planning a visit

Hi Everyone, I've been detecting here in the UK for about 8 years and recently took up a bit of goldpanning too. I've been thinking about a detecting trip to Aus for a while and want to get the ball rolling, I'm thinking maybe May/june time. Today I phoned a local dealer about buying a 4500 and he basically said "no chance" a massive shortage apparently. What's the situation with you folks? Big waiting list? No detector, no trip What's my chances of getting one by mid May? Or should I just go to Sudan with my Explorer

I am on the waiting list and was told 12 weeks........

Manxdan

Why not buy your 4500 there or is there also a waiting list and if not at what cost will you have to pay.

David

Hi David, the dealer I tried was here in the UK. Not too sure about the price yet think it's around £3500. Don't get me wrong. I know that having the top of the range detector won't guarantee success but when your traveling such a distance you want to give yourself the best chance.

The best I've managed is to put a deposit down and wait. I'm told the begining of April so a visit this season looks possible

G'Day ManxDan,

Which part of Australia are you heading to? It's a much bigger country than you might be used to, so it would be a really good idea to ask lots of questions and have an idea were you want to go.

Regards
John

Have you thought about organising a tour with a gold prospecting tour guide and hiring equipment from them. Would probably work out the cheapest way for you.

Hi John, Ski

I'm heading for WA, flights booked for mid may for a 7 week stay. I agree a tour could be a good way to get started and meet some like minded folk. Any tours you would recommend?? Me and a mate visited Australia during 99-2000. We bought a little Toyota tarrago and did allot of traveling over 6 months, Darwin down to Ayres rock, over to Cairns, all the way down the East coast, down to Adelaide and from there up to coober peddy. I was more into my fishing and diving back then and had a great time.
I've just got JP's SETA DVD so that's my home work for the weekend
An old timer in our detecting club used to visit WA. I met up with him last night and he told me a few yarns about his prospecting trips in the late 80's and 90's, He's been a good help.
I Know I've got a heck of allot to learn and I am a realist. I'll be treating this trip as an introduction to prospecting,Hopefully make some new friends and if I come home with a few bits of yellow then I'll see that as a bonus
What sort of day/ night time temperatures can you expect mid May- July? And with regards to a vehicle, can you access gold bearing areas from tarmac roads or do you really need a 4x4 to be in with a chance?

Hi ManxDan,



Contact

jfoster@whitsunday.net.au



Possibly buy his CD Westralian Gold, in it he has a lot of photographs and details of his trips into WA.



Cheers and happy hunting

Ron

Hi Ron, that's very helpful

Cheers
Dan.

Hi Dan
For weather info look up Bureau of Meteorology and get temps for Kalgoorlie Leonora Laverton.As for vehicle info I have used a 2wd campervan with extra spare tyres for a season with no problems.The best thing is to do try and go out with people you meet in Vanparks.There are areas where you will run into fellow prospector and areas where you wont see anyone for weeks.One wrong decision (like sinking a 2wd vehicle up to its axles in a dry sandy creek bed) can can put you in a dangerous position.

You can get to good detecting ground in a 2wd vehicle,But if you are the type of person that wants to go up that ridge and over that drycreekbed its best to go 4wd.A poptop Toyota Landcruiser is a good as any.
Doug Stones lastest book A$125 will get you onto the right dirt and will Granite Jim Fosters CDs
As for machines My recomendation would be anything from a gp3000 up coupled with a 14 x9 mono.Do you have to go the whole hilt and get a gpx4500,not really on normal timings the differences are incremental not massive .Walking over the gold is the main challenge
Cheers Dig

cheers Dig, lots of helpful stuff there for me to work on. I have a few friends who've been out before and might be able to make some contacts through them. Other than that I think the main thing is get to the van parks near the goldfields with a good detector and a reliable vehicle. I definitely wouldn't put myself at risk by wandering off road on my own. I've got over 3 months to learn all I can from the armchair but there's no substitute to actually swinging the coil
Regards, Dan.

Hi Dan,
If your interested in a tour, check out Mark Hydes Gold Prospecting Australia tours, he can do "All inclusive" which includes detector hire, or "Tag along"
He does several WA tours every year. His web site is www.goldprospectingaustralia.com.au I was the cook on his tours 3 years ago, and he always camps "On the gold". It gives new commers a huge advantage to camp exactly in the right areas, with expert tuition. Anyway good luck with your plans,
Shell

Cheers shell, I did enquire about mark hydes tours and they looked really good, unfortunately Ieft it too late and all the tours for the year are full.
But as they say, one door shuts another one opens and I've been in touch with a bloke fom here in the UK who goes to WA every year. He's invited me to tag along with him so I'm really pleased Hopefully the 4500 will arrive in time
Regards, Dan.

Glad to hear that you have your trip sorted, we wish you the best of luck, and you never know we may bump into you out there.
The season can't arrive quick enough for me.
Cheers,
Shell

Thanks Shell. Best of luck to both of you for the season, can't be long now. Just ordered a copy of Doug Stones latest book, not the cheapest book i've ever bought but worth it hopefully.
Yeh might bump into you along the way, stranger things have happened like when I was at a campsite in Adelaide. I was walking into the shower block when out walks a bloke I went to school with here in the Isle of man I'd been traveling down the east coast, he'd been down the west coast and we were both at the campsite for just one night! Tis a small world!
Thanks to all for replies and good hunting