Beginners Corner

Someone says to you - why dont we try gold detecting? Where do you go from there?

If you start any hobby, its worth while researching what is required before investing thousands of dollars into an activity, you may finish with in a few months.

To see if you like it, you need to go out with experienced prospectors who are willing to show you the ropes. I suggest that first you go with a tour group, such as Trackline Detectors or Bendigo Gold (in Vic) who will give you first hand experience on looking at the gold fields.

Talk to as many people about detecting as you can, go to a club just to see what happens - See our list of Prospecting Clubs and choose one near you.

If you still want to have a go, then work out your budget and get the best detector you can afford. I suggest that you aim for a GP3000 as a minimum with an 8" coil, for this would give you the best chance of finding small gold. You can hire one for the day as well and see how you go.

All the regular goldfields have been worked over consistently, so if you want to find your piece, then you will have to do a lot of research. Read up on gold and its properties, where it is found, history, equipment being used, regulations and restrictions on golddetecting in your state. Get your Miners Right.

Then when you go to a goldfield, if you go to the diggings, remember that is what everyone has done. However if you have done your research, you ask how the gold got there and you are on your way to find your first nugget.

Its like any sport, you get your training and you get good results. If you don't do any training, then you will find the activity extremely frustrating. There are hundreds of detectorists in the gold fields every weekend, so good luck and good hunting

Jeff