manually operated dredging yabby pump

hello everyone i am new to the forum,
i have my very first question to ask,and i would love to find out your responses..
i have seen on youtube,and on the internet in general that there has been a couple of adaptations of your general yabby pump,converting it into a manually operated dredging device..
i do understand that dredging in vic is illegal..but my rationale on this matter/law is that they are specifically talking about the common dredging practices that are either electric or petrol/diesel operated..
what are your thoughts on the concept of this,and possibly the use of such a system/device being used ..

G'day Sluicifer, welcome to the forum.

As far as I'm aware, any tool or piece of equipment (such that of a yabby pump) that is manually operated by hand, in order to extract precious minerals under a miners right, is allowed for the use of gold recovery here in Victoria. Any form of automated machinery, whether electrically powered, or combust-ably driven, through the use of fossil fuels, such that of coal, petroleum or  natural gas or even steam for that matter, are not permitted in the extraction of precious minerals, under a Victorian miners right.
Checking with Parks Victoria on which creek/river allows the prospecting & recovery of precious minerals/metals under a miners right, would also be your safest bet.

Cheers Kon.

Hi Sluicifer
I agree with Kon. But some Park Rangers will argue that it is mechanical aid as it has moving parts (plunger) I spoke to one Ranger who told me this. But said that if he saw anyone using one he would not charge them as it would be a nightmare in court to prove one way or another. It is one of those fine line issues and deterpitation of the law. You can always argue that the moving part has to be done by hand, then it comes under hand tools only. But they argue, No it is not as it has a moving part and it doesn't matter if it is done by hand.
Do you see why it is a fine line thing. It is either a "Yes" thing or a "No" thing or for that matter a "Maybe" thing.
If it was me just use it and if you get caught just acted dumb and say you thought it was a "hand held tool" But as I said most Park Rangers don't want to go down that path anyway.
wombat

Thankyou very much Kon / Wombat..both of your answers and points of view have been taken on board and muchly appreciated..
I will more than likely either buy an adapter or consider making my own version of what i have seen on internet..
I do believe your both spot on with your comments,i have previously written an email to the department but as you could probably guess,I have not got any response to date and i am not expecting one as to the reasons that you both pointed out in your replies..
I will be endeavoring to continue with my prospecting in legal and ethical ways with the addition of the dredging adaptor and shall see what may eventuate if spoken to by a ranger while out prospecting...
Playing the oh im sorry i thought this would be ok because it is a mechanical device/hand operated routine...
Thanks once again guys..

Possibly the main issue with panning and dredging is that it causes turbidity in the streams.
A conventional dredge expells waste water back into the streams and makes a gigantic mess.
A yabby pump draws minimal  water and sand n gravel up into the pump where it is expelled into a panning dish or a bucket from which it is panned off into the creeks or onto the stream banks. So i guess if you can keep the stream water clean & donot destroy or damage the stream bank then all is ok. On the other hand the regs state that you are not allowed to move an earth rock from its resting place...Whatever the hell an Earth Rock is??.  On the other other hand, not many of us can say that we have been told to stop using a yabby pump.

PS.
The list of streams n rivers in Vic where we are not allowed to pan for gold is an almost endless list

if approached by anyone, you are looking for yabbies, hence the yabby pump.

steve f and Adrian it isnt a yabby pump guys..it is a yabby pump fitted with a dredging attachment on the end...
i apologise if i have caused you any confusion..

SLUICIFER wrote:steve f and Adrian it isn't a yabby pump guys..it is a yabby pump fitted with a dredging attachment on the end...
i apologise if i have caused you any confusion..

Mate please don't mention it is a "Dredging Attachment" as dredging is completely band in any shape or form in the State of Victoria and if not all, other State as well. It is a Yabby Pump accessory or extention.
wombat

& spot on. The law clearly states the use of hand operated tools only. A yabby pump regardless of an extended accessory attached, still requires the whole contraption to be manually operated by hand, making it a hand operated tool. The law is quite clear on this & no one regardless of status or position, should start adding nor taking away from it, changing the law into something that isn't, in order to suit their own agenda.

Cheers Kon.

my apologies,
kon said,,The law clearly states the use of hand operated tools only.......

The item i described is still hand operated ...
It is a valving system with a hose attached to it,the yabby pump just draws through a 6inch plastic extension with a plastic classification end piece/stop,which has a length of hose ( variable length ) coming off the plastic extension midway ..you draw product up as normal but it pumps it through the variable length hose to a remote container/catching vessel..so you are pulling and pushing on yabby pump handle continuisly and your sands/small gravels don't exit the end of the pump they travel through the variable length output hose to a bucket etc on the riverbank for example...
sorry guys i hope that clears it up...

heres a link to one of many forms of what my discussion was about..

youtube look up Peacekeeper 1966 ............

No apologies required here Sluicifer & I do agree with you. It is a tool that requires it to be manually operated by hand, in order to work it. So it has to be allowed for your intended use. If there were a law on yabby pumps to be used only & strictly for their intended purpose/use (sucking out yabbies from sand) then that would be the end of it. So I see no reason as to why you cant use it as a prospecting for precious minerals/metals tool.
Yep I see. A crevicing tool/device & that's how it should be referred to in the first place & not a dredging tool.
Like Wombat stated, leave the word dredging out of it.  

Cheers Kon.

Text removed. by A/R

thanks Kon i agree ...i was mislead by the internet...cheers....

adrian ss sorry mate i have no idea on what you said...please note i have made no comments on yabbying/fishing..
i do own and posess a Wilson branded yabby pump,a current miners right and a ton of panning , crevicing , and sluicing gear..including a highbanker...
your comments are confusing..

The post topic refers to Yabby Pumps for gold extraction.
I guess I misinterpreted.
Anyway we don't want confusion aye so I removed my reply

Adrian ss Wrote   ....The post topic refers to Yabby Pumps for gold extraction.
I guess I misinterpreted.
Anyway we don't want confusion aye so I removed my reply

its all good bro,
manually operated dredging yabby pump was the post..............must have confused you...
i am new here so i must apologize,,,, all my mistake.....im a little dislexic bro......

GPZhunter