Gold prospecting and fossicking opportunities in Australia’s Golden Outback draw people from far and wide. To prospect in Western Australia, you require a Miner’s Right for each person in your party. This gives you authorisation to prospect on:

  • Unoccupied crown land that is not covered by a granted mining tenement.
  • A pastoral lease that is not covered by a granted mining tenement – provided prior notice is given to the pastoralist.
  • A mining tenement – providing you have permission from the tenement holder.
  • A granted exploration licence, after having been granted a three-month section 20A permit
  • It is important to note that gold prospecting and fossicking cannot be carried out in national parks, nature reserves, on Aboriginal land and heritage sites, within townsites or other classified areas such as cemeteries. You must seek permission from the landowner to enter private property, such as farmland.For more information about prospecting in Western Australia, download the 7 golden rules for prospecting flyer.  You can also visit the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety website, or call (08) 9222 3333.
  • Examples of primary deposits include those mined at Kalgoorlie in the Super Pit, Granny Smith, St Ives, Norseman and Mount Magnet (WA), Gympie and Ravenswood (Qld), Callie (NT), Stawell (Vic), Cadia (NSW), Henty (Tas) and Challenger (SA). At Olympic Dam (SA) gold occurs and is mined with copper and uranium. Secondary deposits are no longer major sources of gold in Australia

Gold usually occurs in its metallic state, commonly associated with sulphide minerals such as pyrite, but it does not form a separate sulphide mineral itself. The only economically important occurrence of gold in chemical combination is with tellurium as telluride minerals.

The Mining Act defines fossicking to be the gathering of minerals as a recreation and without the intention to sell the minerals or to utilise them for any commercial or industrial purpose. Fossicking does not include the gathering of minerals by any means involving disturbance of land or water by machinery or explosives.

The requirements with regard to fossicking are different in each state.

Contact the relevant department in each state before you fossick to ensure you are aware of the requirements.

Permission to fossick

Authorisation to enter onto a property must be obtained from the landowner prior to entry to fossick.

Established fossicking areas

Fossicking areas have been established on part of the Echunga and Gumeracha Goldfields near Adelaide.

Euchunga goldfields

Fossicking is permitted on the Chapel Hill (Old Echunga) and Jupiter Creek diggings near Echunga – these diggings are located on Historic Reserves controlled by the Government of South Australia’s Department for Energy and Mining.

Gumeracha goldfields

Permits for fossicking at the Watts Gully Diggings in the Mount Crawford Forest Reserve must be purchased online before fossicking in that area.

Purchase an annual (valid for 12 months from date of purchase) or daily permit via the ForestrySA website. Note that hard copy permits are no longer availalbe from the Mount Crawford Forest Information Centre, and fossickers are no longer required to display their permit.

No fossicking allowed areas

Fossicking and prospecting are not permitted within National Parks, Conservation Parks and Forest Reserves.

You may not enter areas held under current mineral claims, mineral or extractive minerals leases, retention leases, miscellaneous purposes licences or private mines to prospect or fossick unless you have obtained prior approval from the holder. Although such activities are permissible on exploration licences, it is not possible to peg a mineral claim without approval of the licensee.

Information on mining tenure and legislation can be obtained from:

Mineral Tenements Program
Phone: +61 8 8463 3103
Email[email protected]

Fossicking equipment

Basic fossicking equipment includes geological and topographic maps, a geological hammer, pick, shovel, sieve, gold pan, and magnifying glass. More sophisticated equipment may include a metal detector, manual cradle rocker or sluice box.

Gold Discoveries of the Northern Territory

(1) The northwest-trending belt between Darwin and Katherine, or the central part of the Pine Creek Orogen.

(2) The Dead Bullock Formation in the Tanami Region and its similar and correlative geologic features in the eastern Arunta Region.

(3) The east-trending belt, which consists the Warramunga Formation in the central Tennant Inlier.

GOLD DISCOVERIES AND LOCATIONS IN THE MOUNT LOFTY RANGES (ADELAIDE HILLS)

GOLD DISCOVERIES IN THE NACKARA ARC AREA

GOLD DISCOVERIES IN THE TARCOOLA-GLENLOTH AREA

GOLD OCCURRENCES IN SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

BIGGENDEN AREA
• Gebangle Gold Reefs
• Mount Shamrock Goldfield
• Paradise Goldfield
• Stanton Harcourt Goldfield
• Young Australian Gold Mine

BRISBANE AREA
• Bank’s Creek
• Brookfield-Enoggera Area
• Bunkers Hill, Ravensbourne (Near Toowoomba)
• Camp Mountain (near Samford)
• Pimpama Creek
• Minor gold deposits also occurred in Ormeau and Beenleigh in the Neranleigh-Fernvale Beds.

