Areas around Kilkivan

we are planning a trip up and into the Kilkivan area, anyone know any areas for prospecting/detecting, bush camping and so on, remoteness is of no concern ?????????????????????

thanks in advance

Steve and Lea

Hi Steve & Lea,
Hmmm you won't find any public areas for prospecting around Kikivan & unless you've teed up permission to detect on private lands then you're up the creek - welcome to Queensland . From memory most of the locals out that way aren't real friendly toward prospectors either after much hunting of unauthorised people from properties.

If you're still keen on that area try talking to John Parsons out at the Prophet gold mine just outside of town, he'll probably talk your ear off, but he's a good fella & he knows the area like the back of his hand. If there's somewhere around there you might be able to go then he would probably know of it. From memory John used to do a bit of a touristy thing at his mine with a gold pour on some days & panning from some mullock heaps for $10 or $20 where you might pull a bit of fine gold. Could be a bit of fun in that at least.
Cheers, Andy

I live in the Gympie region,and regularly go gold-panning about 5kls from the town centre,at the Prophet gold lease..They dump a pile of gold-bearing dirt beside a water tank,and you can pan from 9am till 5pm ($11 a day)..The gold is found in small specks,to match-head size (usually several in almost every pan-full)..It is always a very enjoyable day,and the owners show you how to use your gold-pan (and you can use theirs if needed) and you often meet other panners,and discuss different spots you and they have found gold..The owner is John Parsons (5484.1226)...Neville.

thanks for the heads up there m8,, will see if we bother goin up there this time,, sounds like we need to do lots more research b4 we venture that way,, no matter what though we are goin somewhere late november to try our luck

happy hunting
Steve and Lea

Gday mate, dont worry about asking john parsons for info on detecting. people go in there almost everyday and get the same responses, which is, there is no detectable gold around kilkivan, dont bother, it was all 20ft under the creeks, then he`ll show you a few nuggets from his shop that he shows everyone (which starts getting you thinking?) and you`ll leave kilkivan convinced that your wasting your time there. I live near kilkivan and i have picked up small bits strait off the top, although i now spend most of my detecting time at places not marked on any maps as gold producing. I can tell you that kilkivan is a good nugget producing area. If you can find the mcsweenys they own most of the land around the hills and generaly dont have any issues with prospectors provided you keep gates closed etc. most of the good nuggety ground lays in the low areas below the hills and is occupied by small freehold blocks (rosemore rd). some are nice and some are not so nice toward the humble prospector. if you or anyone else would like anymore info on kilkivan (or anywhere else for that matter) i would be glad to help provided i think your fair dinkum. I would like to see this area open up to prospectors as im sure hundreds of new areas will. 90% of the ground i detect has never seen a detector. hard to belive but true. I know for a fact that the eastern goldfields of WA have seen a hundred times more attention than the areas north of gympie.

ty for that insight, very keen to hear more and maybe even team up for some detecting, or panning,, very keen to explore areas and learn as much as i can,, happy to talk on the phone if you need that to assess genuine nature and attitude,,,, hope to communicate more real soon

happy hunting
Steve and Lea

Hi Lucky, It was good to read your thread, & see someone with a bit of initiative. Your useful info on the area sounds very promising. You mentioned Mc Sweeneys, how do I locate him, just go to town & ask someone local of his where abouts? You are positive that many areas can be opened up for us prospectors. I wish I had your confidence. As most Qlders know the Government has been trying successfully for a while now to close down every little bit of available land if the mongrels get their way! My permanent home is in Brisbane, but I own 48 acres 17 ks west of Gingin. I have gone over a few areas of my property but with no success, although it has been fun knowing no one can warn me off the land. There are no real indicators for gold around here, ie quartz or ironstone even though Mt Perry is only 40 minutes away. Have you prospected up around my way? Cheers David

I was there today myself at the prophet mine. yes he also told me there is NO gold found ANYWHERE in south east QLD. he also said ALL metal detectors are a rip off and a waste of time and NO gold can be found out that way.

I shoveled and paned for an hour from the dirt pit and got a big fat zero. He claims the dirt is the best there is and usually many tailing and even nuggets.

I had no success whatsoever.

it was a nice drive though

I also went to seven mile diggings south Nanango but was a bit too hot for me out there today and that steep climb back up the hill i nealry fainted lol.

russ

Sorry folks we got flooded on the 7th and 9th of january and ive only just got a new computer. Ill make it easy for everyone ok. I run the the woolooga store/post office so when your in the area, drop in to my shop. I realy want this area to open up to prospectors and i`m thinking about selling minelab and coiltek gear from here aswell. I have found gold in all directions from my shop and i`m not talking about specks!! Ive got at over 300 gold bearing gps locations within a 100km radius and i have maps and info on this area that will give you a hard on guys. I think of it like this, my home is WA and ill be back there by july, ill never get even 1% of this gympie area in the next 20 years, so get in here fellas and we`ll do it in numbers and sort the good ground from the bad. Ive done this for 14 years and the biggest lesson ive learned is that there is enough gold out there for EVERYONE and greedy prospecting and silence is not the right way to do it because you limit yourself and never learn. Thats probably why there is so much gold still in the ground now!

