Just out of interest Auspm how many hours do you think you spent (including travel time) during those 25 detecting excursions?
Probably an average of 2hrs per hunt - so 50hrs worth there? Probably a little more. Like I said, it's not going to yield enough to have you quitting your day job or anything, but if you're going to get out and exercise a bit, why not make a little on the side too? I've lost nearly 10kgs since I started
I agree, there is a lot more value in detecting than the amount of loot you find. When you consider the amount of money people spend on Gym memberships, exercise equipment, joggers, etc, there's no denying that a fitness machine that pays you to use it wins hands down. I'm heaps too lazy to walk around the block for nothing, but I'll tramp through the scub all day long for a couple of grams of gold.
Wow, I think it is a great thing to do AusPM. May I ask... where does one find a second hand detector? When found, how do you know if it is good or on its last legs? I like the idea of cemetries... although, I can't imagine that modern ones would be too helpful, and also the old ones - would people bury loot with Granny? Maybe if I did it I would stick to local parks! Shiny
I met up with a fellow SS member today and took him out to my local goldfields for his first go at detecting. I (and I hope he) had a very enjoyable time but alas no nuggets were unearthed. We did however find a 1904 British Shilling....and a lot of leads and nails. Spending time in the great Aussie outdoors with (or without) good people is hard to beat. I havent done any detecting in local parks but auspm is correct in saying that it can be a rewarding place to look and a great way to get some exercise. Im not a big fan of detecting in public areas such as beaches and parks because people often approach you for a stickybeak and a round of 20 questions which (if you are polite and dont ignore them) can be time consuming. I live close to gold bearing areas so that is probably why I prefer to hunt Gold, although the odd interesting coin or relic can also turn up.
Ah a true prospector ...first rule dont take anyone to your gold bearing spots :lol: I suppose you told him you usually get nuggets there too ?
Aus nice to see you got yourself a hobby & even making a few extra bucks from it ....From little things big things grow .....sometimes :
This is a great clip. Thanks for posting it up. Fantastic to see someone get so excited about a hobby
Incorrect. I gladly took him to some of my more productive areas in the hope that he WOULD find something and was disappointed that he didnt. He is 25 and already has a Gold and Silver stack that would be the envy of many of us. He is interested in detecting for the right reasons, not as a get-rich-quick scheme. He is unfamiliar with my local area so its not like he will buy a machine and go and "clean out" the spots I showed him. He wouldnt know how to get back there without me showing him, which I would happily do. I dont know if I would be so generous to you though.
From the assumptions of many passer's by you'd assume I'm already rich from it and retired. The first question I always get asked is 'how much gold have you found today?' Gold? In a park? :lol: Nah, it's all good. I don't mind chatting with people passing by as they're generally not bothering me or getting in the way or vice versa. You usually don't get bothered much anyway, maybe one person in three or four hunts will stop for a chat? Most people just see me with the tools on my hip and a headset on and assume I cannot hear them or I'm busy and just leave me alone, but if I get a target when someone is wandering by they'll usually stop to take a squizz. Best advice is to hit old parks which don't get much use or swing at hours when people are not around (ie early morning). It's just a fun side hobby for me, nothing serious - but like stacking a little on a consistent basis, it does add up surprisingly over time.
Thats cool your out of the house ,more than made your money back that you outlayed got some lunch/bullion money & lost some weight ,learning another skill its all win win .
Hey auspm, (or anyone else) have you heard of any people having success in the goldfields with a VLF detector like the Sov or E-trac? From the sound of things you are doing very well with your current unit on coins and stuff in soily/sandy ground, and if you are going to hunt nuggets I reckon you might need a Pulse Induction (PI) machine to do the job. Maybe you should hang on to your current detector for coins and relics and get a PI for the Goldfields.
Well to be honest, even if I did hit the gold fields it would be only once a year most likely. If it came to that, I'd more likely hire a GPX gold detector for the weekend - there's a store in sydney that does detector hire. I think unless you're planning on hitting the gold fields regularly, you're taking a risk investing in a high end PI machine. It would simply take too long (or some extreme luck) to make back your cash investment. The very top of the line Coin/Relic detector (Minelabs 'Etrac') retails only for about $1700-$1800 full price which is a far smaller investment, especially for someone like me who doesn't have a lot of disposable income. I have an Etrac in mind for later this year, but as you can see - even with a cheapie 2nd hand job - as long as you know what the hell you're doing you can get positive results. I personally only favour Minelabs detectors (being Aussie owned) because of their terrific reputation and quality product. If I can pull this much even with a 6 year old detector, it should give anyone the confidence that they can outlay only a few hundred to get started. I've no doubt there's pockets of parkland out there just full of those pre-decimals waiting for someone to come swing a coil over them and scoop them up! I've literally got HUNDREDS of potential parks here in Sydney. I've barely scratched the surface so far, so I'm hoping 2012 will be a pretty bumper year!
A bloke I know was detecting in one of our local parks and stumbled across a pair of poo-jabbers going at it. He improved his fitness because he literally "ran a mile" to get away from them.
Not at all. There's a process to properly dig a plug in areas like this that when followed correctly ensure the place looks like you've never even been there at all. ie [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTDKXethwnk[/youtube] I've never had a problem with digging my plugs this way and I've even had a ranger watch me do it. As long as you're not out there with a pickaxe and leaving dirty great holes all over the park, you'll have no problems at all in Aussie parks and I've got contacts in all states of Australia who report the same thing. In fact, good detectorists who practise these methods are considered a boon by local rangers because we pick up and remove sharp metal objects from the ground for free, almost a community service if you prefer. I've even removed a dirty syringe from a tot lot I ran a detector over and one of the parents in the park personally came over to thank me for doing that. (yes, I ALWAYS wear gloves when detecting!) My digging tool of choice is one of these : Imported directly from the US for about $60 (including postage), this is considered the 'rolls royce' digging tool for metal detecting enthusiasts. I've probably dug over a 1000 holes with this thing so far and it's still just as good as new, the thing is almost indestructable in my experience and I cannot recommend them highly enough. http://predatortools.com/
Maybe check with the local Council first? As auspm stated earlier if you use the right tools and FILL IN YOUR HOLES you might not get hassled. Some clown went digging on the Maryborough (Vic) football ground a while back. Left a heap of craters all over the place resulting in a lot of unhappy locals. Made the front page of the newspaper and stuffed things up for everyone.
