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For GOLD ( Relics and Meteorites are ok toooo ! )There is nothing more exhilarating than digging up a . a piece of gold that no one has ever touched since the dawn of time.

Hi, my name is Geoff and I have been prospecting for many years hmmmm since about the mid 70s I think. I use to go out prospecting with my Dad and Brother and sometimes with Mum. On this one particular occasion it was my Dad, Mum and myself, and we were out in an area many miles northeast of Coolgardie, W.A. It was an old prospecting area and had many diggings around, and it was late in the afternoon almost afternoon tea time as I remember. I was swinging my coil (early Whites model) in one of two holes that were joined by a small tunnel. Ping Ping went my headphones as I scanned the coil over one of the holes and a nice little nugget was recovered. I then quietly gestured to my Dad to come over. Then he detected a nugget in the adjacent hole. I then emersed my coil in the tunnel adjoining the 2 holes and you guessed it, 13 oz’s later .. we were ecstatic. Seems like most of us prospector folk have exciting stories like these; I have others but this one is one of my treasured moments. I have also had many detectors over the years. Of these were the Bounty Hunter ( I nearly shot this one) , the Whites Gold Master, Coin Master , Minelab Eldorado and a few home brew jobs like the Transmit / Receive Detector (totally usless for prospecting), Induction Balance and a Pulse Induction unit which sucked my batteries dry although quite effective.

So I am thinking that I should share my experiences of prospecting with others so that they can appreciate the many facets of Prospecting. I have detected in most states of Australia and over various different terrains. My home now is the Northern Territory of Australia.

Prospecting in the Northern Territory can really be accomplished during our dry season as the wet season makes it most uncomfortable and can also be quite hazardous depending where you go. Also the tall spear grass which can reach to a height of 7 feet or more can make it impossible to swing your detector. So this leaves you about 5 months to hone your detecting skills, do some survey work and or fix , clean and improve your tools and to catch up on your other hobbies.

My main prospecting tools are the, Minelab SD2000 and a Chinese Detector MD-1023 ( GOLD SNOOP ) of which I have modified a bit and I love this unit. It ignores hot rocks which is a big plus and will detect a .2 gram nugget at about 2 inchs. So the unit is very suitable for the gold fields heavy mineralised ground, on the contrary to what other well known figure heads on the prospecting forums think. The Minelab SD2000 I have also modified extensively with inbuilt 12 - 15 volt to 8 volt convertor, gain changes, added optional xtals for deep and shallow nuggets, and have also swapped out some components for newer lower noise types. Will post more on this unit at a later date. I also use the Hammerhead, a homebrew P.I. machine designed by Carl Morland. On both P.I. machines I use Li-ion batteries for their high power and light weight. I have spent the last 5 years with R&D and construction on various P.I. units and have found the Hammerhead the best thus far. Go to the link below and check out the projects and the forum which is full of very useful information on Metal Detector technology. Also check out Gold Prospecting In OZ for the QED PI project..... my next unit.

My Hammerhead My Snoop MMD-1023

The thing about prospecting I love is getting out into the bush for a week or more just camping out and being with IT, watching the sun come up and go down, and to experience the cool mornings and the cool nights accompanied by a fire and your family and mates and your dog .. not to mention an ale or two..

Just Runs n Runs n Runs !

My 4WD truck is well equipped for the bush trips. Accessories include:

Long range fuel tanks 2 x 90 liters, fresh water tank 40ltr, 9000lb winch and assorted recovery gear, Codan HF, VHF and UHF CB transceiver, Garmin GPS unit, dual batteries, solar recharge panel, high power driving lights, 40ltr fridge, complete tool box, the tucker box, a fry pan and fighting irons.

Prospecting and other useful links

Prospecting Tips

Slip, Slop, Slap
Wear a fly net around your melon.. The Ozi bush has zillions of em buggers out there and they breed in cow pads.
Headphones and a Headphone amplifier (if you are not using a GP) are a must, to hear those softer signals
Have extra battery packs and a charger handy. Make sure your battery is charged up.
Either take some coloured tape with you to mark your way through the bush or purchase a GPS
A good pick and preferably with a magnet attached. It is also a handy to mark your pick handle with measuring units so can measure your target depth.
Some people carry a UHF 2 way vice GPS unit. It is quite easy to get bush-wacked even for experienced bushman like myself. I will never go bush unless a transceiver is in my truck.
Research, Research, Research the areas you have in mind. Historical data, Topographical and Geographical maps. Learn a little about Geology, i.e. different types of ground, rocks and minerals associated with Gold, the indicators.
If you do find something, grid the area for a more precise search.
Keep your detector coil low and level to the ground and execute slow sweeps.
Dig up even the faintest of signals, and dig all targets unless you are dead certain it is rubbish.
If you have a small piece of gold, put it in a small plastic zip bag so you can use it to test your detector. If you don't have any gold, a small piece of copper or a lead bullet will suffice.
Take a bit of a rest every now and then and appreciate the scenery and sounds around you. This will refresh your senses.
Wear leggings over your socks to stop those annoying weeds and seeds.
Its a good idea to wear boots in the bush but Don't wear steel cap boots.. for obvious reasons. Ha Dougless ....
A back-pack and or belt is handy to affix other utensils such as :

Water bottle or a Camel Pack is a good idea,
Pick
Pouches for your finds or what ever
GPS or compass
Battery Pack
Transceiver

Food for Thought

When your are out there in NEVA NEVA country, just pause for a moment and think of the hardships our early pioneers experienced. They did not have all the conveniences that we have today like 4wd's , portable fridges, metal detectors, Gps, insect spray, sun cream, etc. A common meal for them was a can of bully beef, damper and billy tea. Their provisions were flour, salt, tin dog, tea (no milk) with a pick, gold pan, swag, a rifle if they were lucky enough and a horse, donkey, bicycle or barrow to carry the lot. If they were fortunate to prospect up here in the Northern Frontier during the wet season, they had to deal with the thick black swamp mud and the many creek crossings... try dragging your horse and dray through that lot whilst sweating your bag out and dealing with the flies and mozzies and watching out for the odd indigenous tribe around the next tree trying to nock you off and pinch your belongings. YES IT WAS ALL FUN ! Funny enough they preferred to prospect in the hot humid Wet Season, due to the fact of little water being available in the Dry Season. They needed the water for their livestock and for their own personal, use and for the panning of gold. Not to mention .. how can one light a fire with wet wood and then cook their meals? You have to hand it to them and give them a lot of respect after all the hardships that they had to endure. We have it so easy nowadays.

Remember Safety First and GOOD LUCK !

Gold nugget donations a gratefully accepted