Prospecting clubs around Perth ?

Lionel
If you can, get hold of a book named "Gold and Ghosts" - it is considered the bible for gold prospecting and even gives you maps of where to look in WA and other parts of Oz. The book is very hard to find, but worth its weight in gold if you can.

Good luck

Lionel

Like you, I dreamed of doing metal detecting for years. Finally we bought a small detector(Minelab Xterra 70) last year and have been out a few times but have only found shotgun pellets, nails and old horseshoes...lol. The missus reckons it is a serious waste of time.

Unless you are prepared to spend around $7000 and buy a Minelab 4500 detector and all the gear then it is really a hit and miss affair. And you have to go at this detecting thing as often as possible otherwise the hobby languishes in the cupboard at home.

My detector lives in the 4by and I wave it around sometimes when in the bush but there always seems so much else to do out bush when setting up camp and exploring etc, that the detecting gets left behind.

Maybe when a I find a sizeable chunk of gold Imight change my tune....lol


Cheers

you need to have mates on gold mines. Guy at a club i was at was in charge of getting some access graded north of kalgoorlie and arranged to get a few guys following the grader - they didnt find much but they got a bit

Hi Lionel

I've been out detecting for quite a while now. You dont NEED to have the latest and greatest detector to be successful (that is just to find some gold)

There is excellent information on the gold forum at Gold Forum. Lots of people are still using older machines and having success.

For us success is getting out into the gold fields and camping. Any actual gold we find is a bonus.

The West Coast Metal Detecting Club in Perth seem very active. We used to meet a lot of them at the Coolgardie Metal Detecting Championships, now run by the Coolgardie Gem Club.

Information on West Coast Metal Detecting Club at Detecting Club

Other sites that might be of interest for information and second hand sales:

Prospectors Patch

Reeds Prospecting

Outback Prospector

Coiltek

Jacks Gold Detectors

Coolgardie Gem Club

Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association

I have bought the odd bits and pieces from all of the above suppliers and have had good services. No affiliation etc etc..

Good luck in your purchase. Just be VERY careful on some of the deals that appear on E-bay.

It can be hard work. A good detector is not light. It runs a off a motorcycle sized battery,as well as you need to carry a small pick ,head phones,a sieve and a container attached to a solid belt.
If you are on your own you may want to carry an EPIRB and GPS in remote areas.
If the digging gets deep,a 6 ft bar maybe needed to break up the soil to find an old piece of lead : )

The downside is you generally need to travel to find surface gold these days. North of Meeka ,Sandstone etc.

You also need a Miners Right,about $20 from Dept of Minerals and Resources

Thankyou gentlemen, great advice and keep it coming.

Ive narrowed the search for a decent detector to either the 3500 or the Extreme.
The 4500, even second hand is way out of my price range, and the 2100/2200, seems to be well regarded but getting on a bit.

The reason I asked the initial question is that Im coming close to the end of a contract and being self employed has meant seven days a week for the last 8 years, its just about killed me.
Im now at a crossroad, do I re-tender and let the job finish me off or go in a different direction.
Seem to have missed out on a lot of 4wding, camping and detecting over the years and maybe time to make up for it.

Not saying Ill make a living from detecting but wouldnt mind giving it a crack. [optimist].

Cheers......Lionel.

Good Luck Lionel.

If I can scrape together the sheckles for a decent detector - I'd like to do the very same thing!

Gold is like fish - where you find it!

Best of luck - hope we run into each other out there somewhere.

The Gold & Ghosts books are good reference sources but overpriced at some $1600 each theses days IMHO - better to go see prospectors patch and take a look at his copies. ;o)

I tend to borrow books on Gold prospecting from the library - you get some great reading and research material at an affordable cost.

The above suggested local club are good.

This Gold forum liewise is very friendly to new chums

http://goldprospecting.invisionplus.net/

Cheers