Hi - for all who are interested in spending some time grubbing about in the red dirt of the WA outback, a few tips from a rank amateur.
1. Do some research. We relied mostly on the advice given by the guy in the Prospector's Patch, most of which was erroneous or self-serving. He sold us a book on prospecting in the Kalgoorlie area which was last updated in 1966 (not useful), told us that the mining registrar would be open on the weekend (it was not, and we lost some valuable days). Which brings us to...
2. Get your miner's right before you go. A miner's right is your ticket to prospecting legally on the crown land - you still have to find out where mining tenements are already claimed, notify the pastoralists of your intent to prospect on their station (where applicable), but first, you need your miner's right. There are mining registrars in several parts of WA, and you can get this sorted out so you can hit the ground running. Since they only cost $25 and are good for life, and the penalty for not having one can be up to 100,000 AUD, it's worth the small investment.
3. If you're heading out from
Perth, don't rent in town. You will spend 2 days of driving, so why pay rental on your metal detectors for that time? In Kalgoorlie, the folks at Finder's Keepers were very pleasant and helpful when we discovered that we had been rented equipment (from the unhelpful Prospector's Patch in
Perth) that didn't have a battery (not so useful). Which brings us to...
4.
Check your equipment before you go. This means that you should verify that you have all the parts to the metal detectors (count the cords, make sure you have batteries, headphones, etc.), but also some other vital equipment that they will happily gouge you for at the rental
shop, but is cheaper somewhere else. This includes:
Pickshovel - our very basic pick was massively overpriced at the Patch at about $80 (available at Bunnings for under $50)
Magnet - for sorting out the nails from the nuggets. They wanted $22 for a 1" diameter flat magnet.
Fly nets - to keep from having involuntary protein supplementation in the outback.
Maps and any books - if you know the region to which you are heading, you can either get detailed maps from the mining registrar for a small printing fee, or visit the department of mines website.
5. Have fun, but do not expect to get rich overnight. Although it does happen, most people do not find the big nugget on their first outing. Some people spend weeks and months looking before getting their first taste, so relax and enjoy the other artifacts that you will find, your time in the bush, and your safe travels through a unique part of the world.
Above all, if somebody tells you exactly where the big nuggets are, you can almost guarantee that you should be looking anywhere else. And if you find a bit yourself, just let me know where that was...