CORDALBA AREA
• Bull Ant Mine
• Mount Ideal Mine
• Wild Irishman Mine

EIDSVOLD AREA
• Cracow Goldfield
• Eidsvold Goldfield

GAYNDAH AREA
• Scotland Hills

GYMPIE AREA
• Glastonbury Goldfield
• Gympie Goldfield

KILKIVAN AREA
• Kilkivan Goldfield
• Tansey Gold Mine

MARODIAN AREA
• Mount Scougall Mines
• Munna Mine
• XYZ Mine
• Yorkey’s Goldfield

MARYBOROUGH & UPPER BURNETT AREA
• Boondooma Area, Proston

MONTO AREA
• Cania & Kroombit Goldfields

MOUNT PERRY AREA
• Mount Perry
• Perry Goldfield
• Reid’s Creek Goldfield
• Swindon Lease

MUNDUBBERRA AREA
• Hungry Hill-McKonkey Creek-Coonambula Areas
• St. Johns Creek

NANANGO AREA
• Benarkin Area
• Blackbutt Area
• Manumbar Area
• Milford Rocks
• Monsildale
• Nanango Goldfield
• Scrub Paddock Diggings
• Seven Mile Diggings
• Taromeo Creek

STANTHORPE AREA
• Pikedale Goldfield
• Waroo Gold and Copper Mine

SUNSHINE COAST AREA
• North Arm Gold Deposits
• Jimna Goldfield (also known as the Yabba Goldfield)
• Many other gold occurrences were recorded near Woondum; Kin Kin area; Traveston; Yabba Creek; Casey’s Gully, Breakneck Creek and Brown’s Gully, all in Imbil; and, between Walli and Chinaman’s Creeks, State Forest Reserve 736, and at the Booloumba, Kidaman, Peter and Bundaroo Creeks, all around the vicinity of Kenilworth.

WARWICK AREA
• Canal Creek Goldfield
• Leyburn Goldfield
• Lucky Valley Goldfield
• Palgrave Goldfield
• Talgai Goldfield (formerly Darkie’s Flat)
• Thanes Creek Goldfield.

GOLD OCCURRENCES IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

AYR AREA
• Burdekin River
• Mount Wyatt Goldfield
• Reid River
• Star River Goldfield
• Ukalunda Goldfield

BOWEN AREA
• Marengo Goldfield
• Mount Hector Area
• Normanby Goldfield
• Isolated gold occurrences existed in Armistice Prospect, northwest of Mount Dangar; Welcome Reef, south of Bootooloo Siding; south-southeast near Mount Gordon; Pharlap Gold Prospect, near the junction of Spring Creek and the Don River, south-southeast of Pretty Bend Homestead; and, at Rutherford’s Table, southeast of Ukalunda.

CLERMONT GOLDFIELD
• Fletcher’s Awl
• Peak Downs Copper Lode
• McDonald’s Flat in the south to Hurley’s Lead in the north (Black Ridge, The Springs, Miclere, and Apsley)

COLLINSVILLE AREA
• Mount Poole Mine (Lizzie Creek Volcanics)

EMERALD AREA
• Basalt Hill
• Mount Clifford

GLADSTONE AREA
• Barmundoo Goldfield
• Bell Booth Mine
• Busy Bee Gold Prospect
• Cherry Bell Gold Prospect
• Gaeta Goldfield
• Garson’s Gold Mine
• Gladstone / Calliope Goldfield and surrounding areas
• Glassford Creek Mining Field
• Jackass Mine
• Langmorn Goldfield
• Many Peaks Mine
• Milton (Norton) Goldfield
• Monal Goldfield
• Mount Bania Gold Prospect
• Mount Cannindah Mineral Field
• Mount Jacob (Bompa) Gold Mines
• Mount Rainbow Goldfield
• Tararan Gold Prospect

MACKAY AREA
• Eungella
• Mount Coolon
• Mount Spencer
• Vicinities near Sunnyside and Sarina, and Mount Britton in the Nebo Fields.

