Let's all start using the cyanide method then. haha Surely it is only a ban on natural water courses on public land? You will still be able to setup a sluice extraction system using a closed water system. Another pathetic greens campaign.
Supposed trade off is to allow detecting and panning in (mainly useless areas of) State Parks. Will post further thoughts when I knock off.
Thanks for posting this uuuuuuuumm, we need all the support we can get to stop this ban from going through. In terms of the trade off (i.e. new areas being opened up for prospecting within Victorian National Parks), this will be very short lived I'm afraid as the Victorian National Parks Association are already trying to get this decision reversed as well as pushing to ban ALL forms of prospecting within ALL Victorian NP's http://vnpa.org.au/page/nature-cons...p-keep-gold-prospecting-out-of-national-parks! If the proposed ban goes through in Victoria, it'll only be a matter of time before it becomes the normal in all states. Please help us stop this ban going though by signing and sharing our petition as much as possible https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/ryan-smith-refuse-the-proposed-ban-on-sluicing-in-victoria Cheers, Squiggles
I haven't read the links yet but I'd oppose prospecting in National Parks. In my opinion they should be there purely for ecosystem and wildlife protection.
The proposed ban is ANYWHERE in Victoria. It's a very low impact form of recreational prospecting. I would say detectorists have more impact on the land with unfilled holes etc. 4WDing and trailbikers would do magnitudes more damage (I enjoy getting out in the state forests in the 4WD, but the track damage and erosion caused by other participants is disgusting). That lobby is far larger though, so the Greens don't even bother tackling them. Sluicing is much lower hanging fruit for them to ban. Have a drive around the goldfields some time - the landscape has been irreversibly altered from 19th century mining practices, and anywhere that sluicing would be worthwhile can pretty much be guaranteed to be a modified landscape from earlier mining, and nothing that the next decent downpour won't obscure or obliterate through naturally constantly changing waterways.
I agree that the environment must be protected, but we're only talking about recreational prospecting here, not small scale mining. When you consider how much land is currently protected under the National Parks umbrella vs the actual amount of land that is physically accessible to the hobbyist prospector, the potential to do any real damage to the overall eco-system is incredibly low to non-existent. Another consideration is the minority of prospectors in general, so we're not talking about tens of 1000's of people wondering around the bush digging it up with little or no regard for environment. In fact most prospectors I know care for and respect the great outdoors, and often enough a weekend prospecting is just a way of escaping the the city life for a couple of days. Personally I don't believe in punishing everyone because of a few bad apples, the country belongs to all of us and we should be able to enjoy it. Cheers, Squiggles
Hi all Our sluice box's got banned down here and the vast majority of prospectors are mature aged and to bend over and pan when they could be standing with a sluice is cruel to see. They have no regard for age discrimination. The Other effect was human nature and now our creeks are getting seriously hammered. Lots of alluvial material gone while they can still get it effect. holes not filled, rubbish and the like. Some prospectors are very angry about the ban down here obviously. I dont think the modern political system has learned a thing about Eureka and what caused that event. The restrictions are tragic and takes away the historical side of small scale prospecting. Victoria was built on the back of a sluice box. and it still exists and is still a beautiful State after 163 years of continual prospecting with one. Mass wasting is a natural event that could be said to be the end, but it actually replenishes stream systems. Gravity does more damage. ban it.. And, from a commercial side. Garrett market a Gold pan as a sluice pan. The turbo pan etc with all the riffles. If thats not a sluice of sorts i will stand on my head. And, Im sure once the World Trade Organization start having a look at this proposed change in detail. There will be ramifications. One way or the other. the other recommendation was to not remove ANY vegetation. so the green representative wants weeds to flourish. That's the way its worded. the simple term native would help. We may not all be botanists. But the people that proposed this are not either. It need compromise. non powered hand tool only. As it always has been. a sluice does not do a scrap of damage. a shovel does. If the environmentalists and politicians are serious. Ban Shovels. Ban tools entirely and its fingers only. I know what i will do with mine then. if you can sign the petition above and share it if possible. Would be awesome. Lose it and it will be a criminal offence to prospect traditionally
