was way ahead and sure to be the winner of "the one who carks it with the most toys". I`ll have to do some serious sucking up to the Treasurer.

Lucky tis not giving 40% better depth or it`d be knocking the GPZ off its perch. Good to see new coil technology doing this sort of thing.

Nah, he`s the one with the camera, he`s no doubt spreading it around. Whippersnappers love putting their old fellas down.

Whoops either conx or I had a senior moment.

Back almost 30 years, was out on day trip with my young fellow (6 or 7 years old) having lunch at vehicle when I noticed he fed his half eaten sandwich to our family dog (habit he`d been caught at the kitchen table on a few occasions) So I gave him a clip under the ear and read the riot act to him. He walked off with the huffs, along a recently pushed haul road the local alluvial miner had pushed. Came back 10 minutes later with the above 43 grammer, he`d eyeballed sunbaking on the haul road. Well what could I say, here`s this young fellow just out of nappies, a 43grammer in his hand, me with latest detector and bugger all. He did it to me again with the GPZ couple of days ago, but I`m not going to tell that embarrassing story, too much pride, plus I`ve the sulks.

I am methodically visiting all past one piece patches of the past, some success two broken down reefs so far, only numerous small pieces but financially viable, that were beyond the GPZs forerunners. But I believe a method of sniffing out further one piece patches is just a matter of changing tactics to make them financially viable, seems they don`t shed into the creek systems, thus are geologically more recent. The quartz they are associated with is not the buck white quartz that litters our ridges but amongst those are the more ironstone enriched small leaders. They seem to run at 90 deg to the main fault lines and produce at the intersections, they are not mapped except on old sketch maps from the late 1800s govt geologists. The indicator to these are so far eluding me, to narrow down the time required to find. Gold being the best indicator to further finds has been the main indicator of past, but these one piece patches must be found without having to scan all quartz littered areas completely, must be a answer to this challenge.

A local xter believes he has out of body experiences and tracks me whenever he wants, not sure whether its his out of body experiences or his tracking ability that's the biggest concern but do know the shotguns proved not effective. Pellets go right through, no blood.

Bugger I`ve been sprung.

Yeah, gotcha Fred, might just do that, need a change from our barbwire beer.

Doug was probably referring to the WA & NT working gold fields, one piece patches seem fairly norm in NQ away from gold working areas, the one piece patches in WA seemed to be just pieces left by other operators. I find NQ and WA gold prospecting is like chalk and cheese when it comes to prospecting attack methods, indicators, terrain etc. Challenges are somewhat different but same lovely yellow stuff and pain of course. The GPZ should come with a complementary excavator.

On private land is permission becoming more difficult with time? in NQ OZ we are having some of our land being purchased by international tourist interests and environment agencies that do not welcome locals even if prepared to pay for the right, whereas a fair few of our cattle station owners are welcoming us with a fee for that right. Also do you folks require a mining right or as in QLD Oz a fossicking right with annual payment? Seems as prospecting gains popularity, more and more restrictions are the go.

Working in a new area away from gold workings. Got one subgrammer after doing, probably 50 hours in small creeks, enough to wet the interest slightly, so resorted to detecting the gentle slopes that were strewn with rough quartz. Two more subgrammers than a 6.67 grammer ( all smooth but no smooth wash thus elluvial) but the three pieces separated by 1/2 k or so on different slopes but in a line at approx 90 deg to the mapped fault line. Encouraging stuff but very frustrating, time shows that only a small % of these finds turn into anything more than diesel returns, guess its the lure that drives us in this crazy hair pulling passion. One big positive in those hours only 2 other signals, one disappointing signal that was 99.9% "sure" to be gold till at a metre or so depth a bloody horseshoe not the 10 ozer of expectations.

Hell, I think you`ve answered a lot of my query about accessibility of gold areas in your posts.

The map shows you folks have the lions share of gold occurrences in area. How much of that area is accessible, not just by vehicle but legally?