Are there any detecting tours/hobby groups in Victoria?

A

Ad1

Active Member
Hi All,

So I have been thinking about giving metal detecting a shot lately. I live in Melbourne and would be happy to drive 2-3 hours to known detecting spots (Bendigo, Ballarat etc). How does one get started with this hobby? Do any metal detecting tours or hobby groups exist in Victoria that teach people metal detecting?

So far i have found that you need a Miners Right for detecting. Can you rent metal detectors and other equipment? I would like to try metal detecting out for a couple of times before going ahead and making any purchases of detector, tools etc.

Any feedback/suggestions are appreciated.

Thank You.
 
Check out your local Minelab dealer, they should be able to sort you out.
Other Vic country dealers worth trying are Coiltek Gold Centre in Maryborough who have training days or E.E.Day & Sons in Ballarat. All sell new and second hand detectors and hire is also available.
The Prospectors and Miners Association Victoria (PMAV) is worth checking out regarding joining a group or club. They have branches across Victoria and might be a good way for you to become actively involved.
 
Cheers, I have also been looking at a Weekend Break detecting. Fly down, stay somewhere half decent and then get some instruction on how to use the detector and then get let loose somewhere there might actually be gold.

There are a few packages but my wife expects a level of comfort not usually found in the middle of a gold field.
 
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In Vic a bloke named Reg Wilson offers instruction and learning courses. He has been prospecting and detecting for over 30 years. I would recommend him for learning how to identify gold bearing ground and operation of all Minelab pulse induction models from SD2000 to the latest GPZ 7000.

He has a wealth of stories and yarns as well as practical info and imo worth checking out. His website says he will customise to suit what you mainly want to learn or do.

I suggest hiring a detector and aiming to spend at least 2 days learning (1 day you will not learn enough). Skip the detector lessons, research on the web for tons of info, opinions and suggestions. Ask Reg to sort settings out for you and the only thing you need to be shown is where the on/off switch is.

www.diggerdownunder.com.au

In Clermont Qld Jonathon Porter has produced instructional videos for many Minelab gold detectors. He has also posted heaps of free info on various web forums and will likely have answered all questions about settings and how to operate already. Don't waste detecting time on stuff you can learn yourself at home. There's also info in threads here about detecting for a hobby, some that are worth a look.
 
Appreciated!

Friends have a crappy detector, it is good at finding iron though so we know it works!
 
A friend of mine has a Minelab GPX 9000 but i'm not sure if he let anyone use it.
 
Well if anyone wants to share any spots I know someone that has a Minelab GPX 9000
 
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slavaja said:
Well if anyone wants to share any spots I know someone that has a Minelab GPX 9000
Click to expand...

'Welcome Stranger' 150 anniversary

And as for the likelihood of another large nugget being found?

“Never say never!” says Richard.

“Large nuggets are still found today in Victoria and Western Australia. A large one like the Welcome Stranger is likely to be found where known nugget occurrences have been previously recorded, so the area in central Victoria around Moliagul, Wedderburn, Dunolly and Kingower are likely places. The buried deep leads of Ballarat also produced a lot of large nuggets, but access to these is difficult as modern infrastructure now covers these areas.”
welcome-stranger-gummed-stamp-min.png.auspostimage.0*0.169.low.png
https://australiapostcollectables.c...Collectables:LK20190312005&ecid=LK20190312005
 
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