Going to Mt Crawford this wend, anyone offer suggestion of best place to fossick ???

Hey Guys

I am going to go & try my new Minelabs x-terra 705 gold, see my blog for the reasons I choose this model -> http://ozgold.com.au

at Mount Crawford over the weekend.

Can anyone give me a heads up on were in the 17,000 acres would be best to 'test' the 705 ???

Also can anyone tell me were I should be more careful to lookout for the abandoned mine shafts so I dont fall down one ???

I was thinking about taking my dirt bike, anyone know if I can use it to get around, its a WR so its road legal & regoed ???

TIA

NG

If you have not been there before, google map view it first & grab a map from the Forest HQ.

I would suggest going straight to Dead horse gully & Watts Gully if you want to be in the thick of all the old shafts. Most shafts have fences around them, a few don't as yet. Most of the tracks thru the forest now are closed to cars and bikes, and the main enterance is what you now have to use to get on to towers rd or out to chalks camping ground if you want to get to sailors, talk or baynes gully.

I think towards talk gully they are active with the logging this week, you'll hear em anyway. And they usually have signs up in the areas they are logging and want you to stay out of.

There is still plenty of rubbish out there, slugs, nails, fence wire and litter. I allways leave with a pocket of crap no matter where I go. As for the gold... follow your instincts.

Take a bit of water with you too, I'd reccomend keeping at least 1.5 litres on you and a spare. And some aerogard or a fly net.

and a tip: Keep a eye out for inch ants, they are cheeky little fuggers and are as common as termites.

Happy days.

Hey GD

Thanks for the heads up

I will remember the Aero Guard, I am going to go & order or buy a 'net hat' if I can find one, I was living in the ACT & it is very rare to get flys and mozzies so they drive me crazy here.

I had forgotten about the inch ants so I will definitely watch out for them !!!

I have been able to find Watts, Sailor & Baynes gullies but not Dead Horse, is DH gully at Mount Crawford ?

TIA

NG

The Watts Gully Road from Synbank Rd to Rocky Creek Rd basically is the Dead horse Gully.

The lone pine picnik area was a great carpark, it is now fenced off because someone dumped a pallet of dead sheep in there this winter.

Hey GD

I have put up a short blog about the trip, I'm going to add the photos there as I am not allow to add photos here.

http://ozgold.com.au/0-DB/Prod/ozgold.com.au/blog/ozgold-blog.nsf/dx/1st-trip-detecting-1st-trip-to-mount-crawford-.htm

gonediggin wrote:The Watts Gully Road from Synbank Rd to Rocky Creek Rd basically is the Dead horse Gully.

The lone pine picnik area was a great carpark, it is now fenced off because someone dumped a pallet of dead sheep in there this winter.

What was so good about the Lone Pine Car Park, are you giving me a big wink with that ???

I tried around that area, well I think it was it as I found it after I parked up & walked over a hill that was covered in quartz and what looked like 'silver' then down the other side to a large car park.

Why would anyone dump sheep there ???

TIA

NG

Just that lots of places are getting fenced off nowdays. Lone pine was a top spot for parking and for motorhomes to stop also.

Sounds like you did'nt venture up to the fork of watts gully if you did'nt see any mine shafts. An adventure for another day.

Is the 'fork of watts gully'

at the

Synbank road end

or

Rocky creek road end

of watts gully road ?

TIA

NG

Howdy, you have to register, on a daily basis, if you intend fossicking in the 'proclaimed area'. Registration can be completed at the Mt Crawford Forest Information Centre, located on the Wiliamstown to Mount Pleasant Road. You can obtain a reasonablyinformative map from there which will identify some of the areas of interest and how to find them. The area that is now forest (planting commenced in the early 1900's) which was mined in the 1880's etc has been landscaped extensively (to facilitate forrestry industry) meaning that the scrapings, diggings, creeks (waterways), 'historic diggings' etc that once existed have now been buired under many metres of soil. Some of the areas in the steeper gullies are mach as they were in those days. This time of the year, summer approaching and hot weather means the chance of 'declared total fire ban days' which could mean no access for ALL of the public to the area AND the presence of snakes - plenty of them too. Keep your eyes open and as they say 'be alert, NOT alarmed'.
As for the trail bike, if it is roadworthy and registered, as you say, then it is just another road vehicle. Of course you can use it. In my opinion, a great way to get around and check the areas out. The authorities frown upon riders and drivers who treat the area with disrespect by travelling off-road and generally making a nuisance of themselves and creating unecessary risks for other users of the forest, this includes horse riders.

G'Day Guys

I am still trying to find AU @ MC & notice this reply to one of my posts

It was posted on 13/12/12 & I have tried a lot of Watts, Dead horse ... on the southern side of MC, now I am going to try Sailors, Talc and Baynes !!!

gonediggin wrote:
main enterance is what you now have to use to get on to towers rd or out to chalks camping ground if you want to get to sailors, talk or baynes gully.

Here are the two gates I know that are closest to Rangers Station

Gate 1

Gate 2

I have never seen these gates open !!!

To get to chalks camping ground, do you have to walk in ???

I can see that Gonediggin is MIA. but does anyone else know where the 'main enterance (entrance)' is for MT C. ???

