Where Do You Go In Australia?

[geof_junk]

We believe you Gerry, but others may not.  😇

[Steve Herschbach]

On 9/4/2023 at 4:09 PM, Gerry in Idaho said:

Honestly, I don't think I'll go back.  For the cost to be there with transportation, gear, food etc for a month, I think the majority of American detectorists will be disappointed with the gold they return home with.

If you are going over there to hunt for gold nuggets only, I feel it's not worth the trip.  So much of the land there has been claimed and off limits.  The best land has been flogged to death and most of the gold being recovered is smaller bits.  If you have an inside source/person to get you on great land, even then, it's tough swinging.

Now, if you are going over there as a Bucket List and want to enjoy Australia for the many things it has to offer (culture, beaches, wildlife, big cities, history, visiting Perth Mint, and maybe finding a piece of Aussie gold or opal, then do it and don't look back.  It's a beautiful place with lovely people….

Agreed. Great place to vacation and maybe find a few bits, but the glory days are well past for visitors having a chance at serious gold. The truth is there were far more serious full time detectorists in Oz than there ever were in the states and they did their job all too well. There are good finds left for the dedicated Australian prospectors but the odds for visitors are quite poor. I enjoyed my trips to Australia but I don’t see myself ever going back.

[phrunt]

If I thought it was vaible I'd be there in a heartbeat, seeing I'm next door, already have a vehicle there and my wife goes a couple of times a year to visit family and I stay home as I left the place for a reason, can't stand the heat 🙂 and love my snow.   For a shortish trip with little local knowledge, I can't see it being viable without some local help.  I do regret not even knowing the detecting for gold hobby existed when I lived there, a large part of the 32 years I was there were wasted years I could have been out swinging during the glory days.  I'll give it a go at some point but it's more than likely for the adventure than a successful gold trip, my expectations will be low.

Now, beach detecting I can see very viable, some of the QLD and NSW beaches are so packed with people there is bound to be good finds, and with such a beach culture chances a pretty high of some good finds, it's a shame the younger crowd don't tend to wear real jewellery these days as much so the bulk of the finds would likely be junkers.  I think I'd end up enjoying looking for jewellery on an Australian trip more so than gold which is why I've prepared myself with a pulse dive and waterproof detector/headphones ready for a pending future trip.  At least the water keeps me away from the heat. somewhat 🙂

 

[Norvic]

On 9/5/2023 at 9:09 AM, Gerry in Idaho said:

Honestly, I don't think I'll go back.

Those Tassels are calling see ya soon Gerry........... he`ll be back Joe D

[blackjack]

On 9/8/2023 at 5:51 AM, phrunt said:

If I thought it was vaible I'd be there in a heartbeat, seeing I'm next door, already have a vehicle there and my wife goes a couple of times a year to visit family and I stay home as I left the place for a reason, can't stand the heat 🙂 and love my snow.   For a shortish trip with little local knowledge, I can't see it being viable without some local help.  I do regret not even knowing the detecting for gold hobby existed when I lived there, a large part of the 32 years I was there were wasted years I could have been out swinging during the glory days.  I'll give it a go at some point but it's more than likely for the adventure than a successful gold trip, my expectations will be low.

Now, beach detecting I can see very viable, some of the QLD and NSW beaches are so packed with people there is bound to be good finds, and with such a beach culture chances a pretty high of some good finds, it's a shame the younger crowd don't tend to wear real jewellery these days as much so the bulk of the finds would likely be junkers.  I think I'd end up enjoying looking for jewellery on an Australian trip more so than gold which is why I've prepared myself with a pulse dive and waterproof detector/headphones ready for a pending future trip.  At least the water keeps me away from the heat. somewhat 🙂

 

This may be under the heading of too much 'information' but way back in the 70's and 80's I did enjoy a day at the beach. In particular 'free beaches'. Back in the good old days even at normal beaches, going topless for the ladies didn't even raise an eyebrow, but back to my point, the one feature that stood out [no it's not what you're thinking, that's just the way your mind works ] at 'free beaches' was the amount of jewellery that was worn, by both men and women. The only thing that was frowned upon was having a camera, I'm guessing that in high summer a metal detector would draw a similar response so winter would be the best time, you'll get the beach to yourself. I still can't get the image of Erik Oostra detecting in his thongs out of my mind.