New member from Cairns

Yes, I am new to the forum and to the community of committed chasers and hunters of the special yellow stuff we call G O L D. In 1995 I bought my first detector, XT 17000 (hope there is not one zero too many!) and started detecting in Georgetown for a week and then back to Mackay where we used to live. Being at that stage totally new to the game, I contacted a station owner and asked for his permission to enter the land, which I got,
and during a further conversation I asked him -please don't laugh now- where I could find gold. Thinking back, I find it really hard to believe that I dared to ask such a "stupid" question. But the "stupid" question was obviously at that time the best thing a could have done, because after following the station owners directions I found my first nugget of 3grams. Then followed Forsayth, Cleremont, Rubyvale, Dimbulah, and again Georgetown and Forsayth. Been there, done that for some years and learned the art of detecting. Toward 1998 detecting became more and more complicated because of the Aboriginal Land Claims, the landowners permission to enter the land and even a prospecting Permit was then not good enough anymore, you needed as well the permission of the tribe connected to the land. And getting this permit was at the time as good as impossible. So we went back to the big smoke (2000 Cairns).
Now, after being retired for 2 years I feel the powerful urge you all know, to swing the coil of my trusty SD2100 again and find more of you know what. I hope that this will happen soon. If someone is interested in joining me, I don't mind, even if it's a greenhorn.
Regards to you all and see you out there!
Joe
goldbug777

Welcome Joe, glad you joined. It sounds like you have done your share of prospecting in the past. Do you have any memorable moments to share? cheers Pete.

ps I'm from the West, otherwise I would be keen to join you.

Hi Goldbug777,
Welcome to the forum.
Its always great to get guys who been in the game for many many years.
Looking forward to your contributions and maybe some photo finds or some highlights from your detecting trips.
GoldEN

Hello goldbug777, I would be happy to tag along with you some time looking for the yellow stuff. I have been detecting the beaches around Cairns for some years now, with a minelab explorer SE, but find there are more and more detectors out on the beaches now, and my finds are becoming less, but I am only getting out for about 2 - 3 Hrs a week.

So about 10 months ago decided to give gold ago, and purchased a whites TDI pro for this. Have been out every long weekend this year as I am still working. Haven't found gold yet, just haven't been able to get the coil over it yet I don't think, still learning my machine and learn a little more about it every time I go out.

Would be happy to meet up with you some time. Cheers for now Peter.

piston broke wrote:Welcome Joe, glad you joined. It sounds like you have done your share of prospecting in the past. Do you have any memorable moments to share? cheers Pete.

ps I'm from the West, otherwise I would be keen to join you.

Hi Pete, thanks for the welcome and yes, I do have in fact some memorable moments to share. There is for instance the price I had to pay to learn how to detect. My first detector, a Minelab XT 17000, made it really hard to learn the game especially in mineralized ground the detector indicated every change in mineralisation and was therefor in my opinion a pain in the you know where. This causes the detectorist to become desensitised and I ended up digging down the track only horse shoe signals, I mean the ones that get you instantly ready for take off. There is not much you can do in situation like this, apart from getting a new detector, which was the SD 2000 at the time. This then was the time when I started to learn, but in hindsight not the right way. The attitude "She'll be alright mate" is just not good enough. In order to be successful you have to know exactly how your detector works, how it needs to be adjusted and what the meaning of the different kind of acoustic signals is. And exactly here became my way off easy thinking and going costly. Still having in mind the bucket loads of trash from my experience with the XT17000 I treated signals coming from the SD2000 the same way: if the signal was not loud enough, I did NOT dig!!! Thinking back, I have to realize that I most likely left good gold behind, for others to find. Or maybe I left some proof behind for the truth in the saying "There is still gold in them hills!".
Regards
Joe
goldbug777

Hi Joe
Welcome.
I am from Townsville & I would be keen to catch up with you out in the scrub, I prospect mainly around Forsayth & would be keen to get some insight into this area from your experience.
I most likely will not get out again until March? depending on the wet we have.
I will Pm you some time to have a chat.

Hi Joe ,

I left you a PM , to read .

talk to you soon i hope.

G'day Joe and welcome to the forum... Hope you do well as you have in the past...

Cheers.

Mike.

G'day Joe ... Kate from SA here! Good ta meet ya! I'm sure you'll meet lots of great people here, and maybe find a few locals to swing a coil with

Welcome Joe to the forum. I also live in the Cairns area and seems that i also go to the same areas that you do. We should have a chat sometime. Also you can find out info on who also is about up this way on this forum by going to info on goldfeids click on QLD and up the top north queenslands. Cheers Greg

Hi Goldbug777, and all the other members in and around Cairns,

I too am new to detecting. I have been out a few times with a mate and went to the Georgetown area. I am yet to find any gold, but have really enjoyed the time in the bush. I should be picking up my Whites TDI Pro from George at the Miners Den today, so would love to get out and practice with it soon.
If anyone wants some company, or if anyone is willing to show a newbe the ropes, drop me a line, and hopefully we can meet up.

Cheers,

Ken