“A prospecting licence does not grant any right to a mineral, as an exploration licence or mining lease does, and the holder of a prospecting licence does not have ownership over a mineral found whilst prospecting”. Director of Mines, 14 August 2015.
Continue readingPosts Tagged → prospecting
Gold nugget database
Many people think that Tasmania only has fine gold, and no nuggets are found down here. This is actually very far from the truth, so I’ve started a database of historical Tasmanian gold nuggets.
Continue readingTasmanian diamonds
When thinking Tasmanian diamonds, most people have heard of Killiecrankie diamonds, which are really topaz (and very good topaz at that). However, several real, verified diamonds have also been found in Tasmania.
Continue readingAlluvial gold part 2
In this second post on alluvial gold, I’ll go into other methods used traditionally (and nowadays) by prospectors: the cradle (or rocker box) and the sluice, as well as a modern invention, the highbanker.
Continue readingThe Mathinna goldfield
The Mathinna goldfield started, like many others, with the discovery of alluvial gold, this time in Black Horse Gully. The area contains one of Tasmania’s largest gold mines, the New Golden Gate, which had a total (historical) production of over 260,000 ounces (~8 tons) of gold. The whole area is riddled with mines, prospects and old workings, and is fairly easy access with light bush.
Continue readingAlluvial gold part 1: gold panning
Are you interested in looking for alluvial gold? Did you know that most Tasmanian gold rushes and all but one of Tasmania’s great gold mines were found by prospectors originally following leads of alluvial gold? In this post I will briefly describe alluvial gold, and go into places you might go, where to do research, and link to some good videos on how to pan, if you’re just starting out.
Continue reading