2017 In Oz, A Short Story DD

[DDancer]

This year, 2018, I'm working thru the year to pay up on last years not so great stab at a golden prospects in Australia last year, 2017.  It was a great trip, always is, but a lot of little factors kept me gold poor *which I use to pay for food, fuel and amenities* so I leaned on the credit card a little to hard.  Hahh!  No one ever said I'd get rich but ehh~ One can dream by the camp fire.~~  Another driving factor for this post is that my email does not like to send pictures so this is for you all who have asked "Where are the pictures?" when I tried to send them.

Well that aside Its Always A Good Go down under.  I stayed mostly in the region of Kalgoorie last year, hard hunted land that, so I could be of help and hang around with my mates in Coolgardie while they fixed up a new caravan and ute.  The gold was small and hard to come by but I still got a few ounces in littles from the EL's I applied for, and yes sent the reports in for, but in all here are a few good days on the scales :

And here are what most days went like.  I only had a few days streaches during the weeks out bush where I caught the skunk... but I entertained myself otherwise ?

I did find one small meteorite but it chose to find the hole in my pocket instead of coming home with me.  Bugger.  But while I was out and about I decided to look for another mineral I knew occured in the region were I was and took a few days driving the fence lines to find it.  Chrysoprase.  Never did find the mine that my mate pointed me towards but I did find an area that had the right indicators, what is called white and blue chrysoprase and chalcedony, and on stopping there I took a couple of days to speck around.

I was finding mostly low grade stuff, the above picture, but found one good bit with just the tip sticking out like an iceberg:

Among other interesting rocks like this one, semi-crystalline quartz with some nice shiny bubbly limonite and from another area of flats a fulgerite, solidified lightning strike:

So my rock hounding itch was scratched ?

Now camp is always a treat in the mornings and evenings but I also mentioned I kept myself entertained on days when I was not finding much.  Aside from just enjoying nature and walking Kays getting no where on the gold a few days of yabbie fishing made for a great reliefe after catching the skunk.  I visited various dams nearby and treated myself to a Yabbie feast on many evenings.

So all in all a great time, good eats and nice finds.  If you want to go my suggestion is : Make a Plan and stick to it.   You wont be dissapointed.  There were a great many other things that occured but like I said, a short story.

Regards and go live the dream.  Next year who knows..... I'm thinking opal or sapphires myself with a little gold and yabbie.

Thanks for reading,

DD

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi DDancer... many thanks for this highly descriptive and interesting insight into your trip to the Kalgoorlie area.  Excellent illustrative photos, and appreciate your expertise with the rocks and minerals. You managed to find some gold, and you certainly dined like a King!!! Doesn't get much better than that IMO, thanks for sharing it with us. 

Jim.

 

[fredmason]

Thanks, DD;

Me and many others are sorry  we were not there to help clean up those little ones...it would have been fun to be in OZ.

great pics

fred

 

[strick]

Great photos and thanks for sharing...looks like you are living the dream. keep posting so we can keep dreaming.

strick

[DDancer]

Fred as hard as I hunted I dont think anyone would have cleaned up better ?  I did leave some behind however so they are there for the taking.  The region around Kal is pretty well flogged however with a dozer and permit to push there's still plenty about.  I walked onto many old and new pushes and drove by several active ones.  Even had a few chats with the local miners who stopped by to see what I was about.  Good folks as long as your doing it right and legal.  Lots of stories to like the one about the dog grave near one of my camps to be heard from them too.

[beatup]

Great story and photos,thanks for sharing .

[Reg Wilson]

There's no doubt that there is something special about the wilds of Ozz, but the days of finding easy gold here are gone. Sure there is still good gold to be found, but unless you are prepared to outlay big money on a lease or claim, and have the know how to put the pegs in the right area, you may be in for a generous helping of disappointment. I have met a number of folk from the USA who have come here with the idea that they will pay for their holiday and take some gold home. Well, twenty years ago that may have been a possibility, but these days......

 The detector shops and the manufacturers would have you believe that the gold is just everywhere, waiting for you to come along and pick it up. So do the gold tour operators. Metal detectors these days have evolved to find smaller and smaller gold. This may be great for the hobbyist who likes to go hope with a few specks, but those few specks don't cover your costs, if that is what you are hoping for.

 By all means come to Ozz for an unforgettable experience, but unless you have contacts to get you on good ground, or you hit a real long shot, the reality is that you will be very lucky to find much at all.

[fredmason]

Reality; for those that can't stand drugs...a t-shirt quote my kids gave me long ago.

You are quite correct Reg. The easy gold was hard to find in 2000, 2003 and 2010 and is more scarce now. I went three times, twice with Doug Stone and once with Mark Hyde, with a side trip to visit Doug.

I never went expecting to get rich or even pay all my expenses. Nonetheless, I would do it one more time if health issues get out of my way...because I love OZ!

fred