Are you interested in looking for alluvial gold? Did you know that most Tasmanian gold rushes and all but one of Tasmania’s great gold mines were found by prospectors originally following leads of alluvial gold? In this post I will briefly describe alluvial gold, and go into places you might go, where to do research, and link to some good videos on how to pan, if you’re just starting out.
Continue readingDate Archives → June 2015
The Mount Huxley swindle
In the heady gold-rush days of the 1890s, one particular discovery promised to be the biggest gold mine ever found: Mount Huxley, southeast of Queenstown, between Mount Owen and Mount Jukes. The show was reported as being so good as to threaten to depreciate the value of gold. Within a few short weeks, the Mount Huxley mine was exposed as a massive fraud.
Continue readingWeld River sapphires
Most people associate sapphires with Ceylon, Thailand, and Queensland, but did you know Tasmania has several areas where you can find them? There is even a dedicated Fossicking Area set aside just for sapphires and other gemstones.
Continue readingMangana – first Tasmanian gold discovery?
The town of Mangana, under its older name ‘The Nook’, and the Tullochgorum Estate next to it, are generally credited as the first official discovery of gold in Tasmania. Was there more to the story?
Continue readingFossicking vs. Prospecting – What is the difference?
![By Tony Oliver from Denver, CO, USA (Prospector) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.appleisleprospector.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/449px-Gold_prospector.jpg)
Prospector — Tony Oliver, Denver, CO, USA [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Many people, sometimes myself included, use the words ‘fossicking’ and ‘prospecting’ to mean the same, such as to go out and collect some rocks, or minerals, or gold, generally as a hobby. The question is: do they really mean the same thing? In short: NO. If you want to know a bit more about it, and what it means for you, read on.
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