Hi lucky are you open tomorrow? you have photo copies of these maps and GPS locations? never been to woolooga before. your also a store? so you sell pies too?

russ

it`s strange that the self proclaimed "guru" of the new science implicating bacteria as the culprit involved in nugget formation say`s there is no detectable gold in se qld. ecspecialy after reading the recent publication in geology mag. http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2010/09/01/gympies-new-era-golden-prophesy-john-parsons/.

well i am only guessing he simply doesn't want metal detectors in the area? he certainly wont let you use one on his property.

russ

by the sound of you Russ a pie is about all your gonna get off me mate but like i said if i think your fair dinkum ill help you find gold

why wouldnt i be fairdinkum? spending $6300.00 on GPX5000 and travelling all over the country side i couldnt be more serious. asking if you had meat pies was a genuine question. its hard to get a good pie these days even from a country town.

and not to mention to drive 2 1/2 hrs to hear what you have to say. thus the question if your open tomorrow.

russ

good meat pie...blackwater bakery tops

Yeah im open all day everyday russ and we sell the best four and tweny pies in the country!! see you when you get here

lol fair enough.
I actually found a baker recently who took over from the previous owner who made crap pies. But this new guy spent 25 years working beside bakers in Vietnam and is self taught. he makes all his own pies and sweets. most bakeries buy in their sweets and a lot buy in their pies also and only bake bread products on site.

But this guy makes the lot, Gordon st Cleveland Brisbane if your ever out this way. try the tiger loaf bread.

russ

News 19th January 2011 The Gympie Times

A DRIVE to the beautiful South Burnett towns of Woolooga, Kilkivan and Goomeri was a little slower than usual – but nobody was complaining.

The hold-up was road works just past the Sexton turn off, after the Lower Wonga Hall and Serpentine Creek where a substantial chunk of the road disappeared.

I U-turn off the Wide Bay Highway into Woolooga to find a particularly nasty patch of road – but the little township has had bigger problems than potholes.

Andrew Hadson from the Woolooga store experienced first-hand the damage done last week by the town’s biggest flood since 1894.

“It came up on Friday, January 7 and on January 9 it came up again but only to the floorboards the second time,” he said.

“We’ve lost everything we own.

“Everyone came and helped including the SES and Rural Fire Brigade. We only got our power back on Sunday after being without it for nine to 10 days.

“We had a centimetre of mud in the shop, it looked like a war zone, it was unbelievable.”

Mr Hadson said white goods banging against the shop walls also caused damage.

The store’s fridges and freezers have to be replaced, along with a fridge in the kitchen bought only three months ago. One of the freezers was actually taken away by floodwaters and has not been seen since.

“The rails from Kilkivan Pony Club took four hours to get to Woolooga along the floodwaters,” Mr Hadson said.

He and his partner, who live in the house at the back of the shop, have to open the shop each day even though they’ve got not stock, as customers still want to access the post office services.

Like a lot of stories to come out of the floods, Mr Hadson said too has a nice new story.

“We had a collection tin that had money in it for the man whose plants we sell.

“The tin got washed away but somebody recognised it and brought it back to us and we could give it to the man who owned the plants.

“There are a lot of good people out there and Woolooga has real community spirit.”

Further down the road, the township of Kilkivan didn’t escape destruction.

The Kilkivan Lions Club lost its cold rooms and a van. With the club marked to sponsor of the town’s Australia Day concert quest, but now having experienced loss of assets, the event has been cancelled. The concert was for anyone who wanted to perform an act but rather than have judges, the performers names went into a hat and the winner was drawn. With the loss of the club’s assets, the event has been cancelled but the actual awards will still go ahead.

hi there Lucky,,, very curious to know more and join your endeavours to explore this area, keep us posted and lets see what we can organise

happy Hunting
Steve and Lea

Hi Lucky. I will be in your area over Easter with a detecting club, i will drop in for a chat.

