How is a conservation area different to a national park in NSW

In NSW I get that National Parks are off limits for detecting. More is the pity because they cover so much of this vast state and we would be doing a lot less damage than trailbikes and car rallies. Next time there is a forest protest I will be there making cuppas for the loggers. The green lock-up has gone too far. But back to the topic!

One of the other references and signs I have seen is the "State Conservation Area" that is managed by National Parks.

My understanding is that a conservation area is not the same as a National Park (otherwise it would have been gazetted as one) and that one is able to detect/fossick and such areas are even open to Exploration Licences. When I google, there are many conservations areas that seem to advertise fossicking as an activity there.

Is this so or am I mistaken? Or are there some special conditions in conservation areas for fossickers.

The mish-mash of rules and regulations is like a dozen pythons squeezing the life out of fossickers.

Where is the respect for the role the small timers played in NSW economic heritage!

Also trying a poll sample below...hope it does not backfire!

Most of the wildlife or vegatation conservation areas i have been past are fenced off and have locked gates and are well signposted. The ones i have been to that are open such as Yalwal (wich is a historic conservation area) are treated as national park even though the area around the mines are gazetted as conservation. I would tread very carefully in these areas.

G'day
As far I can figure it's some sort of loophole where accessable state forest areas are shut off by the greenies and state govt. by declaring them "state conservation areas".
The best local example for me is Copeland State Conservation Area which was a regular fossicking haunt to many and is still mistakenly labelled a State Forest on maps and google earth.
Now they have gates and trailcams up the wahzoo. You'd have a better chance of getting gold from Fort Knox (if it has any )
Just like most states, fossickers are constantly loosing access to decent ground here

Cheers

Chimpy

Rang someone at National Parks about this and the key bits were as follows:
Conservation areas are managed as national parks even though they are not. So bottom line no detecting (or fossicking by panning/sluicing etc) because you can’t detect in national parks!
This is because the areas have “conservation value” (things like habitat for rare and endangered species, unusual environment etc) but because they have existing “interests” over them so could not be made full national parks at the time they were listed (but might be in the future). So they were made conservation areas.
Amazingly this means that you could actually apply for a mining exploration lease in such an area and it would be considered by national parks. But I understand if you did that for a national park you would get bounced.
You can go rootin, tootin and shootin as well --- but you can’t fossick because it undermines the conservation value of the place.
I think the only endangered species in many of these locations is the fossickers and the small towns that might get a bit of drop in custom from fossickers!
I made the point that alluvial gold fields accessible to the public are in fact very rare and that such access in itself is a quality worth preserving. Especially when small miners helped open up the state.
I sensed some sympathy for the position of fossickers but this unfortunately is a fight that has been lost by apathy, lack of voice, and disorganisation in the past. If any of the long time prospectors on the forum recall how these thing occurred or if any representation was made on behalf of fossickers please outline it in a reply here.
Otherwise, if you have not already done so, at least fill out that Northern Territory petition.
And maybe we need to get some kind of petition going in NSW using the similar mechanism. If we could collect some thousands of signitures it could add weight to some kind of amendment that makes it a bit fairer. Just because our voice was not heard in the past, does not mean it can’t be heard now.