Sunny Corner State Forest - Winburndale Rivulet

Went for a day on the Winburndale Rivulet at Sunny Corner State Forest yesterday. I'd like to get your perspective and opinion. I'll qualify all this with the fact I'm a complete newbie, so I'm probably doing something tragically wrong - so please be gentle. And yes, i've watched a billion YouTube videos (which will obvious from my newbie questions). Anyway... so this was visit number three - been there for the past three weekends. Not near the where Kirkconnell Creek joins Winburndale (along Macabees Rd) but about 1.5km further downstream. Each pan I'm getting about 1 or 2 specs. I'm following the standard tips - classifying (down to 8 mesh), targeting inside of bends of the creek where the gravels has dropped, digging around the downstream side of large rocks & boulders, digging out the gravels in the parallel channels in the bed rock, digging out the gravels at the base of downstream sloping bedrock, targeting the lowest depressions/pools in the creek, etc, and most of all, going to places less likely for the average weekend warrior (maybe that's me) would be able to get it - out in the wilds in serious 4x4 country. Anyway, I would have thought my hit rate would be a little better, either larger than literally a spec or more volume. Have I set my expectations way too high or is this part of the Winburndale just barren? I'm keen to get your thoughts, and suggestions for improvement - whether different locations I could try (doesn't have to be Sunny Corner - that's just convenient to Katoomba where I live) or maybe different tips I could try. Cheers.

Welcome zedman,there's no easy way to put this but gold can be hard to find.
The key ingredient is perseverance along with a few blisters and a couple of bullant bites
Hopefully someone here can point you in the right direction or maybe find a local prospecting club?
Good luck .


Cheers moredeep

Thanks for the reply. I do get that it's not an easy thing, that's not really the issue. I was more asking, obviously not clearly, is whether that section of the Winburndale is good or bad, and whether I chose badly and should try elsewhere? I think i got my answer ... "try elsewhere", as I tried all the usual methods of scratching around with poor result. I was expecting a whole bunch of comments like "hahaha, ya bozo, you shouldn't try there", or "try here, it's better than that crappy spot", or other equally blunt and soul crushing replies. But clearly people have kept their laughing at me to themselves, so thanks for taking the time to reply.

Do not know much about that area but try  at Coles Bridge on Turondale Rd,?
    Two specks per dish will not keep me interested.  I assume you know how to pan but check that you are not tossing gold out of the pan now and again....pan into another dish or bucket or whatever and re do. If you are an ace disher already then find another spot...maybe upstream........Or downstream Gold is not easy to find these days...Or any day for that matter....Any gold still coming down river will catch in the thick moss on the rocks or in the roots among the grass....I have  panned plenty of good  gold from   mossy rocks and grass roots

Hi zedman , there's no hahaha from me, I went a full 12months with an old a2b garrett detector and got zippo.
I then upgraded to a minelab sd 2000 and went a further 6 months before I got my first colour .
Just keep moving around until you strike it lucky, hopefully someone will have some handy hints.
In vic we have a site called geovic which is very handy, I'm guessing NSW has a similar site.

https://minview.geoscience.nsw.gov.au/#/?lon=148.2470&lat=-33.62634&z=13&l=mg0:y:100
it may help you

cheers moredeep