Swedish dream

Gidday! Im from Sweden and have a dream to come and detect! New to detecting but have tried both coindetectors and Gold bug in Finnish Lapland where I spend a few weeks every summer. Digging a river on a clubclaim feeding my Highbanker. We sleep in tents or in caravans. Last summer was 2-17 degrees C! So used to sleep in cold weather in a tent. Member of a Goldpanning club and love a forum we have called www.guldforum.se (there is a section in English    )  Planning to visit Western Australia in June. Now to the questions! June is in the most rainy season? Will buy a car to sleep in to get away from bugs and snakes. Is it a must to have a 4x4? A Falcon estate or similar is cheaper. But dont like to get stuck in the ev mud! Will be out for a month. Nature around Leonora/Laverton seem wery flat so can I get of the asphalt with a 2wd? Any other region you recomend? Will buy a used gpx5000 in Perth on arrival. Will try to sell the stuff again before leaving. Renting becomes very expensive! Trying to do my reseach on maps and Tengraph to get onto allowed ground. Any help is very apprechiated! Kenneth

Welcome to the forum swedes63.  June is our winter in australia but that is also the time we head to the more northern areas to detect as is not so hot. The temp is good through the day and cool for sleeping at night.  A good fire pit to keep warm and cook on would be enjoyed.
re vehicle, a lot of the back packers here on tight budgets use the ford falcon wagons and flatten down the rear seat so can sleep in the back. There should not be a lot of mud as you put it but we can get some rain and dirt tracks do then get boggy.
we have always used a 4wd but that has been our choice and we do go bush off the tracks and do need it then for clearance underneath.  
---Petrol cars need to be much more careful as they will pick up and spinefex or grass underneath and that becomes a real fire hazard.  Diesel exhausts are not quite so dangerous but care should always be taken.
really it all depends how far off road you want to go. Gold can be found where you can get a 2wd car to and if you are careful you can get onto many tracks with care.
others will add more to this surely but I'm sure you will love it here, just do not take to much yellow back with you. Cheers travelergold

Hi Kenneth,
Welcome to the forum............
Firstly, I suggest you check out the APLA website which will give you a lead in to things like the "MINERS RIGHT" which you must have !!!
I suggest you join APLA which covers you for insurance.........also you can join one of the clubs and maybe "tag along"......our Mandurah club has an annual gold detecting trip in May.
Don't worry too much about snakes between May and August,(I've only seen 4 in 30 years of detecting).
Regarding the vehicle, a car is OK but just use common sense (some people with 4WDs tend to get too confident and get themselves into deep trouble).
If you get stuck just wait a day or two and it should dry out enough for you to get out of the problem......in the meantime try to prospect where you are.
A GPS and a compass is a must.....and consider purchasing a PLB and or a Satellite phone......and a 5 watt UHF 2 way radio.......and remember SPARE batteries !

Be lucky.

Just click on link below.

+++ APLA web site +++

HI Kenneth,
and welcome to the forum.

As new into detecting and in a country i would personally take a organized tour for 7-10 days.
They organize all and u tag along but all licences and paperwork is done.Sure and on gold a well and in a group which is safe.

Might cost you few dollar more but it would be much more pleasant experience and save you much work and potential problems.

Detecting in Australia for many tourist is highlight of their life not just for gold but for experiencing nature and this continent.

But we all have budget and our own ideas.

Please make sure you get prepared 120%.This adventure of yours is not just picnic down the road.
Some poor planing and bad choices can have horrible consequences.
Please read and take the advises from our members very seriously (many do this trip every year).There is not anything to joke about it.
Plan it, plan it and plan it.

Ask as many questions as you want.You will get most of the answers and suggestions back to you.

This is the moist beautiful country but can be unforgiving.

I wish you all luck possible but do not just rely on it.

Hope you have time of your life and be safe.


GoldEN

Thank you for welcoming me! I will for sure take in all your advices and plan everything accordingly. A lot of tagalongs seem fully booked but there might be others that I can contact when I get closer to actual dates.

There is a Swedish couple that come to Dunolly every year for a few months.
Been coming for about 5 years that I know of.
Last trip, a few months ago, they got a 44 grammer just out of town

Preparing for the snakes! This is from a roundabout outside Stockholm.