Looking for advice on prospecting/metal detecting

Hi
Im looking for some advice from fellow ATS prospectors.
I have always wanted to get involved and I think I know of some great areas around where I live to start prospecting.

I mainly want to look for coins and possibly bush ranger era relics, And im not far from some old gold fields so I will also do some gold hunting.

I have a budget of around $800, I have been looking at the "Garrett at gold" detector, but there are so many others.

I would appreciate any advice or tips. I would also like to make some contacts and hear some story's from anyone who's into prospecting.

It depends a lot on what the ground is like and what other metals are present.

I did a little prospecting with my father in my youth in Inglewood, vic and a little outside of Ballarat.

You are going to pull a lot of horseshoes etc from the ground unless you can tell what the composition of the material is. This is where the better detectors will shine. Iron, steel, tin, gold, etc will show up on a cheap detector but a good detector will identify each type with different audible pings.

I would consider getting a detector with a IP67 rating. Australia has a lot of gold in fast flowing rivers and creeks and this is where you will find most of the 'cream'.

Apparently, in the 50's the Yarra River almost completely dried up due to a drought. When this happened, a few rather clever youths figured out that there is heaps of gold lining the Yarra. Ironically, not long after the kids started to pan for gold in the semi-dry Yarra, the act of mining/prospecting her banks was banned. I have been told by a few people that the Yarra is still rich with gold that no one can touch.

reply to post by OccamAssassin


Thanks for taking the time, your information is very appreciated

Most of the prospecting I will be doing is around the riverina and Vic/NSW border.
Is that rating "IP67" Only on the higher end detectors like the "minelab" detectors?

This is a link to the AT gold www.garrettaustralia.com.au... I'm trying to find the rating
It's water proof so the rivers sound like a good option

Thanks again

reply to post by dadfortruth1


Yep, its IP67. The 6 indicates that it's water proof at one atmosphere (normally it is designed to handle >2 atmospheres of pressure for the warranties sake) and the 7 indicates that it is completely sealed against dust ingress.

Designed for use in wet*, humid and dusty environments. Weatherproof housing can be immersed in water to 10-foot (3m) depth.
*Designed for Fresh Water use, NOT Salt Water

Have you considered buying a second hand detector? Every so often the three and four thousand dollar models pop up on ebay for roughly the dollars you are looking to spend. I would not be buying a second hand one on auction unless you can test it before buying though.

If you are buying a 2nd hand detector.....Make sure you take a wedding ring, some coins, and some steel/iron with you when you check it out.

I have a Garrett 350 for general detecting. It was about 400 bucks and my first trip out to a local river beach area netted me two gold rings of about 18grams.

Garrett is a US company located in Texas and they spend a lot of time perfecting their lines of equipment and being very personable such as supporting and working with various clubs in Texas. Go to Treasure.net for Garrett's web site and learn more about this great company. Their Pro Pointer is a must have. Some say the best in the business for the price of about $125. My Pro Pointer went haywire a couple of months after I purchased it and my local Garrett rep replaced it on the spot without a qualm.

My understanding is that their specialized gold-finding unit will detecl the smallest flake of gold.

If you live is an area of former gold fields, then there WILL be clubs and individuals in your area that will be happy to talk to you about equipment, but don't ask where they like to hunt!

reply to post by dadfortruth1
My advise for a more succesfull "trawl" would be check your areas local history at the town hall, To find out if localy mined minerals where transferred to tall ships moored of the coast, from what i am lead to believe it was a bit off a shoddy affair transferring goods to ships mainly by gang planks tied to smaller fishing boats making a floating pier type of gangway,

The reason i mention this is when people where comming and going from the main vessels via the floating piers they managed to drop various bits of artifects such as jewelry, watches, money, and hair pins.and the such. Maybe you will get lucky around the docks at low tide(But check local tide tables, Very important !!) as some cargoes not so long ago where craned using slings and cargo nets and maybe some broke, You get the picture matey and good luck ,

Make sure to keep us posted, $800. Will get you a top drawer detector, Also invest in a backpack, kneepads, and folding militery type shovel..

And a life preserver type aid, theres dips in the ground at low tide that fill up alot quicker and catch you out, Dont trawl alone is the best advise.

Thanks for the help guys.
I will keep an eye on ebay for awhile and see what pops up, although I dont think I can hold out for long, I have an erge to start looking

I tried this once and the stupid machine goes off and beeps at everything. So you never really know if you're over metal or not. I think it takes a lot of practice.

There are lots of different and excellent brands of gold detector machines that are capable of finding buried objects. Team ATC uses a variety of brands and models. We have, and continue to use, several different brands. The guys here in Montana can help you with questions about certain Garrett, Minelab, and White’s detectors. For advice on other brands, we recommend you talk to an expert user of that particular brand.