Is it safe out there?

Your own worst enemy in the bush is yourself. Preparation is number one.

You can get yourself a personal epirb for under five hundred that will pinpoint your location withing minutes http://compare.ebay.com.au/like/150384051420?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes

A GPS like http://sites.garmin.com/gpsmap62/info/

But you need to know what sort of country you are heading into and what to expect. If normal life is quite comfy , bug free and full of modcons then expect to have that sort of life turned upside down. Bugs and dirt everywhere including every bodily orifice, no shower, no hot water unless you provide it, no water unless you provide it. Think of your vehicle as a survival pod if you are heading out away from it all, there is nothing unless you take it with you. And if that vehicle breaks and you cant fix it.... then you better have a plan B (see above).

So far as people go half of them are thinking the same way you are, the other 45% are locals and .1% of the rest are really messed up people who stack silver gold and Bullets.

Plan well, prepare well & have fun, Water, Water, Water* if you are heading right out there and if so see the above gizmo's.

* (pick the right time of year for your travels)
 
Be prepared, be prepared and unless you've got a spare you've got one life so handle it with care.......@0:50 :)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dNAbb7vKjY&feature=related[/youtube]

I've just ordered a credit card to buy a minelab and to be honest I'm more afraid of going into debt than going detecting :D oh well.

Here's a great article on surviving till help comes if interested. Happy detecting!
 
Detecting friends of mine were bailed up against a tree for a harrowing confrontation with a wild dog.
My friend and his wife are pretty tough people but it shook them badly.
The ranger eventually caught up and destroyed the dog days later.(Which is unusual in itself as wild dogs will normally avoid a confrontation of a one on one nature with humans)

Personally i was in Victoria in an undisclosed location when i had a guy sneak up on me in the bush,i saw him at about the 20 metre mark and we started a conversation as he came closer.Seriously it was like 2 Praying mantises jostling for the better position.
My instincts were screaming at me to attack him before my safety was in jeopardy.
The vibes this guy were giving out were like a predator and alarming.
I am not the type of person to flinch from a confrontation and i can handle myself but that was the only time in my life when i felt i was in serious danger.
His demure shifted perhaps when i made the decision to go on the offensive first-i will never know.We said our good buys and he left.
My words are not adequate to describe the situation,everyone is responsible for their own preparation and regrets.
 
On a side note who has been metal detecting and 'Never' been lost?(For a short period of time anyway)

REDBACK
 
REDBACK said:
On a side note who has been metal detecting and 'Never' been lost?(For a short period of time anyway)

REDBACK
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My worst effort saw me walk nearly a km in wrong direction before realising and getting back to my car. Total walking ended up around 3km. There were several gullies and a couple of small hills that I had gone over, around or up and I set off the wrong way to get back. Was late in the day and had trouble judging north due no sun. Can easily happen in Vic bush, many tracks look the same and you can go in the wrong direction if you lack a sense of it. ;)

In general terms I recommend if possible parking on a straight track running east west. Check where you are parked. Most diggings areas have a little parking spot just off the track. This will have been created other detectorists.

Detect in a north or south direction. Most spots you will either go uphill or downhill from where you are parked. Take note as you head away from the car for landmarks, big holes, old fences nearby, what ever helps you identify the right spot.

Another thing to do is to not perfectly fill every hole you dig. I few times Ive been off track and worked out where I was by finding one of my fresh digs. I dont mean leave a crater, but leave some exposed clay. Once you find one you generally get sorted back out on where you are.

I also generally dont venture more than a couple of hundred metres from where I park. If you need to go further, move the car I reckon.

Knowing where North is is very important IMO.
 
A hand held GPS solves this problem and does'nt need to be expensive. Get out of the car hit the mark button, note the number. wander in the bush, Navigate to numbered mark, simple.
 
REDBACK said:
On a side note who has been metal detecting and 'Never' been lost?(For a short period of time anyway)

REDBACK
Click to expand...
I got lost EVERY time, so i bought an Etrek.
 
A bloke I know found a corpse about a year ago. Missing person/suicide (not serial killed). Cops etc had been looking for her for a couple of weeks but hadn't found her. Mate found her in a gully next to a tree. Had to walk a mile uphill to get phone signal to ring 000, then take cops to where she was again.

At least my mate had found a couple of nice nuggets before his unfortunate find. Buggered the rest of his day up though.
 
Eureka Moments said:
A bloke I know found a corpse about a year ago. Missing person/suicide (not serial killed). Cops etc had been looking for her for a couple of weeks but hadn't found her. Mate found her in a gully next to a tree. Had to walk a mile uphill to get phone signal to ring 000, then take cops to where she was again.

At least my mate had found a couple of nice nuggets before his unfortunate find. Buggered the rest of his day up though.
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Sign of the times unfortunately.

That said, Australia has had a history filled with crazy things like this connected to prospectors...

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The Blue Mountains Murders

In 1893, a mysterious man arrived in Sydney. Having many aliases, the main one used was Frank Butler. After a long criminal past through Europe, America, Chile and Coolgardie, he headed for Sydney with a stolen Mining Engineers Certificate.

