old halls creek

I did some prospecting around old halls creek a very long time ago now after a long break I am planning to go and have another look around.Can anyone tell me if the gold mines have become active and closed access to some areas for gold prospecting. The mine was just gearing up around Bradley Mine at the time but not sure if they are still there and if so how much area they have taken.
thanks if you can share any insight.

AFAIK all the open cuts in an around Old Halls Creek closed years ago, there was some interest in the Golden Crown area with a lot of drilling etc but I think all that went by the way side too.

Hope this helps,

JP

Thanks for the reply JP. It does not supprise me that mining operations eventually expand. Years ago I followed the suggestions from Douglas stone books and I found a lot had changed since he wrote the book.I was able to find gold producing ground in the area but my lack of experience at the time limited the find. Now I am equiped with the latest gpx 4500 and gps,maps etc and ready to explore a bit further.
Any current information about roads,access, and activity is very appreciated.
cheers

G'day Vasilios.

All you have to do is ask Ray that question.He has traveled around and through Halls Creek Township and Old Halls Creek itself ,the last three years in succession. Hec, I'm sure he said he's driven through most major and miner open cuts,including, through Bradley and major tunnels,ravines and gorges,around the vicinity.Yes I'm quite sure he'll know whats currently open and if in operation or not.



Cheers kon61.

It would be great if there is just one person out there who can tell you something thats true rather than information that takes you in the wrong direction into a duffer zone.
I dont want to hear " x " marks the spot or trade secrets but information about road closures would be handy.
I can tell you that an lod aboriginal fellow advised me never to harrass a king brown snake because they will hold there ground.
Perhaps this may help some ppl who don't know australian conditions.I hv been chased before by snakes and miners for just trying to hv an adventure.Perhaps gold fever is related to greed.

Hi vasilis
just had a look on tengraph there is some pending ground open around Mt Pandora just out side old halls creek

There is plenty of good ground around Old Hall Creek - the goldfields stretch from Alice Downs station in the north down to the Tanami. My mate mined the Golden Crown in the eighties and did well with a 100tph plant - sold to the Smiths who a couple of years later went broke.

Last time I passed through there was a squatter living in the shack at the Golden Crown. Precious Metal Australia had a fairly big operation on the other side of the road from the G/Crown turn off - now closed, the pit has water in it but never checked the quality of it.) Just get out there and spend some time - I have found more gold in that area than anywhere else - but also spent a lot more time there.

Jonathon - met your brother there a quite a few years ago - caravan, truck and quad bike - looked like he was doing good.

John

Thank you again to all the replies. Its great.
I wonder if precious metals mine have closed off the area to Ruby Queen. It was extremely difficult to get in due to the road conditions way back then.
By the way John was it a chap named Dereck that had the golden crown because I actually bumped into him in a remote gully not far from there.He was one of the very helpful ppl I met on the field.
I am hoping to get up there this yr and really love that sort of landscape and goldslingers suggestion snds gd.will do some research on it.
cheers vasili

Go past Old Halls Creek, turn off and go through the old Golden Crown and follow the tracks to the NE. This will bring you down to the Elvire River. There is one water hole there that holds good water all year with interesting gold country all around. Its a great camp site. Plenty of surfacing work was done around there in the early 80's

B-T

Water hole is approx: 18.16' 39S and 127. 53' 18"E OK

B-T

G'day B.T, my brother has a Ford F 250, I have a Mitsubishi Canter 4x4 truck with 900R16 singles all round both of us have quads, was camped mid way along the main track to the 12 mile for a few months back in 2006 with the wife and kids and did reasonably well working out of the way places on the pending ground etc. Lots of very fond memories of Halls creek and environs dating back to the VLF days in 1995, love the country, the gold and especially the views, the place grabs you by the heart strings and never lets go.

JP

Thanks B-T this information will help me navigate my way to some beautiful country just as John pointed out. I love this area and the rugged lanscape but may need a few more sitdown setions on my deck chair.
I have a gps and maps of the area so will aim to get there and ofcourse will have to get the section 20 now. Did not need this yrs ago.
Does anyone know if section 20 is obtainable via a web site ?

cheers Vasili

The best way to get to the Ruby Queen is about 22km's down the Tanami track then take the road left (north) out past Blue Bar Mine and take the last right (before the road swings way left and goes to Horse Gully) out to the Shyna (chyna?) springs community (abandoned last time I was there). Be careful not to get bogged in the creek you need to cross. You will go out past a single grave and an abandoned ghost town. The road will take you around the back of the range to the Ruby Queen. I did hear before Jacob died (old timer who lived at Dockrell) he sent some Americans out there thinking there was nothing and they found about 2kg's of gold on the side of a hill. The rumour maybe true went out there after to have a look and Martin (old halls ck) aparrently pushed the Hill. The americans then aparrently swept the creek bed below the hill and got a few more oz's.Also heard Jacob detected the creek draining the Ruby Queen mine and after digging kg's of rubissh found a 3oz specimen. The creek also has a lot of fine gold.

Yes, Palm Springs Au Mine has been closed for years. Yes, there was drilling near the Crown Mine back in 2005. Nicolson's Find over near Lamboo has been sold to Bullion metals and will be mining in afew years but the gold in that area is fine but you can get colours in the creeks.

The detail over area down the Tanami track is pretty good in Google earth and you can pick the turns and your way out to Rubu Q.

Section 20a needs to be printed off and posted in..

link to print it up

http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/1766.aspx#10905

and print out form 1A


Regards pete in WA

Hi vasilis

I had all the links for the below data but they went to a add and not to the file did anyone else have the same trouble.

If you PM me I will post the link on there and will see how it goes.

(Jeff Help what going on with your site links will not work here but yet works on all the other sites.)

I am not sure if you have Ozi-Explorer but also have done them for Google Earth.


All Data here is for Ozi-Explorer and Google Earth users



Here is a selection of Currant as of 5-02-2011 Tenements for the Gordon Downs 250K Geomap/Topomap


These are the track files for the currant WA Tenement for the Gordon Downs 250K map



These are the track files for the 20A Block numbers for the Gordon Downs 250K map


Once you have loaded the above track file you can now load these waypoints so you can see the numbers of the blocks within the Block



If you have not got Ozi-Explorer then here are the same as above but are as Kml files so you can load then into Google Earth


Block Numbers for 20A

WA Tenements Gordon Downs


Here is the Excel SpeadSheet of the Selection of the currant Tenements with the full details.


David






http://www.4shared.com/file/H3KoKj0r/Gordon_Downs_250k_Data.html

nicolsons find @ halls creek find is about to start production again, Love to find the history of this mine, as it is accepted in my family that my great  great uncle was in the original prospecting party with charlie hall that discovered gold in the kimberley, we have excerpts from records and diary notes etc , and another gg uncle was also in the area at the time