Creswick Sunday - Panning

Got a nice big collection of red and blue stones also. Not sure what they are. One red stone the size of a garden pea...
Good fun for a few hours' panning.

well done sam,
looks like you got some good gold there too,almost nuggety?
cheers
GM

Yeah a couple of big bits down about half a spade deep in the creek. Time to trade the wellies for waders!
And the pan can take a back seat, time to build a sluice and shovel into it harder than an American tourist at a Hilton breakfast bar

Thanks for sharing Sam.
The reds(and pale reds) are zircon the blue is sapphire.
cheers Tributer

great going there Sam...who needs a detector?
at least you get different colours, as for us it's
only metal - yellow (if any) or otherwise...
well done
bedrock

Hey sam,
im thinking of having a go at panning for the first time, so just wondering if you have any tips or links to vids/articles? . i hear theres a bit of technique required for it. not after your spot at all, as ive a heap of likely spots in mind.
cheers
GM

Gday there Goldmuss78,
I would recommend coming along to a PMAV Ballarat outing to learn like I did in April. The guys showed me a lot when it came to technique. I'm an old hat now after my fourth outing!

I did watch some youtube videos. I got the hang of left/right liquefaction, but it took a few minutes of watching someone to get the backwards forwards washout right.

There is one outing each month, and the club meets at the Old Colonists the first Weds of each month at 7pm.

There is a panning outing this Sunday the 17th at 8.30am for a few hours if you can make it. If you want to meet us:
Heading out of Ballarat towards Creswick, Turn right off Creswick R onto Kelly's Lane and follow it about 1200m to the end at Codes Forest Rd, we will all be meeting there.
https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Corner+of+Kelly%27s+Lane+and+Codes+Forest+Rd.Cabbage+Tree&hl=en&t=m&z=16
You can pick up a pan from the Gold shop for 25 bucks, buy a licence online. The PMAV costs fifty bucks if you sign up afterward.

I usually pan at Slatey Creek Picnic Ground Number 1,2 or 3 (mostly 3) , no secrets there, plenty of space for all. The guys from the club freely showed me some nice spots they got results and encouraged me to try there too, they aren't a greedy bunch. With so much gravel after the floods moved it about, there are virtually kilometers of untouched spots to try.

If you see a bloke in a blue VW van stop in and say gday.

Sam.

thank mate!
appreciate the detailed reply.
it sounds like it will be a good outing, ill try to make it for sure. would be great to get some tuition from some pros.

cheers

Sam will you all be there all day? I work night shift Sat night so after a sleep for a few hrs I may head down to check it out too. I've never panned and only just started with detecting but I want to try it all!

Brett

Hey Sam, ive been panning flatout for the last 6 months and have done about 25 trips out. The best thing you can do is get a large pan of sand but dont over fill then put a small piece of gold you have found on top, if you can do 10 pans and not lose it then your doing pretty well. When I go to a new river to do test pans, I always leave a spec in the bottom to make sure your not rushing them. I took about 15 mins per pan when I started but now I can do a full one in about 3 -5 mins, any quicker and you'll start losing gold.
Also check the rivers your legally allowed to pan in, when I got my miners right and found out that 90% of rivers in vic are excluded from panning it really took the wind out of my sails. If you are going in a river which is excluded from panning make sure you leave the river the way you found it, otherwise if a ranger finds you he might bury you in it haha.
Heres what I got in two trips, with my new home made sluice.

I hope to stay awhile. But just look for Slatey creek campground three on Google maps, and look for a large group. I am sure they will welcome any new members.

This is my favourite panning vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQVjgM0icg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

And here's a YouTube of me panning last Sunday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szPkrnly8cE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Pm me if you want to catch up another time. Building a sluice and will prob be there following weekend with my geologist mate Dave...

hey guys did any of you make it to the outing? any luck?
i was keen but got distracted by the weather. had a few hrs with the detector for a couple of tiny ones though.
cheers GM

Yeah got there mid arvo and it was going well, so called back from 3pm to 5pm, had a good session at picnic spot number one just next to the creek crossing.... Few more specs and some nice coloured stones!

v cool,
wonder if those stones are worth anything? never heard of them being in with the gold but clearly they can be.
cheers

goldmuss it depends the type size and clarity of the stones and if they have incursions in them that cause a problem when cut i think that is what they call them or flaws might be better , if i remember you lose approx one third of the stone when it is cut but the good thing for sam is they can say they have found them it also give some thing else to look for cheers Terry

sam d wrote:Got a nice big collection of red and blue stones also. Not sure what they are. One red stone the size of a garden pea...
Good fun for a few hours' panning.

the green and red stones could be small sapphires and zircons

sam d wrote:Gday there Goldmuss78,
I would recommend coming along to a PMAV Ballarat outing to learn like I did in April. The guys showed me a lot when it came to technique. I'm an old hat now after my fourth outing!

I did watch some youtube videos. I got the hang of left/right liquefaction, but it took a few minutes of watching someone to get the backwards forwards washout right.

There is one outing each month, and the club meets at the Old Colonists the first Weds of each month at 7pm.

There is a panning outing this Sunday the 17th at 8.30am for a few hours if you can make it. If you want to meet us:
Heading out of Ballarat towards Creswick, Turn right off Creswick R onto Kelly's Lane and follow it about 1200m to the end at Codes Forest Rd, we will all be meeting there.
https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Corner+of+Kelly%27s+Lane+and+Codes+Forest+Rd.Cabbage+Tree&hl=en&t=m&z=16
You can pick up a pan from the Gold shop for 25 bucks, buy a licence online. The PMAV costs fifty bucks if you sign up afterward.

I usually pan at Slatey Creek Picnic Ground Number 1,2 or 3 (mostly 3) , no secrets there, plenty of space for all. The guys from the club freely showed me some nice spots they got results and encouraged me to try there too, they aren't a greedy bunch. With so much gravel after the floods moved it about, there are virtually kilometers of untouched spots to try.

If you see a bloke in a blue VW van stop in and say gday.

Sam.

Hi Sam
Is camp ground three open yet? My brother inlaw lives in creaswick and am thinking of trying it. Have been there with a detector but not much good. Can let you know when im there and catch up if you like.
Im in the PAMV at Stratford.

Jamie

I thought the red stones were garnets. That's what I was told by fossickers at Blackwood many years ago.