Rather than prospecting for gold, Butler realised that murdering his companions would be a faster and more lucrative venture. Three prospectors were quickly dispatched, buried in shallow graves and their belongings stolen. Assuming the identity of his last victim, "Lee Weller", Butler obtained a job on the Swanhilda, leaving on the 23rd November bound for San Francisco.

Friends soon reported the missing men, and Detective John Roche was assigned to the case. Blacktrackers found their camp near Glenbrook, sparking a frenzied search in the lower Blue Mountains. Three bodies were later found.

The Swanhilda had been at sea for two weeks when an exchange of newspapers occurred with another ocean steamer. On reading newspaper stories of the "Blue Mountains Murders", the Captain realised the suspect was aboard his ship and used the telegraph to discreetly advise the NSW police.

John Roche now knew where his suspect was, but needed to catch him before he disappeared into the vastness of America. Acting fast, he took a train to Adelaide via Melbourne and a steamer to London. Travelling to New York and then overland to San Francisco, this was an enormous journey at the time. Arriving just ahead of the Swanhilda, John Roche immediately made preparations for the arrest of the fugitive.

On the 2nd February, Swanhilda entered San Francisco harbour. Butler was immediately identified by local police and arrested at gunpoint. Taken by complete surprise, he did not resist.

The news of the dramatic arrest by the heroic NSW detectives spread fast, becoming a popular newspaper story. On return to Sydney, Butler was found guilty and hanged in Darlinghurst Gaol.

For John Roche, it had been a major case, a long and harrowing trip around the world, but, in the end, he had seen justice done and the case successfully closed. The case launched him to new heights in the NSW Police Force for his doggedness, thoroughness and relentless courage in pursuing a dangerous criminal. The chase would also go down in Police legend as one of the great criminal investigations with the name of John Roche at the very centre of the enquiry.
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source : http://www.snpsecurity.com.au/history/the-blue-mountains-murders
 
I was camping with a bunch of folk in the south East Kimberley on night about 150kms from Halls Creek. I was the only sensible one there (LOL). Evey one else dropped acid that night. I just got pissed. At one stage I jumped on a motor bike and decided to go for a bit of a ride. After about 2 minutes that sinking feeling started to creep in when I realized i was lost. Fortunately the rest of the mob were carrying on like a bunch of you know whats... I just kept on stopping, turning the bike off and guided myself home by the noise. Crazy times.

The fresh air does something to you...

BG
 
Ageo said:
Thought I'd post this incase it hasn't been posted before...

Some sickos in this world

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/10/30/235838_local-news.html
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I was in cairns when this story broke, it was always the cattle farmer and his wife. They have had a number of run ins with prospectors. The guy was prospecting 1 km from the homestead. His friends saw the two with a rifle in the area heard two gun shots. It was just a matter of time before they were charged.

There is plenty of bush areas well away from people, as in the city nobody likes someone to come make a mess that they leave, dig holes every where ect .It's a pity a few ruin it for every body.

Love the stories here, city slickers go bush. Gps,eperb,sat phone,survival kit,ect lol think you guys should stay in the suburbs.
Given yennus lives in Sydney I think hill end or Bathurst is his first area to look at for a weekend away, I don't think you can get into to much trouble there.
I have had more run ins trouble and danger in the city than the bush.

I have been in some of the most remote parts of Australia with guys from the city and it's easy to get them to freak out and jump at shadows ,stories of yowies and drop bears get them going even though they don't exist. Most are scared to be by themselves.

Bottom line is respect.
The land,animals and peoples property/privacy
 
Detecting is not allowed on Private Property without the landowner's permission.

Especially this landowner! (cue the theme from Psycho)



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Id want a powerful gun probably a shotgun, lots of water, lots of food. Even then I wouldn't go too far into the bush.

I don't really know what the outback is like but in FL growing up in the south we got used to gators while fishing. I can't imagine prospecting for gold near water with crocs. You wouldn't even be able to shoot the croc in time he will eat you like bambi the deer. Gators here eat deer.
 
needler420 said:
Id want a powerful gun probably a shotgun, lots of water, lots of food. Even then I wouldn't go too far into the bush.

I don't really know what the outback is like but in FL growing up in the south we got used to gators while fishing. I can't imagine prospecting for gold near water with crocs. You wouldn't even be able to shoot the croc in time he will eat you like bambi the deer. Gators here eat deer.
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Our mud gecko's eat buffalo mate. Bambi! would be used as a tooth pick ear. :P
 
Great thread as i am thinking about getting into this whole prospecting thing to
Luckily i grew up in the country and became aware of the country peoples "sence of humour" at a very young age
Much like us with our overseas friends and the whole drop bear stories they to imply stories onto us city slickers
My uncle would tell me at age 5 about the fox that wore black rimmed glasses who would come to the farm at night and scratch on the window trying to get in as he liked to eat little boys and then would scratch on my window during the middle of the night still lives with me, or my cousin who would take me out into the bush on his farm then run off back home leaving me lost in the bush after telling me stories of wild animals as we walked out into the bush, country people are big shit stirrers

Take all the precautions as mentioned in previous posts and just remember we all live in tiny suburban blocks in the city but in the country some peoples property can be 100s of acres if not more and they will react the same as we would if some stranger came walking into our yards, same thing

Have fun and watch out for those foxes who wear black rimmed glasses:D
 
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