PROSERPINE AREA
• Dittmer Mine in Kelsey Creek
• Duffer Mine in Dittmer
• Golden Hill Mine
• Happy Valley area
• Silver Wattle Claim

ROCKHAMPTON AREA
• Canoona Goldfield
• Cawarral
• Gavial Creek
• Hunter’s Gully
• Morinish Goldfield
• Mount Cassidy
• Mount Chalmers
• Mount Morgan
• Mount Usher
• New Zealand Gully
• Ridgelands Goldfield
• Rosewood Goldfield
• Stanwell Goldfield
• Struck Oil & Dee River
• Torilla District
• Ulam Goldfield
• Other gold deposits were found at Yatton near Croydon Homestead and at the Camila Beds in the Salt Hill area.

GOLD OCCURRENCES IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

CAIRNS AREA
• Clohesy River
• Kamerunga
• White Rock and its southwesterly hills

CAPE MELVILLE / COOKTOWN AREA (STARCKE GOLDFIELD)
• Starcke No. 1 and No. 2 Goldfields
• Alice River (Philp) Goldfield
• Other gold locations have been mined at the headwaters of the Jack River

CAPE WEYMOUTH AREA
• Claudie River Gold & Mineral Field

CAPE YORK PENINSULA
• Igneous and metamorphic rocks of Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait.

CHARTERS TOWERS
• Mount Leyshon
• Lucky Creek Goldfield

CLONCURRY AREA
• May Downs
• Duchess Area
• Urandangi Area

COEN AREA
• Blue Mountains area
• Coen Gold and Mineral Field
• Hayes Creek Provisional Mining Field
• Klondyke
• Lochinvar Mining Field
• Rocky River Gold and Mineral Field
• Wenlock Gold and Mineral Field
• Further gold occurrence was discovered at Six Mile Creek and in the Annan River tin field, where gold is a byproduct from tin washings.

CROYDON AREA
• Esmeralda Gold Mining Center

EBAGOOLA AREA / HAMILTON MINING FIELD
• Ebagoola
• Yarraden

EINASLEIGH AREA
• Kidston or The Oaks Goldfield
• Balcooma Creek

ETHERIDGE / FORSAYTH / GEORGETOWN GOLDFIELDS
• Cumberland
• Donnyville
• Durham
• Lighthouse
• Percyville Field
• The Forsayth Goldfield is the southern portion of the Etheridge Goldfield is Forsayth, which included portions of Percyville, Mount Hogan, Mount Moran and Gilberton gold lodes.

GlLBERTON AREA
• Woolgar Goldfield
• Percyville Goldfield

HANN RIVER AND MOSSMAN AREAS
• Hodgkinson and Laura River Basins
• Herberton Gold and Mineral Field

HUGHENDEN AND PENTLAND AREAS
• Brilliant Brumby Project
• Lolworth Diggings
• Lower Cape Area
• Mount Clearview
• Mount Davenport
• Mount Emu Plains
• Mount Remarkable
• Mount Stewart Area
• Upper Cape Area

INGHAM AREA
• Black Cow Creek
• Broadwater Creek
• Mount Fox
• Rocky Creek
• Smoko Creek
• Yamanie Creek

INNISFAIL AREA
• Bartle Frere Workings
• Christmas Creek
• Culpa Creek
• Jordan Creek Goldfield
• Mount Mascotte
• Mount Peter Goldfield
• Mulgrave Goldfield
• Potallah Creek Provisional Mining Field
• Russell Goldfield
• Russell River
• Sandy Creek
• Tinaroo Workings

MAREEBA AND ATHERTON AREAS
• Fluorspar Locality
• Mareeba Gold and Mineral Field
• Mount Wandoo
• Other gold occurrences
• Tate Goldfield

PALMER RIVER GOLD & MINERAL FIELD
• Palmer River Goldfield
• Maytown gold reefs
• Hodgkinson Goldfield
• Other gold deposits have been found in the alluvial beds of the St. George River and several streams that drain eastwards from the Dividing Range.

RAVENSWOOD
• Sandy Creek
• Mount Wright
• Other gold occurrences have been located at the Old Homestead Diggings, situated within the Mount Pleasant Goldfield (also referred to as the Toomba Goldfield). Also in the Cape River Beds and Mount Windsor areas; New Homestead diggings southeast of Thalanga Siding; Liontown; Highway Mine; and several shallow workings between Brittania Homestead and the Gregory Developmental Road.

TORRES STRAIT AREA
• Possession Island
• Horn, Hammond and Thursday Islands

GOLD LOCATIONS IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Bell’s Point – Diggings in the area were situated along the Bell River and a number of its tributaries.

