This condition has been discussed at PMAT meetings, and I am aware that PMAT has sent correspondence to the Director of Mines specifically addressing this issue. However, it still remains in the official rules of prospecting licences as of September 2017.
Continue readingAs of the end of March 2016, using a metal detector for prospecting in Tasmania is a bit of a grey area, and there are some little-known issues about metal detecting that can catch you out. Read on to fn out more…
Continue readingThere is currently a review of prospecting regulations in Tasmania. Current prospecting rules have long-been in need of an overhaul. Find out some of the problems as I see them, and if you like, contribute with possible solutions.
Continue readingIf you enjoy detecting for gold, chances are you’d also enjoy detecting for coins and relics. The rules about what land you can access are different, and you’d probably use a different detector than you use for gold.
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The Prospectors and Miners Association of Tasmania (PMAT) has become officially incorporated!
If you’ve enjoyed fossicking and prospecting in Tasmania for a while, you’ve probably come to notice that our State is steadily becoming less welcoming of prospectors. Regulations controlling what prospecting equipment is allowed and what areas that can be accessed has become more and more restrictive. The Director of Mines has even declared that a prospecting licence in Tasmania gives the holder no rights of ownership over anything they find.
Over a dozen people from around the State met in Campbell Town on the 22nd of August 2015, and we voted to officially incorporate the Prospectors and Miners Association of Tasmania.
Like PMAV in Victoria, and NAPFA in NSW, the purpose of PMAT is to foster fossicking and prospecting, to protect the interests of prospectors and fossickers in the State, and to generally act as a unified voice in dealing with regulatory authorities and Parliament when it comes to fossicking, prospecting and small-scale mining in Tasmania.
If you like to fossick or prospect, and you’d like to continue to enjoy this fantastic pastime, even pass it on to your children or grandchildren one day, I’d encourage you to join the Association and help us get a better deal for fossickers, prospectors and small-scale miners in Tasmania.
Visit their website, or have a look at their Facebook page and get involved!
Gold was known in the northwest of Tasmania since at least James (Philosopher) Smith’s discovery in the Forth Valley near the modern-day Lake Cethana dam. None of the workings were on a large scale. It wasn’t until Harry Middleton’s discovery in Corinna in 1879 that the gold rush to the Pieman kicked off. It would eventually lead to the largest gold nugget ever found in Tasmania. Much of the area is still accessible to gold fossickers today.
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