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Post by mushmouse on May 22, 2015 0:40:54 GMT 10
Went out to Reedy today and took the river sluice for a few tests. The creek is at its highest its been so far this year and the gold is on the move. Spots where I was getting good colour 2 weeks ago have boiled out as the current is pretty full on. It pulled a claystone as big as a head right out of my hands. Will most likely be the last day of golding with gear for a few months until the creek settles a bit. Am quite happy with the sluice and the rubber hex matting ( thanks to all for the tips ). I decided to try suspended riffles made out of pvc pipe and am pleased with the performance and ease of cleaning which is nice when its starts raining..suddenly...
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Post by labrador on May 22, 2015 16:05:22 GMT 10
By chance did you take any photo of the creek with the high water level, and would not mind posting, I have never seen it with any more than a flow that was just enough for a sluice. If not maybe next time. The falls at woolshed must really get going at times.
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Post by Flying Scott on May 22, 2015 21:57:38 GMT 10
My health is such I can't do much prospecting now. But wish I could go on a dig with you guys, So much knowledge I want to share. Some days I find it difficult to use the keyboard to type a message. Flying Scott.
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Post by mushmouse on May 23, 2015 0:49:11 GMT 10
This is one of the snaps I took. In April the water was only flowing between the green shrub on the left of the picture and the rock and twig just parallel to it. Its getting colder now. The average water temp now is about 14C and will drop to 9C next month, hence hanging up the waders. Still has a bit more height to go with the spring melts. I havent been to the falls in a very long time ( prospecting not allowed) but it does get roaring. They did clean out the falls pool in the 1860s and reported 'mere colour' ( didn't say how much ) but later on in 1920 they managed to take out 2000 ounces. Not sure why they did better, unless 57Kg was just 'mere colour' in the paydirt of the 1860s.
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Post by labrador on May 23, 2015 8:46:19 GMT 10
Thank you Mushmouse for the pic. Although I haven't been there when the creek is really going, I have seen the Tea Trees and other bushes bent over and flood deburie high up on the bank and in tree tops. It must roar with energy at times, I see the lazy Murray every day, that is water just making its way, so I find your creek very interesting. Is there a resin to why there is no prospecting under the falls ? The fact that the water temp is 9c tells me not to get in the falls,lol.
Flying Scott, It must be very frustrating as old age comes, and the eye sight and mobility goes, There would be many of us that would also enjoy a trip with knowledgeable old timers like your self , just to sit by the fire sipping your whisky and talking about Why Is IT SO. The more whisky the more chance I might get in the water. There must be a lot of gold in the mountains around that part of VIC. And it seems to keep seeping out in to the creeks, I find it hard to decide whether to pan,fish,hug trees or just breath the fresh air. A beautiful place.
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Post by mushmouse on May 24, 2015 3:36:18 GMT 10
I guess once it was taken over by park management and the Falls became a tourist attraction, they wanted to preserve the natural features of this area. There are some lovely walking tracks where you can view the old races and relics. Public safety could be a factor as well as its not the most accessible area to reach the creek. Even if this area was open to fossicking I would still prefer to downstream where the gold is a lot more prevalant in the alluvium flats of the rest of the creek. The banned length of the creek consists of high ravines with massive granite outcrops and not a lot of overlay. Even in Summer the water races downstream due to the narrow gorges and steep declines, so not the best environment to capture any deposits - certainly not what you could get elsewhere.
We are very fortunate to have this allocated as a prospecting area, but everyone needs to do their bit to respect the environment and try and leave it as you found it and it will keep giving..
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Post by labrador on May 24, 2015 9:16:29 GMT 10
That is a pretty good resin to do the right thing, and look after the aria, I am for that, next time I get to go there I will do the tourist walks and check out some of the things I have read about like the water race they built through the rock etc. So many things to see, so many questions to ask. I ill be back
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