Tibooburra 2018

HI all,

I am planning my first trip to Tibooburra in Aug for a week to check it out. I've been reading posts from the past years on the place but there seems to have been a few changes there over the last year and a half. I understand that you now need to pay $10 for a months detecting on the common, Mt Brown is out of bounds, other than that is there any other areas you can go that you can camp and detect with or without a fee? Is Mt Stu and Gumvale Stn open for detecting? Are there areas around that have gold that is not on any property that I will be booted:?:

Do I need to go to the Pub and corner shop to get permission for all these places?

I will be travelling from Bourke to the Tib via Wanaaring, has anyone travelled through there recently? If so whats the road like and how long does it take?

Sorry for all the questions, the game here is a bit different than in WA

Cheers

Skyhawker

Hi Skyhawker, you can detect on Mt Stewart for $15- per day for each detector. If you are sharing one then you only need to pay for one. Camping on Mt Stewart is $5- a night I think and you pay at the corner store over the road from the Family Hotel.
Gumvale is $10- per day and I think it may be $4 per night, not certain about that though. You pay at the Tibooburra Hotel for Gumvale. When at the roadhouse you may be able to buy a copy of Jim Foster's booklet on where to detect at Tib If she hasn't sold out. It is most useful.
Have a great trip and I hope you find lots of yellow. Let us all know how you faired.
Good luck, Sparrowfart.

Thanks, Sparrowfart, appreciated

My Tibooburra Gold book can be purchased at the Roadhouse. Good luck for your trip.

Jim.

Hi skyhawker, we were in tib in oct last year.  We went up from sa via broken hill, good road. Then went east via white cliffs and that was a bad mistake. The last 40km were the worse road (not graded for over 5 years) we have seen anywhere in australia, much worse than tanami track, or the developmental road 8 years ago. We were warned at the road house that wanaaring road was atrocious and to avoid at all costs.   The young lady at the roadhouse is extremely helpful with lots of info, the opposite to the help, or lack of at the hotel. When we were up there there was a lot going on behind the scenes between both businesses. (I think re prospector charges ect) If staying at caravan park fees are payed at servo and facilities are good.   The bit of detecting we did there we were very happy, just to hot that time of year for my health. Lots of good ground, you could hit a golf ball anywhere on the common and was always small gold to be found. We would like to go back in cooler mths if time permits as did well for time there.  Good luck on your trip. TG
Ps. Down towards milparinka 20 odd kms, there is also good ground with couple small nuggets found 200 mts of road. Lots of good looking ground everywhere up there.

Thanks for that Jim I will.

Hi Travelergold, thanks for that info much appreciated. If the Wanaaring rd is as bad as you say I might make a call just before I go to see if there are any changes to the road. I was told it is about a 7 hr trip from Bourke to Tib via Wanaaring, so I just want to make sure it's not going to take 2 days lol. I know how bad the Tanami rd is, I travelled some of that a few years ago, she was pretty rough. But some of the locals didn't seem to mind doing prob 80 k's in clapped out fords haha.
Cheers for the heads up for the ground especially towards Milparinka I might have a gander down that way if I get time.

Luke

it is about 330km from Broken hIll to Tibooburra. There are 7 unsealed sections for a total of about 52km unsealed. Last time we drove down from Tib about 3/4 weeks ago it wasn`t too bad.

cheers Jim

Thanks Jim

It's been a few years since I last did the Bourke to Tib road via Wanaaring. We were towing off-road campers and encountered little problem. We let the air pressures down and were careful on the short stretches of good road approaching the National Park towards Tib before airing up. It took us a fair part of the day but not 7 hours as we had plenty of time to set up camp during winter. That time included a good stop for lunch at Wanaaring. We encountered a local driving his Fairlane or LTD at one point but I can not remember the particular section. From memory it was lots of sand and a bit rough in places. it is still used today by the locals of course. Be careful if you do go that way of bends with soft sand across a lot of the road as one side of your car will want to go a faster speed than the other.

Thaks for that Detectist. Do you remember roughly how long that road took?

