Dollys Creek worth detecting

Wondering If anybody has had any luck detecting around Dolly's Creek Goldfield , I had a couple of goes with an old FT 16000 about 15 years ago but no luck . Just after an idea if its worth pursuing, not specific locations ( But I don't mind If you tell me where the Gold is ), looks like a lot of surfacing done by the old timers

mvh12345

mvh

Yes it worth a look, why not start back were you left of 15 years ago

Thanks for the reply

Your probably right, if you don't look you will never find

mvh12345

I've got a little place close to the Dollys Creek area that always produces well. Scrub can be thick, so if there is any back burning done I'll be there in a flash!

Rob...

Thanks Rob

I think I will have ago tomorrow , going to be hot , might keep the motor bikes away. I will post if I find anything interesting

mvh12345

While your out that way take a good look around Mt Doran.





All found back in 2002 with a 2100 and 8'' ML coil

Nice haul

Out of interest, roughly how many at Mt Doran

Regards

mvh12345

Had a road trip for 7 days and got the lot that week 26 were .mt Doran all the small ones were from Enfield hard hill area

I cannot locate dollys creek, mt doran or hard hill area in the enfield state forest, looked at 50,000-1 topo and google earth, is it anywhere near misery ck or long gully and does the creek carry any water this time of year,
would appreciate any info, cheers

G'day Tezz it is not in the misery creek area or Enfield area... I am pretty sure it is towards Geelong from Ballarat Elaine rings a bell and it to the north east... Mount Doran Forrest... Hope this helps...

Cheers.

Mike.

Hello tezz

Mt Doran ,Dolly's creek is roughly south of Lal Lal which is about 20ks south of Ballarat just off the Midland Hwy. I have been going out to Mt Doran for the last few week ends with no luck as yet , but I will keep trying

Thanks mvh12345 and Mike54, I'll have to get another map, by the way any of you blokes tried the enfield state forest?, I've tried virgin ground in there as well as diggings with no luck, oh I did find a stack of 16 chinese coins buried in the side of a hole and a 1848 silver fourpence, which amazed me as I thought it was a threepence, googled it for info and it is called a groat, the English stopped minting them in 1850.

G'day Tezz I used to pan in Misery creek area many years ago before I started detecting... We had some success but didn't get rich from it... Was a lot of fun doing it... The creek is probably dry at the moment and would be a bit hot as well... When we got our first detectors we would try around the areas with little success... But I think with today's models would have more chance of finding something... Hope this helps... Sounds like an interesting find the Groat have heard of them but never found one... Have you got a pic of it would be good...

Cheers.

Mike.

Location Map

Thanks Detractozi thats a good detailed map showing the areas... Thanks again and I am sure the others would appreciate it as well...

Cheers.

Mike.

Just might help someone to walk on abit or two.

Not much water in there at this time of year but best to put it in your places to do this Winter if you are thinking of working the creeks.

Marked Gold Found was good to me and other mates but still the whole place is Au ground as all rivers bed area are Mt Doran is Reef Gold so need to work the slopes and Gullys

Hope you find and of course post back

David

common name fupence, no photo, I gave the coin to my son as he collects coins
see the link below
http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&sale=36&lot=2385&lang=1

tezz wrote:common name fupence, no photo, I gave the coin to my son as he collects coins
see the link below
http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&sale=36&lot=2385&lang=1

Not shown on your link is that the grout has a milled edge like a sixpence and is a third thicker.

tezz wrote:common name fupence, no photo, I gave the coin to my son as he collects coins
see the link below
http://images.goldbergauctions.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=1&sale=36&lot=2385&lang=1

Nice coin was yours in similar condition?? Congrats on your find...

Cheers.

Mike.

Detrackozi wrote:the whole place is Au ground as all rivers bed area are Mt Doran is Reef Gold so need to work the slopes and Gullys
Hope you find and of course post back

David

I agree with David - the whole area does reek of potential..

Good luck
A

Thanks Ararat looks like the old timers have done a lot of surfacing in those areas... Did do some detecting in the FT days with my mate around the Dolly Creek area...

Cheers.

Mike.

Nice coin was yours in similar condition?? Congrats on your find...

Cheers.

Mike.

yeah it was in good condition, was black when I dug it out, typical of stirling silver but cleaned up well.
The chinese coins were in poor condition and very thin, they would be hundreds of years old, they started making these coins 2500 years ago, he probably died somewhere there, I have seen the odd circle of large quartz wash in the bush there so I guess they are graves.
cheers Tezz

G'day Tezz I know what you mean about the old Chinese coins most of the ones I have found were the same...

Cheers.

Mike.

My mates and I camp countless of weekends over many years there and walk all over the place but you can't cover it all with a detector



Keep in mind this is not only a small nugget area

Anyone been there recently? I want to know if there's any water there for panning/sluicing as I hate my detector lol.
Great maps guys very clear and looks a good spot for a prowl

Jerry

You should find a pocket of water here or there to use a pan and even the pump but once the rains start you will have lots of water to run your pump.