Braidwood – Mining in the area occurred in St. Vincent County, 16 miles from Braidwood Town. The principal mines were located at the Araluen Creek, a tributary of the Deua River..

Bungonia or Shoalhaven – Both localities in the southeastern coastal region of Goulburn Mulwaree hosted gold mines dotting the vicinity of the Shoalhaven River, in Argyle County.

Carraway Hut Cattle Station -Located in the vicinity of Lake George in Murray County, Flat and Black Swamps were sparsely mined, but both appeared productive.

Hanging Rock – Diggings in the area were developed towards a small creek that flows into Dungowan Creek, a tributary of the Peel River, below the craggy portion of the Liverpool Range, known as the Hanging Rock.

Louisa Creek – Nestled on a tableland 30 miles from Mudgee, Louisa Creek

Major’s Creek – Located in the vicinity of the Shoalhaven River

Monaro – Recent diggings are highly promising and generative. They are located along the Snowy River, and some of its tributaries.

Meroo or World’s End – Gold diggings were located on the Meroo Creek, south of Mudgee. They were found in alluvial deposits lying on beds of greasy and yellow-colored clay.

Mookerra – As a tributary of the Macquarie River, in Wellington County, the auriferous creek is productive. But it is regularly dry, which necessitates diggers to cart ores for long distances to obtain water to wash out the gold.

Moruya – Area diggings were located on the banks of the Moruya River, which stretches along the western boundary of St. Vincent’s County.

Oakey Creek – The creek banks in the Liverpool Plains’ district are gold bearing.

Ophir – The celebrated area comprises the gold diggings at Lewis Ponds, Summer Hill Creek, and Frederick’s Valley in Bathurst County. The region owned the richest goldfields in the colony.

Parshish – Gold diggings were in the vicinity of the Abercrombie River, nearly 50 miles to the south of Bathurst.

Tuena – Mining operations in the area existed 60 miles from Goulburn

Turon – The area is currently the principal goldfield in the state. The Turon River itself, which rises near Hartley at a place called Golden Point, receives several auriferous tributary creeks such as, Little Oakey and Cunningham’s Creeks, and flows through Roxburgh and Wellington Counties, and ends up into the Macquarie.

Other notable gold locations in New South Wales were found at the following locations:

• Peel River; Bingara; Uralla & Rocky River; Timbarra; Toomloom; Ironbark, Solferino, Boorook, Little River, Cangai, Nymboi & Chambigne; Bingera; Puddlelock; Cameron’s Creek; Spring Mount; Upper Hunt River;Barrington; Gloucester; Tia River; Nowendoc; Bingera; Yulgilbah; Bora Creek; Orara; Torryburn; and Hillgrove at the Guyra River.

Needless to say, there are an abundance of places to find gold in New South Wales.

 

GOLD NUGGET DISCOVERIES OF NEW SOUTH WALES

 

Besides being renowned of owning the honor as the first state where gold was discovered in Australia, New South Wales also holds the claim of producing the largest mass of gold that was ever recovered and countless other remarkable large nuggets. The humongous nugget was the Holtermann Nugget, which was found in Hill End in 1872. It weighed 630 lbs or 93.2 kg and netted an estimated 3,000 ounces of gold.

Another notable nugget found at Hill End was the “Rita’s Dream Nugget”, found in 1979 and weighed 37 ounces. The second largest nugget, named “Kerr’s Hundredweight”, weighed 300 ounces and was found at Big Nugget Hill in Hargraves in 1851.

The third largest was the “Brenan Nugget”, weighed at 1,364 ounces. It was recovered in Meroo Creek, which is a tributary of the Turon River. Also along Turon River, the “King of the Waterworn” nugget was found in the following year. Its official weight was at 157 ounces.

The “Fathers’ Day Nugget” was a specimen with an overall weight of 199 ounces and a net weight of gold at 168 ounces. It was retrieved at Ophir in 1979 and became the fourth largest nugget found in the state.

GOLD DISCOVERY IN VICTORIA

• Ballarat
• Beechworth
• Bendigo – Blackwood
• Bethanga
• Castlemaine
• Dargo
• Dunolly – Bealiba
• Inglewood – Kingower
• Lauriston – Taradale
• Maryborough
• Moliagul
• Possum Hill – Llanelly
• Pyrenees
• Rheola – Whela
• Stawell – Ararat
• Steiglitz – Maldon
• Warrandyte – Rushworth
• Walhalla – Gaffney’s Creek
• Wedderburn – Girabaldi