dicko
Super Sluicer
Gold of another kind
Posts: 323
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Post by dicko on Dec 25, 2008 21:29:47 GMT 10
A mate of mine said he wasn't allowed to build his shed where he wanted it because of an old 'gold race' which the council wouldn't let anything be built on top of it.
What was it? I pictured it being like an old sluice or something cut into the hill. he says it looks like a mound and then a dip then another mound which runs across the hill for about 15 metres not down the hill. I'm going to use the detector around it on saturday but was wondering if anyone knows what its specific use was.
any help would be appreciated.
Dicko..
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Post by sootyowl on Dec 25, 2008 22:04:48 GMT 10
Hi dicko
From my limited knowledge it sounds like it is a water race where the Chinese and Oldtimers re-routed water to use in thier quest for gold. Apparently they even used to change the course of a river, by re-routing a bend in a river.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge can elaborate more on this.
Cheers
Phil
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Post by Ric on Dec 26, 2008 11:25:16 GMT 10
Hi Dicko,
Yep what sootyowl said sounds right. An old water race used to get water to otherwise dry workings from a water source some distance away.
They often followed along the contours of the hills (running across the hill) often being many miles long.
There are some races around the shoalhaven mining district near Mongarlowe which were around 30 miles in lenght I think. They are still clearly visible in places.
Ric.
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Post by araluen on Dec 26, 2008 11:45:20 GMT 10
G'Day all
If you are in Victoria most water races are protected. Apparently you are not even allowed to use a detector on them, so be aware of other people who may tell you off. Water races, as the others have said were used to bring water from dams on the upper catchements or even totally different creeks or rivers to bring water around the contours to where miners were ground or paddock sluicing. Some of them around where I am at Braidwood were up to 70km long and opperated on several levels. Each race was owned by a separate companies and they charged the miners for the water the miners used. They would often go over deeper gullies in bridges or flumes, as they were called, some up to 20 or 30 meters high and a hundred or more meters long. On the Shoalhaven in NSW they even tunneled through hills and under rivers. More often than not they did not go through gold bearing country but avoided productive ground. They had to be very accurately surveyed because if too steep the race would erode or too shollow and the water would pool. Best thing is to follow a race to its end and prospect around that area.
Araluen
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Post by sootyowl on Dec 26, 2008 17:54:23 GMT 10
Gee Araluen Follow the race and prospect there - mate if they are up to 70 kms long, that is a big days work!!  Cheers Phil |
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Post by Glint on Dec 26, 2008 19:04:45 GMT 10
If you would like to learn more about water races etc in the Shoalhaven area there is a very good book called "Bungonia to Braidwood" by Barry McGowan.
Good read and really highlights just how the water was used for Hydraulic Sluicing, puddling etc. It is amazing just how these guys/girls were able to get such equipment into really remote areas without 4x4s, mobile phones, etc etc etc
Cheers
Glint
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dicko
Super Sluicer
Gold of another kind
Posts: 323
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Post by dicko on Dec 26, 2008 21:30:16 GMT 10
Thanks for the info guys n gals,
I'm going to see it 2morrow. it's about 100m above a creek that doesn't flow ever unless its actually raining. A large gully if you like. I suppose I'll start there and go downhill. I met a guy in Garibaldi Gully, YOUNG, today who has been sluicing for a few days. He had about 1.5 grams from 200 buckets he said. He recons his test pans came up with a few specs from everywhere he tried. I got nothing but bullet shells and old saki screw caps with the detector and a corroded old coin sized disc with a bullet hole in it. All of the gold seems to be very fine. I'm going to go and collect a bucket full of classified sand tomorrow from Burrangong Creek I'll take it home and pan it and let you know how I went.
Cheers. Dicko..
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Post by madtuna on Dec 26, 2008 22:31:47 GMT 10
I watched a show a while ago on the History channel about water races and aquaducts.
What the Romans and Chinese could do was amazing!
They could literally make water run up hill and move it 1000's of miles from its source
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dicko
Super Sluicer
Gold of another kind
Posts: 323
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Post by dicko on Dec 31, 2008 22:28:07 GMT 10
Thankyou everyone for the info.. i found it was like a levy bank that continued onto the next property. Didn't detect anything there. I dug a bucket of dirt from burrangong creek and got 1 speck of gold so woo hoo i was happy to find something. Best of luck to all in the new year.\\
Dicko..
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dicko
Super Sluicer
Gold of another kind
Posts: 323
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Post by dicko on Jan 10, 2009 21:42:14 GMT 10
Hi all,
I passed back through Young and stayed the night on my way home from the coast. Next morning I headed out to Garribaldi gully and did some gully scrapings in a few likely places. The prospector who was camping there offered to run my 2 bucket fulls through his highbanker which I gratefully did and then he showed me how to pan it properly.
I got about 30 flakes which I was excited about. It is enough gold to easily see in my little jar now. LOL I feel like an old hand now ha ha.
Dicko..
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Post by MrsFly on Jan 12, 2009 19:46:31 GMT 10
Congratulations Dicko.
It's a great feeling isn't it.
You will have to go back real soon with some more buckets.
When my spot is dry I have to bring my dirt home in buckets then pan them at leisure.
Mrs Fly
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Post by madtuna on Jan 12, 2009 20:02:23 GMT 10
just a hint...don't pan in your bath tub.. these new ones are not as tough as the old enamel ones  |
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Post by MrsFly on Jan 12, 2009 20:30:04 GMT 10
LOL Madtuna. ;D
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dicko
Super Sluicer
Gold of another kind
Posts: 323
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Post by dicko on Jan 12, 2009 20:31:26 GMT 10
LOL....
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Post by sootyowl on Jan 12, 2009 20:44:46 GMT 10
my god madtuna, the image is overwhelming - a grown man panning for his nuggets in the bathtub.  Cheers Phil |
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