Worth you taking a drive out there for the day at Forest rd and have a look





If you would like some info on the Enfield Misery Creek area for a pan or sluice then let me know and I will post some maps up.

David

Thanks so much for that.
It looks a nice and contained area for a good scout. Maybe if its nice this weekend I'll pop up for a looksie. otherwise I ll wait until i get my sluice in a few weeks.

Detrackozi wrote:Jerry

You should find a pocket of water here or there to use a pan and even the pump but once the rains start you If you would like some info on the Enfield Misery Creek area for a pan or sluice then let me know and I will post some maps up.

David

Hi David,
please post those maps of misery ck, the map I have is 50000-1, been lost twice in the enfield
cheers
Tezz

The division's first gold discoveries were along the Moorabool River, near Morrison's Station; at
Dollys Creek;

The discovery of the Steiglitz's reefs did led to the successful working of the shallow alluvial deposits
on the Moorabool River (Morrisons Diggings) and Dollys Creek. 224 It was not until gold was extracted
from much older geological deposits (known as cemented leads) that mining flourished on the two
fields. By 1858, miners at Morrison's were tunnelling under the basalt along western bank of the
Moorabool and by the following year had also discovered a cemented lead at Dolly's Creek running
from Campbell's to Brown's Hill. The auriferous gravels extracted by the miners were treated in sluice
boxes and puddling machines.

Expansion of alluvial mining
Towards the end of the 1850s other alluvial goldfields were opened in the northern portion of the
division. The first of the new fields were the Mt Doran or Tea-Tree diggings: by 1859, shallow alluvial
and cemented gravel deposits were being worked at the head of Tea-Tree Creek.225
The Stony Rises Diggings (later known as Elaine Diggings) were opened in 1862 by a small rush ,
which led to the whole of a flat next to the Geelong-Ballarat road being occupied and worked. As the
sinkings were through basalt, it was anticipated, but never proven, that a deep lead existed in the
area.226 After a brief period of alluvial mining at Stony Rises, the discovery of two auriferous reefs in
1863 227 saw the focus of mining switch to quartz. Several companies - including the Royal George,
Royal Charlie, Prince of Wales, Australasian Gold Mining, Stony Rises, Yorkeys Reef and Rose &
Thistle - were formed. The Prince of Wales and Australasian Gold Mining companies took out large
leases covering the whole of the old diggings intending to operate with both crushing and puddling
machinery 228. Both worked with little success, and the latter company went onto to search,
unsuccessfully, for a deep lead. After this, quartz mining became the business conducted on the field:
both the Royal George and Royal Charlie had erected crushing batteries by 1865.229
In 1864, the Woodbourne Creek field was opened, gold being discovered in Munroe's Gully (tributary
of Reeds or Woodbourne Creek, south-west of Meredith). In the following year, gold was obtained
from along Woodbourne Creek itself, and also Cargarie Creek.230

Dominance of sluicing and Chinese miners
The richness of cemented leads at Morrison's and Dollys Creek, and the topography of the northern
part of the division, determined that sluicing would be the most prevalent and important branch of
alluvial mining. By the mid 1860s, this industry was monopolised by Chinese miners, which was
probably a reflection of how difficult and unrewarding the mining was. In May 1860, the Dollys Creek

Diggings were described by the mining registrar as a 'poor man's field' 231, that is, only suited to being
worked by individual, or small parties of, miners and only capable of rewarding efforts with wages.
By the early 1860s the Chinese miners on Dollys creek were working the auriferous deposits that
covered the various hills to a depth of four feet.232 The auriferous material was mainly treated in sluice
boxes, though there were also five puddling machines on the field. Being a very dry area, the miners at
Dolly's Creek became reliant on water supplied by a twelve-mile water race, which came from a source
above the Lal Lal Falls.233 This race was constructed by the Moorabool Waterworks Company (also
referred to as Lal Lal Waterworks Company) and was later extended south to the Morrison's and Tea-
Tree Diggings. According to the registrar the water from the Lal Lal race enabled the Chinese to 'turn
over with profit every portion of the ground about Dolly's Creek containing the most minute particles
of gold'.

Alluvial mining revival
With a general decline in quartz mining in the mid 1870s, alluvial mining revived.238 The focus of the
work was Dolly's Creek and Morrisons 239 where miners again relied on the water from the Lal Lal
race. By this time the race appears to have been taken over by the government.240 In June 1879, the
registrar was of the view that Dolly's Creek was on the verge of another golden era because a cementlie
deposit, overlooked in the past, had been proven to be gold bearing, going as much as 2½ ounces to
the ton. 241 Sluicing and crushing ventures were formed to work the deposit, eg. David Morrisons
Water Scheme in 1879 242 and the Happy Dinah Company erected a 5-head battery in 1883.243 The
renewal of activity was brief and mining on a large scale ended.

Detrackozi wrote: The renewal of activity was brief and mining on a large scale ended.

But was there anything left??? lol
I did a quick scout yesterday on the net and seems a few people have had findings around there with pan and detector while others have found nothing....

I still intend to go for a look tomorrow although far far away