Matrix Reef Historical Area

[jrbeatty]

Karelian: 

It's sad to see the white mullock heaps nearly all pushed. Only a few years back that area was just as the old Diggers had left it -  ? 

[karelian]

Lots of Government inconsistency, some areas well protected on historical grounds whilst others of even more significance are ignored. Reason and logic do not always hold sway when making these decisions. I believe our goldfields deserve to be better protected and in doing so it is fully consistent with the best interests of this hobby, electronic prospecting. Many of these areas are marginal farming properties, great for detecting though. Love to see some of these marginal properties purchased for recreational prospecting.  Happily pay a few dollars more for a Miners Right if I knew the extra went to opening up more land whilst protecting the mining landscape and history.

[egixe4]

Remember what Inkerman looked like in the 1980's James?

German Gully and the old lead Dunolly look amazing on Google Earth.

 

 

[geof_junk]

A lot of historical sites have been ruin by illegal machinery operations ( and some legal ones too), that make the chicken scratching's made by all the manual detector operators as hardly detectible.    

[jrbeatty]

2 hours ago, egixe4 said:

Remember what Inkerman looked like in the 1980's James?

German Gully and the old lead Dunolly look amazing on Google Earth.

 

 

egixe4:

I suppose there's little point in getting sentimental about old diggers holes, but I do. My late detecting buddy Jim Stewart used to describe them as "gazing upon the pock marked familiar face of a dear old friend"

A farmer friend asked me recently if I would be willing to detect Mosquito Gully, Waanyarra if he pushed it. This is one of my very favourite detecting places - found good gold there over the years in that paddock (including a lovely 4 oz specimen) I did my best to talk him out of it, heritage, etc. Not sure if it will survive much longer though -

[egixe4]

Yeah, have to agree James, I also miss some of the spots that have now been levelled, with little or no evidence remaining, of the blood, sweat, tears and in some cases the immense riches and joy experienced by the pioneers, that built the foundations of this country.

Jim Stewarts description is a good one, and some of those pock marked faces should be preserved.

I’ve also pulled some good bits from the Waanyarra area.

 

And Like Geof said above

“A lot of historical sites have been ruin by illegal machinery operations ( and some legal ones too), that make the chicken scratching's made by all the manual detector operators as hardly detectible”

[jrbeatty]

3 hours ago, egixe4 said:

- And Like Geof said above

“A lot of historical sites have been ruin by illegal machinery operations ( and some legal ones too), that make the chicken scratching's made by all the manual detector operators as hardly detectible”

 

Certainly puts detector holes into perspective - but we still need to refill them in order not to give our self appointed and perpetually offended moral guardians ammunition to expel us down the track - 

I'm also guilty of conducting legal "Doze and detect" operations years ago, but not over historically significant sites:

20 odd ozs from my MRC claim. Billy Goat Gully, Kingower (early 90's)

It's sad to see the historical moonscape of the Old Lead, Dunolly slowly disappear. This is possibly the best preserved and most extensive historical diggings left in Victoria. I don't deny Neville Perry and associates have a legal right to excavate it and wish them every success - but what's gone is gone forever.

Old Lead 2006:

And today:

I've wandered somewhat off your Matrix Reef topic Karelian, but the sometimes enormous nuggets that found their way down the Old lead were also formed during the emplacement of the Tarnagulla pluton to the north. This is a topic in itself.

 

 

 

[karelian]

Matrix Reef is an a small part of a larger whole, it is healthy for discussion to take a direction of it's own. Part of the learning process. There are lessons for me to learn and many posters on this site are in a position to teach.

Looking at most of the images, these areas are often referred to as 'shallow ground'. Having visited them and walked over the ground, I can say that I have learned a lot. Part of the learning process involves the meaning of 'shallow'. There is small coil shallow and then there is excavator shallow...

Despite the advances in detecting technology it would seem a good excavator can make all the difference. Yes, at a cost to the historic landscape.

[Northeast]

19 hours ago, karelian said:

There is small coil shallow and then there is excavator shallow...

Too true  ?