Sorry not sure.  I think it was about 6 but count on 7 and you should be fine.  Depends on your experience a bit and if you are towing, get a flat or two etc etc.    Check also on road conditions before heading off. We are to do the Cut Line ourselves in about 3 weeks if all goes according to plan.

Almost time to leave for Tib on 29 July. Van packed already partially packed with dry food and some camping equipment. Fly nets packed. Permission obtained from one of the EL holders and will get permission from one of the landholders to camp and detect. Really looking forward to it.

Going to go via Bourke and the Cut Line in our new off-road van. We will stay at Wanaaring this time and hopefully have a meal at the pub.

And after 2 weeks in Tib, we are heading off to Vic for a few weeks. Hopefully we'll get more than the one (small) bit I got last time.

Gday Has anyone got any more updates on Tib for gold finds or available gold ground.
Regards big fella

I do not know about gold finds but for available ground it looks like - the common, Mt Stuart Station and Gumvale Station. There would seem to be 2 EL holders for some of the ground available on the stations. A number of Stations or EL land are still not available, eg around Mt Poole, Mt Browne.

Gday Detectist thanks for your reply and all the best on your trip.
Regards big fella

One thing we have never bothered about around Tibooburra are EL's. Nor do I know of anyone else who does. We simply get permission from the station owners and away we go. I do know Mt Brown and Mt Pool are closed to prospecting and have never bothered trying to get on them.

Mt Stuart, Gum Vale and the Common provide more than enough ground for us to explore. This year, over a period of three weeks of very casual detecting, about half of the more than 800 bits we found came off the common. The friend very keen who was with us found around 600 bits mostly from Tunnel hill and Evans Gully. But he'd be up working while we were having breakfast and while we'd head home no later than 4pm he wouldn't knock off until 5pm. So there are plenty of little bits still to be found around the Corner Country goldfields.

I might add we were all using SDC2300s which accounts for the large number of bits we found. I might suggest that if you are not using a 2300 you will probably do best on Gum Vale where the average gold is slightly bigger than on the other fields.

Best of luck, Jim

Just drove from a pie shop/cafe in Bourke to Wanaaring. We are staying in Wanaaring tonight. The trip from Bourke took just over 3 hours. We are towing 2.5t with a 200. Plenty of "be careful ofs" but quite doable. Lots of 80kph areas and 60kph areas. We also dropped down to 20 and 40 on occassion Because of soft sand and bulldust. Lots of roos, mainly splattered and left on the road, plenty of bones left on the road. Some corrugations, and then a couple of areas which said the road got worse (and did). Despite all this, lots of varied landscape, great visibility, blue skies and only 3 hours ( though we've done this type of driving before). We engaged the lsd (centre diff) and left it in except for bitumen stretches. Almost had to go low range once but that was driver error. Local tyre dealers told us he runs 28psi in his land cruiser and does mail run. We had 30 and did ok. Take notice of all advisory signs and enjoy.
I'll report on the Cut Line/Tibooburra road tomorrow from Tib.

Edit - just back from the pub where people are waiting, including the patient, for the flying doctor. The bit of ground I had difficulty with 10 km out of Wanaaring caused trouble for a biker who broke his ankle. And, the local medico described the drive from Bourke as 2 hours. We did it in just over 3.

Gday Thanks everyone for updates. I've been a regular there since 1978 but its always good to have updates and for anyone new to the area I reckomend as a great experiencs with or without gold thanks again.
Regards big fella

The roads in from Wanaaring to Tibooburra are mainly hard clay. Easy 3 1/2 hours. Did hit an emu though unfortunately. Went back to make sure of him. Not pleasant. Enjoy your time here when you come up.

Hi all, just back from Tib after a week detecting. I got 5 grams and the wife 4.25 for 7 full days detecting. this is a bit below our usual of 1 to 1.5 per day. It is getting a bit scarcer up there.
Allso they are sealing the last section of dirt before Tib. coming up from Brocken Hill I think that leaves 6 to go. God bless them!

Hi Traveler gold...I was reading your comment about some gold about 20 km out from tib towards Malparinga ...I was there last Aug and got 100 bits just in the local common ...that place you talk about ...do you know which station its on ...so I can get permission... Thanks for any advise you can give me on that spot 20km out ...cheers