TIA

The main entrance gate is appx 1.5km back towards birdwood not towards Williamstown from the HQ.

Pete

G'Day Pete

CrazyPete wrote:The main entrance gate is appx 1.5km back towards birdwood not towards Williamstown from the HQ.

Pete

So do you mean this gate -> Main Entrance

I will check this next time I'm down at MC

Did you get my last email about the places you suggested & the zip file mate ???

TIA

NG

Gday NG   

No Ng didnt get the email will PM me email to ya again.

Naa mate, i think thats Rocky Ck road that one.
Another good way in is "3 Chain Break" rd, it goes up a rise then down into the gold ground.
Some decent weight been found in that direction..
Anyways, this is the main gate in at MC   

G'Day Pete

Ok, that is the gate I have called Gate 2 in the post above, I have never seen this open.

As I have a dirt bike I can just 'ride around it', but I would rather do the right thing !!!

I am glad we worked that out, I thought I was going crazy or having a 'grey' moment, even when I do not have an Grey, cause I do not have any hair   

NG

PS I resent the email to you, check your spam filter

If you are heading into Mt. Crawford, be aware that the main gate closes at 4pm. I think this is only temporary.
Also, 3 Chain Break gate is usually closed. If you find it open it is generally because of logging, and if you drive in you will likely find yourself locked in!
Safest bet is to park along Rocky Creek or Watts Gully Rd and walk in. Too bad the permit spot is on the opposite end of the forest. I wish there was a small permit station
by the CFS on the corner of Forreston Rd and Watts Gully Road.

Cheers for the update man    been a while since prospectin in MC, but hey as you may know there's
lumps up there.
Always thought the same "by the CFS on the corner of Forreston Rd and Watts Gully Road." comin from TTG way
into the area.
Spose youve done a full scout along "nugget rd"      i mean really      Even "Jonny G" god bless him couldn't come up with such a cheesey name     

Get some dirt onya   

Pete

Hey Pete

I resent the email to your gmail account, check your spam filter ??????????????????????

CrazyPete wrote:been a while since prospectin in MC, but hey as you may know there's lumps up there.

Maybe since you were there last all the 'lumps' have been taken !!!

My last trip to MC was to the actual Mount Crawford, extremely mineralised ground, detector was singing all day long & no AU

CrazyPete wrote:Spose youve done a full scout along "nugget rd"

Just about to start moving over into that area as I have given up on the Dead Horse & Watts areas !!!

Is it best on the Northern end or Southern ???

NG

Hi NG

Sorry about the email trubs, i will pm you another i have, have also been checkin the one i gave you
inc the spam but no show..

Pete

G'day CP

CrazyPete wrote:Sorry about the email trubs, i will pm you another i have, have also been checkin the one i gave you
inc the spam but no show..

I sent you a copy of the emails I have been trying to send from a new gmail account I setup yesterday morning.

I sent the email to your 2nd gmail account, CCed your old gmail account & BCCed my email account ( not gmail ) !!!

My email account received the email within a few seconds of me sending from gmail, so now I am really struggling to come up with any ideas of how to get the email thru.   

What I cant understand is why the 1st couple of emails got thru. ok, if it had never worked then that is 'sort' of ok, but it did work in the beginning  

Do you have a snail mail address you can PM me ???

TIA

NG

Hey CP

CrazyPete wrote:Sorry about the email trubs

I remembered that I had emailed you via this site, but now you have disabled that option   

Why have you disable this ???

NG

Sorry NG didnt realise i had    
All good i just shot off an email to the one you supplied me

Enjoy    

Pete

a word of caution keep your wits about you especialy on the sides of the hills in watts fully there are quite a few unsignposted holes shafts some of the hundred feet and more deep death traps i came apon my first such hole i went to step over one planning to take a little jump to safely get me across being only approximatlt four feet across i nearly fell in as at the very last momment i glanced down to my horror there was a shaft about 150 plus feet cut down into the hillside shaking with adtenilin rush i carried on detecting warily i came across a further 5 shafts in that area so just be aware of this and if you take small kids along with you be bloody carefull. Better still don't take the kids much safer. But all in all a good days detecting was had with numerous finds i will go again in the near future. But at the momment i have areas in mintaro and between Clare and Blyth gold found here recently by a guy i sold a detector to he may give us permission to detect these shallow gold bearing areas only one to two feet to bedrock nuggetts found in gravely matrix well worn only ten inches down ???? I am drooling at the thought of getting permission to detect over this new ground. Regards krakenup ken

G'Day Krakenup

krakenup wrote:Better still don't take the kids much safer.

I have an 8yo who I have taken into other parts of MC but never to Watts

Did you walk up the big hill from Watts Gully Rd. ?

or

Take the easy way from Synbank Rd. ?

krakenup wrote:But at the momment i have areas in mintaro and between Clare and Blyth gold found here recently by a guy i sold a detector to he may give us permission to detect these shallow gold bearing areas only one to two feet to bedrock nuggetts found in gravely matrix well worn only ten inches down ???? I am drooling at the thought of getting permission to detect over this new ground.

I would be really interested in tagging along if you want some company ?