Theft at the gold fields?

I had a good laugh at another thread about car security, and whilst the topic was about preventing break-ins, it made me wonder whether theft or attempted theft was much of a problem at the gold fields. Especially considering that the thief may think of finding gold stashed in the car, caravan or tent?

What has been your experience?

l wish l did have that worry, but l would have to find gold first l'd imagine average person if they had a good day detecting would find no more then a few nuggets no bigger then a 5c piece, l would probably keep them in my pocket, if anyone found a large nugget worth thousands l'd imagine they would take it home or to a safe place straight away rather then keep it in a tent or car.

I've experienced no incidents of theft myself , fortunately... although I do take care when I'm out. The State Forest website here in NSW used to caution readers that 'assaults in the forests are just as common as in the city'... though they neglected to point out that there's no phone reception in most of our more remote forests and no-one can hear your calls for assistance if you need help from a passer-by.

Most of the dealers alert one another when a theft occurs. Serial numbers are immediately circulated. I've also personally witnessed a few people attempt to buy top of the line detectors with stolen credit cards but those are easily identified and blocked. One of the tricks they use is to attempt to have "their own courier" collect the detector to eliminate a direct trail to the scammer. That's your alarm bell right there.

But I've seen police reports where cars have been broken into. Spoke to people at Hill End who witnessed thefts from the trailers of vehicles there. I know of someone who bought a brand new GPX5000 in WA and stopped to refuel. When he returned to his car, the back window was broken and his new "still in the box" detector was gone. I wrote about it here after getting permission from the dealer and manufacturer but was told by other members that it was a matter for the police and that nobody cared for the information. Hope you don't lose your own machines folks because I'm one of those "I told you so" people.

A celebrity from television who also prospects told me of a case up in the Mount Isa area where a prospector returned to his car where there were two men waiting for him. They had deduced by the contents of the car that he was detecting nearby. They took his detector off him, robbed him of everything and then stole his car... but not before tying him to a tree (naked) and calling the Ranger on the way out of the State Forest or wherever they were.

I'm sure I once read a story in older GGT magazine where people with detecting club stickers on their vehicles (!!) returned to their vehicles in the morning after sleeping at a Victorian pub on a major Victorian goldfield to find their detectors stolen from under blankets.

There was a very interesting article I read about where the detectorists were befriended by two males in WA who later robbed their trailers and stole all their "hidden" gold while they were out detecting. When the police were contacted and conducted interviews of nearby persons, the couple then received some very serious thinly veiled threats from one of the two men.

In WA right now a lot of mining equipment has been reported in 2011 as stolen in the major newspapers over there. Some of it (trommels and jigs) would have required a team of people and at least one or two large trucks with a crane to move the multi-ton equipment.


There's also this: (semi-related) : Detecting Store Broken into for Detectors - I also seem to remember being told a few days later that two of the detectors were hire-machines and they were returned a couple of days later by the people who hired them (and were not stolen).

I am the same as Nero never experienced theft whilst out there Metal detecting, but I have had my house broken into 15 years ago when I was living in Deception Bay QLD and I know how much it gets a bloke pissed off when somebody steals your stuff. I did read a story last year of a bloke who was camping and detecting in WA and he headed off for a morning of metal detecting and when he got back to his camp, all his stuff was smashed up in his camp, solar panels, TV etc anything that was breakable they broke and they didn't take anything. Something that isn't goldfield related, I knew a bloke who was into mountain biking and he had a $2500 Trek and he was in state forest near Nambour QLD and needed to take a leak so he stopped and jumped behind a tree leaving his bike on the track, as he stepped from behind the tree he could see his bike disapear with someone on it down the track, he never got it back. So it doesn't matter were you are in Aussie anymore, doesn't matter how remote if you have something of great value and its locked up or not, if somebody wants it they'll take it. Also this brings up again the need for a gold prospector to arm himself or not whilst out there, as the violence does seem to be on the increase just look at the Gold Coast here in QLD, shootings,holdups and stabbings becomming more frequent, how long will it be before these criminals realise there's a quick buck to be made, looking for gold prospectors out in the bush and robbing there camps or even worst looking or waiting for us to return to camp.


Cheers Brian.

I expect thieves would evaluate prospective targets and areas where they would consider them lucrative and safe enough to justify their criminal behaviour. I have had many years bush walking experience where I had to leave my vehicle at trail heads, often for multiple days and have only been broken in once. After breaking two door locks and smashing one window, they stole a beach bag with my then wife's bikini .... kinky.

Of course it's only common sense not to leave or advertise any valuables you may have on board (especially bikinis/underwear). It's been my observation that the number of car parks where there is evidence of broken glass on the ground, the more remote areas have fewer break-ins. Or is that because there are fewer vehicles in these areas?

I have never had a problem when out detecting in the bush no matter what state I was detecting in. You are in probably the safest place on the planet when out in the Australian bush. But in town is a different matter. I have had a break in in my home in Proserpine, into my motorhome in Ballarat and into my ute when in Kalgoorlie.

This covers a time frame of 32 year detecting and free camping in all states, never have we lost anything from our camps and we leave lots of stuff outside, solar panels, chairs and other camp gear, while detecting. This doesn't mean it won't happen, just that it hasn't.

Cheers, Jim

Gday

It seems that theft from camps and vehicles is becoming a bit more common these days, I have not had anything stolen from my vehicle while in any outback town but then again I either have it in sight while in a shop for instance or simply dont leave it unnatended for more than a couple of minutes, I have however had kids jump the fence at a well known caravan park and go through my camper trailer, pinching my torches and going through my gear, left the fridge open but didnt take the grog thats how I knew it was kids.