I think i better clarify a bit here. when i say i`ll help anyone who is fair dinkum what i should have said is: Im not gonna put an x on a map and tell you exactly where to dig a nugget, i can narrow the search down to certain areas and maybe put you onto the owners of the land, and anyone who is "fair dinkum" already knows the rules. I`m not gonna sit a huge nugget in your lap!. It`s like fishing. I can tell you the areas but its up to you to go and catch the fish for yourself mate!!

yes thats what happened Shelby... thanks for enlightening us Ive had a few guys in here since i posted that message and they were all newbys at detecting. Thats why i have to warn people to NOT to come here and expect me to devote my whole self to their disires of finding big slugs on my clock while i`m trying to run a post office and shop. If you want to see me, contact me first please and we`ll take it from there. I dont realy want to deal with people who have no knowledge of gold and have no experience at all because ive had a rough week dealing with them and to be truthfull, they have a long road ahead of them. They need to hook up with someone with knowledge in detecting and listen and learn. Luckly, ive had the good fortune of being the first detector in alot of rich ground around australia, which has given me an instict for potential new ground. It`s everywhere!!! I haven`t got the time to teach everyone gold prospecting from scratch but i would if i could.

hi lucky
I ve been through Kilkivan area twice in the last 18 months and your right about the mine ...lol, got told that metal detcting was a waist of time around there. The better half and I found the area nice and rich with history, found a nice spot a bit north east of Kilkivan that I did a bit of coin shooting ...found 3/4 sixpences, english penny and a nice little gold ring. I only spoke to one farmer there and he offered to let me detect on his land so next time.... for shoooooore. Can t wait to get back up there.

cheers lucky 1

[quote="Razgo"]I was there today myself at the prophet mine. yes he also told me there is NO gold found ANYWHERE in south east QLD. he also said ALL metal detectors are a rip off and a waste of time and NO gold can be found out that way.

I shoveled and paned for an hour from the dirt pit and got a big fat zero. He claims the dirt is the best there is and usually many tailing and even nuggets.

I had no success whatsoever.

it was a nice drive though
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sorry about the stuffed up reply mate........here it is again-------------------------------------------------------------------



I also went to seven mile diggings south Nanango but was a bit too hot for me out there today and that steep climb back up the hill i nealry fainted lol.

Yeah well...I already tried to get into some of these areas many years ago and John always insists there is nothing left there, (but heaps in the rubble he recycles!). I have some friends who know some of the people who worked the mullock heaps in the German,Italian and Bakers creek areas and apparently have made plenty from just the leftovers in the rubble...the gold seems to originate from the reefs within the whole ridge...I'd love to be able to swing there higher up on the ridges but haven't been lucky to get permission...
I have panned more from the creek near the Rossmore Park than I have seen come out of the rubble at Johns mine !
Mate, Nanango is another story, My avatar pic here was actually taken in Diggings Gully, I picked up a few small ones that day, biggest just over 2 grams, yes I know everyone told me its a waste of time as there is nothing left and it is all too small, but, I'm smiling .....I have been there many times in the past and way back in about 1995 I actually just did a bit of panning, also rewarding with some nice colours...the upper end of the diggings is now of limits as it has all been subdivided into small lots, it has always been too dry anyhow, but in the lower end there is still plenty of room for swinging, yes,a little rough in places but that makes it more profitable as many don't persist, some places have lots of rubbish, but ! rewards are still there, we also found a heap of bullets and buttons etc all suggesting the area really hasn't had a proper going over...good luck if you venture there again, I certainly will return...
cheers SS

yes i will be back there again when its cooler and i am a bit fitter . you have to be fit to get up and down those hills for sure. glad you had some luck though so thats a positive outcome. For me now i am heading south again NSW.

russ

good luck heading south of the border, there should be plenty of spots replenished after all the rains.
cheers SS

The areas around kilkivan that are the common areas for nuggets are: anywhere along the first 3km of west coast creek rd including Italian gully which is about 1km down the WCC rd on the right and over the hill, the back of the old cemetery on rosemore rd and the low lying country around mt Booboo, not high!! no nuggys up in the hills themself they are all at the bottoms and in the foothills from the rosemore turnoff to the cemetery. the dirt at the prophet mine comes from about 2km down rosemore rd on the left side, you can see where most of the dirt come from in bakers and german gully if you keep your eyes on the left side and the old haul rd is now fenced off. Just remember the foothills off rosemore rd!!

Im finding gold about 15km from there in very young rocks compared to kilkivan (330myo). west coast creek gives itself away with the amount of quartz lying about and the old timers where "quartz chasers" so to speak, and thats the 2 out of 100 miners who actually looked for their own finds (outside the actual Kilkivan trend). I wont be surprised if someone finds a whole new field out here!!

Hello everyone who is searching for gold around gympie, kilkivan area get out your maps and search for a little town called Gundiah just a little north of this town is a small gold mine that was worked in the 1930s its not listed in Gold & Ghosts and its not on geological maps and I dont have the co-ordinates but it is there it was a golden reef of gold exposed above the surface. Now to find it you get on old Netherby road going north past Gundiah and its located on a 600 acre property the owners are friendly. When travelling north on this road the railway crosses the road, you have gone to far its about 1 km back the other way the gold mine is close to the rail tracks about 100 metres, now gold could have shed from the quartz reef over time and travelling into the nearby gully and surrouding area so it would be an area to run the detector over hope this helps with your search and future exploration.