Panning for gold at Hill End, NSW

In the search for historic gold I venture further west to Hill End and Sofala. Do these areas still deliver? Will I be thwarted by my lack of knowledge of the area?
#australia #gold #prospecting #fossicking #goldprospecting

[@jeffholmes1362]

Nice job, that’s the reality, you find nothing until you do. Just need time and move gravel. Thanks for sharing

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers. I’ll try contributing creeks to the upper Turon next time. I’m told it’s far better.

[@thebigdog1433]

G'day Jason, just wanted to say thanks for your efforts and the content you keep putting out. I love the science and nature nerd elements to your stuff. Keep enjoying what you do. Thanks mate

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers. Much appreciated. Glad you are enjoying it.

[@pierpaolocelio9054]

Great videos! Very helpful. Thank you

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

You’re welcome. Glad they help.

[@kenlyneham4105]

Each wind turbine tower takes about 40 truckloads of concrete, and the blades are non-recyclable. Between 4% and 8% of total global CO2 emissions come from concrete manufacture. At the public fossicking area outside of Hill End on the road to Mudgee, those high walls found beside the creek of Golden Gully, are the tailings left behind by the first gold prospectors, right down to the bedrock. Every grain has been run through a sluice. They didn't worry about small specs of gold, that's why you will find them in the crevasse pools along the creek.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Our impact on the environment comes in various guises and we can point at individual actions/features and processes of industry just about everywhere. A road, cars, plastic packaging, etc Non-recyclable blades is a major design flaw that could easily be fixed. Not sure why this is the case (cost?). That’s interesting about the tailings. It makes sense as they appear to be walls of random wash and your point is supported by the fact I got gold from crevices.

[@kenlyneham4105]

@@InSearchOf...Australia I have fossicked there many times with my children as they were growing. When the weather is warmer, we will be going back with their children, mine are in their 40s now. I love Hill End.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

@kenlyneham4105 That's awesome. It is an amazing place steeped in history. I will return there to look into the history a little more and give those crevices a harder go. Hope you find some larger pieces left behind.

[@kenlyneham4105]

@@InSearchOf...Australia Good luck!

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

You too!

[@killmozzies]

Thanks for the great directions. Might have to visit Hill End, for the history and try panning.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

No problem. I’m certain to return. I didn’t give it the time it deserves.

[@mocaman99]

Cheers for the vid. A trip taking the kids to Dubbo zoo with a night's stopover in Hill End on the way home is how my gold obsession got started :)

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

You’re welcome! That’s a pretty cool family trip.

[@journeymanadventure]

Gold will gravitate it's way to the beed rock below all that wash where it will grt stuck in the clay or grt caught in the base of cracks or crevices so in the last area you had a look you would need to dig out all that overburden before you have a chance at seeing any color. Try looking for areas of exposed rock under the water with crevices runnung accross the waterflow. Panning is like fishing, it's nice if you get somthing but the real reward is being out there 💰

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

I think I scratched the bedrock, hence the colour. But I definitely didn’t do it as thoroughly as possible so may have missed the bigger heavier stuff like you suggest. But yes, being out there is the main thing.

[@getdownanddirtyprospecting]

Hill End needs a good flood to replenish some gold and the Turon takes a lot of leg work and test pans but there are great places for the yellow I put a like and a sub cheers Glenno.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers for that. I’m all ears about the Turon. It seems to have so much potential given all the gold districts it flows through.

[@Aaron_Hanson]

Love Hill End. Been there many times prospecting and detecting. There’s no shortage of little, what appear to be stainless steel discs in the creeks. Between the size of 4-5mm in diameter from memory. Pain in the ass when detecting the banks and surrounds. Cheers from Ballarat 🍻🍻🇦🇺

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers! Yes, I assume they are shotgun pellets shot at the water and the velocity has flattened them. But maybe they are something else. Did you have any luck detecting larger nuggets?

[@Aaron_Hanson]

@@InSearchOf...Australia the little discs that I’m talking about are obviously stainless material of some sort but are the result of some manufactured byproduct resembling the manufacture of punch plate or similar. As for the results of detecting, there’s a little bit to be found in the right places 👍

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

That makes sense. Punching out rivet holes or the like by the look of it.

[@bradhile5031]

Had a similar experience in Ararat Victoria get a signal dig it out piece of aluminium bout 20x10mm with a enscripe sucker written on it bet you could guess what I’d like to do with it if I found him 🤣🍻

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Ouch!

[@jasonthompson5324]

Good on ya out and into it

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers. Will be back there to give it a proper go.

[@johnaussiegoldman-i7l]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS EVER ONE HAS DUG UP HERE I DID IT 60 YEARS AGO, ANY WAY GOOD LUCL M8

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Cheers. I will return at some point.

[@user-xg9qz5dr5v]

ITs been sifted so many times you will be better off bringing your own dirt with you.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

Lol. It did feel sparse but there was still colour. I had way less luck at Ophir.

[@tinarankin9290]

So many Wedgies are killed with these wind mills ! 😢

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

You made me look this up and it appears that it does happen. The statistics point out most are killed by cars, poison or shot. Our impact on the environment is multi-faceted.

[@mikerobo2112]

Upper turon is where you want to be.

[@InSearchOf...Australia]

@@mikerobo2112 Cheers. I’ll definitely mosey on up that way in the future.