Outback towns have all the same issues as the suburbs when it comes to theft, theft from vehicles and houses has become common place almost everywhere, but sometimes you have to lay some of the blame on the people who leave their gear in full view, as most thieves are opportunists and not proficient professionals, they will just make a grab and run, where as no matter what precaution you take a professional will get your gear one way or another.

I have seen many instances of this in goldfields areas, coming across camps set up within a couple of hundred metres of a main road, gear strewn all over the place, generators, solar panels, and even detectors and coils laying about the place, and no one to be seen, I dont enter anyones camp unless I know them for the obvious reason, I will stop some distance from the camp and beep the horn to see if anyone is home, if I get no response I dont go into the camp but will drive about to see if they are nearby, but sometimes the owners are nowhere to be found, this is the perfect scenario for the would be thief.

The reality is that people need to be more responsible as well, I know that a caravan is not a very secure place to store your valuables, but if you are detecting away from your camp and keep your vehicle within sight then you would be better off keeping your valuables in there, another obvious thing is not to advertise to anyone that you have either gold or expensive gear in you caravan or car, or if you have to have it there then make it secure in a safe or make it hard for them to get at it easily.

cheers

stayyerAU

Thanks Jim, that's basically what I'm interested in. My gut feeling suggests to me that you are more likely to have a problem near a town than out bush.

you have to be careful realistically. If no one is sleeping in the car I would be tempted to keep gold , valuables and detector in the tent or swag you are in,

themrburns

Hi
I have read a great article in Gold and Treasure, August 2011 edition page 52.
“How to secure your Camp” by Jim Foster.
There is a great idea with a voice activated UHF and a motion alarm that warns you if anyone is near your car while you are out of site of your car detecting.
You can hear the alarm over the UHF on your belt and you can run back to your car and see who is there.
I have set this up for myself and tested it and it works great.
This system would work in other ways you would just have to use your imagination.


Regards Neale Happy New Year

Your thoughts and ideas about prevention is great guys, and I thank you for your input, however my question is more about how often you have had an encounter whilst prospecting and perhaps whether you were remote or near a town. I would like to hear from people who have NOT had a problem as well as from people who DID have a problem. Even a 'yes' or 'no' would be adequate to give an indication.

Thanks
Ringpull

I don't want to tempt the Gods by saying I've never had a problem
but from that you can guess what my answer would be...

ANSWER......NO.

I bought a siren(140 Db) and reed switch for my caravan and rigged it up so I can activate it whilst I'm out detecting or when I'm in bed (so I don't get any surprises)......toal cost around $40.00.......*****occaisonally I forget about it when I get up for leak during the night and scare the s*** out of myself !

He he. Would that be classified as a close encounter of the t*rd kind?

sandy2010 wrote:ANSWER......NO.

I bought a siren(140 Db) and reed switch for my caravan and rigged it up so I can activate it whilst I'm out detecting or when I'm in bed (so I don't get any surprises)......toal cost around $40.00.......*****occaisonally I forget about it when I get up for leak during the night and scare the s*** out of myself !

HI ALL, yes SANDY that was going to be my suggestion too. heck, you could even set up a perimeter around your camp using car alarm based gear- 12 volt, motion sensors etc. of course, wild life may set them off too. i,d be leaving an empty shot gun shell box on the ground etc in clear sight, and used cartridges.

When I can I like going out with other blokes and withvthem in their car as well. This way there are many vehicles around, and this may deture would be theaves. When I'm on my own I try and keep my car in sight, for two reasons, firstly theft, and secondly I don't like getting lost

Wombat

Hi wombat.........good in theory.....however, I met up with a couple who told of their stay in an overnight parking bay.....several others were in the vicnity, so they thought they were secure....HA !
They heard a noise in the night and looked out of the front c'van window only to see their vehicle being ransacked.....he went to rush out of the c'van door....no way.....a late model Landcruiser had parked alongside the door .......when they had carried out their crime they took off into the night.
They went to report it to the police who intimated it was'nt worthwhile filling out the paperwork..........they also said they should have parked alongside a tree to prevent a vehicle parking outside their door !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(can you believe it......).
Perhaps the people who compose the tourist maps can now add a symbol showing if there are trees in the overnight parking bays, so every caravanner can park alongside one.

I decided years ago, to always be prepared. I carry a gun because a cop's too heavy.

Cheers, Buckinroo Jake.

I have taken my control box into the pub and hid the coils well back at camp in the bush
put the box over the counter wraped in shirt.
One of my mates got drunk at the railway hotel in dunolly vic he passed 8 ounces around the pub for people to look at
put it under his hat forgot about it went up stairs to bed in the mornig went down for breakfast and the lady who lived and work there
I think it was Dorris the owner she said to my mate hears your hat you left it on the bar last night and this container was under it she new what it was
he was lucky that night I bet it would take a week before he would remeber that he left the gold behind
. nice lady I think she has passed away now she was all ways good to us when we ate dinner there.

Hi Fellow prospectors
never would have thought my maiden post would be the subject of theft!
anyhow thought i had better post it up as a heads up to others
out detecting in the Amherst area (Croydon trk) 16/5/16 returned to vehicle to find some low life had removed all centre caps from my toyota prado! i guess it could have been worse? no sign of forced entry, but still who would of thought? out in the bush minding my own business, and sort of Sh#ts going on.

Cheers , Cortes