Bundaberg Newbie

G'day All

The wife let me buy our first detector just before heading off on a 5 week trip to Darwin to see the kids, with campervan and kayaks in tow. Didn't get a chance to use it until we stopped off at Tennant Creek last Thursday week, and got in contact with Billy The Mule Man O'Shea from Prospecting in The Territory on FB...what a great bloke! He took the wife and I out into some of the most breathtaking countryside this great land has to offer, and went through the whole setup of our GPX5000, and showed me the difference in beep's and boop's and whoo-whoo's and then showed me where to start looking. He even found a signal for me and called me over so I could hear what I was looking for and let me dig up my first piece of gold at .27g. Didn't care about size...I had my first Gold!

Billy left me to my own devices and went off to do a bit on his own so I decided to put some of the things I had learnt into practice and went over the same area as the little nugget, but a little further around and down the slope a bit. Whoo-whoo...I thought I'd pulled my first nail, ring pull, nut, bolt, cartridge, but after digging in and using the plastic scoop as I was shown, I came up with the attached little pearler at 5.48g  

We're Hooked!!

If you're ever out Tennant Creek way, contact Billy on the groups FB page...he and Dale are legends!!

Cheers
Geoff
PS is there anyone on the forum from around Bundy/Wide Bay area?

G'day Geoff.
   
Nice nuggy,well done. Appreciate the info,unfortunately I'm from Vic,and slim chance of ever getting up to Tennant Creek for a swing of a coil,but don't be shy in asking any questions you might have regarding the prospecting game,for we have allot of knowledgeable people on this forum,that someone here will most likely have an answer to your question.

         Cheers Kon.

Person well done on you find indeed ! What an intro to this great hobby!
Just one thing ! Please don't put nuggets in your mouth to clean them !  You have no idea what bacteria or minerals that have been in contact with them! Yeah I know you delted the reference to doing it ! Just giving a newbie a very good health tip! Pass it on to Billy when ya see him

hi Geoff - I've just joined this informative group -- and I live in Moore Park Beach.   I haven't even got a detector yet as I've just finished reading a book from the library and it's whetted my appetite - am going to research books/dvds etc before buying my detector.   Esme

Point taken Ark...thanks

Hi Esme...it is really great fun. I have just had a day up at Mt Perry checking out some of the sites I want to look at for nuggets, and depending on what you end up with, the beach at Moore Park will certainly be good for the coins/artefacts/jewellery side of things.

PM me if I can help with your choice, and maybe we can start our own group around here...we're at Meadowvale, so your side of town!

Geoff

Thanks Geoff - am looking forward to it - can't do anything for a couple of weeks as I am taking the motorhome out through Cracow/Taroom/Miles/Bowenvale/Pittsworth/Toowoomba/Kilkivan/Biggenden for 12 days - my husband has Parkinsons disease and some dementia so am taking him on a little trip but if things go pearshaped, I can dash home within 12 hours! However, I note that the areas that I am going through have had gold in the past, so am keen to look at the countryside etc.

Geoff - just tried to PM you, but it won't let me for 7 days being new. Will contact you when we get back. Esme

No problems Esme. Hope you and hubby have a good trip and no emergencies! We're looking at doing the Cracow area in September/October for a few days, so it will be interesting to hear what you think.

Have a good one!

Geoff

hi Geoff - will contact you when the week is up. The trip is OFF - supposed to leave today but yesterday afternoon, while I was topping the water up in the motorhome, my husband got out of bed and walked out to the kitchen when he fell and broke his hip. So he goes to theatre today for surgery. Esme

Geez Esme...that is no good at all!

I hope the op goes well and recovery is quick and full. My mum broke both her femurs in October last year and has made an almost complete recovery, and I think the biggest aid in some ways was her dementia, as she didn't know she had broken her legs at all!

Please let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

Cheers
Geoff

Hi I live in Thabeban Bundaberg and have been detecting for 6 years.
so if you need some advice let us know.

Regards Neale

Thanks Neale...is there anything like a club/group/association, or just a few people who get together for a dig around Bundy that you know of?

Cheers
Geoff

hi Geoff - things are progressing at the hospital - Keith will probably be in rehab some weeks once he leaves the ward - will be interesting to see if he can still get up into the cab of the Mazda T4600!!
I bought a turbopan today on ebay - and I've got a deposit on a X-terra 705 dual detector up in Toowoomba - will go up there next week and collect it! Nice run up from here and stay with rellies overnight. Esme

Hi Esme

That is good that Keith is through the first part! If my mum is any indication, if he does the right things, he should be into the Mazda no problems. She can climb in and out of the Navara ST-X without a worry  It'll be fun to get the X-Terra up and running, and at least you can go for the drive. We're off to Maroochydore tomorrow for 5 nights and days of fishing in the boat and the kayaks, so probably won't do a lot of detecting unfortunately  

Hope all goes well with Keith!

Cheers
Geoff

wow - that sounds like great fun. My son is kayaking on his own this week - gone from Lucinda up the east coast of Hinchinbrook Island and will go to Mission beach - expects to get there Monday! He phoned his wife today for the first time in 4 days as he's had no signal - all is going well and he's having fun! Catch you when you get back. Esme

Geoff - have tried PM to you a couple of times - hope all is ok with you. Keith lost his battle a couple of weeks ago, so once all the business is sorted, I will have 'me' time - so hopefully will get stuck into some prospecting. Will sell the motorhome and buy a caravan and upgrade the Xtrail to a high clearance 4x4 (dare I say - 'proper 4x4'!!!) Looking forward to meeting up with members if you are in the Bundy area. Esme