NSW newbie

Hi all, bit overdue I guess. Been reading the forum for awhile now & getting some good info - thanks.

Fairly new to this & at the moment only have a cheap VLF detector (with a view to upgrading if I keep enjoying it) that I have only used once so far. Had fun but only found an assortment of rusty nails, screws, pull tabs, pieces of cans etc. at depths of up to about 8" - so at least I know it is finding targets, even if only junk. Has some claimed abilities to discriminate between metals, pinpoint & adjustable ground balance. Have to play with the discrimination a bit more before I can comment but the ground balance seems ok. Only found 1 x rock that set it off & when I broke it open it was reddish brown inside with some type of metallic looking specking through it? The pinpoint seems to work ok & I used it to locate some of the junk hehe.

Have been panning a few times & have found one tiny speck (on the wrong side of the river - need waders to get over to the better spot). Don't know if I'm doing it 100% correctly but always seem to end up with the black sand + also had some other silver coloured shiny metallic looking stuff a couple of times - possibly fools gold, mica, diamond sand??, so might be on the right track. Also have obtained a "gold nugget bucket", basically a bucket with some different sized screens & a bowl to concentrate the heavy stuff at the bottom. Makes panning a bit easier & have also found some interesting looking gemstones, most likely clear quartz, jasper etc.

At the moment just enjoying getting out & about, learning a bit as I go + seeing some historic areas/sites/ruins. If I do end up finding something it will be an added bonus.

Matt

G'day Matt and welcome to the forum. . Sounds like you are on the right track and everyone has to start somewhere. Good luck with your prospecting and hope to see some pics and more of your adventures in the near future.

Cheers.

Mike.