where to sluice?NSW

[carms]

Hi all,
Im new to the forum and new to prospecting in general, with that being said im certainly not expecting anyone to give away and secret spots etc but what im after is a good first time spot to learn to sluice. Im within driving distence to hill end if need be but something closer to the Oberon area would be better as im situated in the blue mountains.
Anyway ive done a lot of research but really its hard for a first timer to know what creek and in what location im even able to run the sluice let alone have a chance of finding gold...are there rivers/creeks that are gold bearing the entire length and that can be prospected the entire lenght? im just worried about walking into private property or something....if the sluicing goes ok the next step is the metal detector! already had some success at digging for sapphires so i know what its like to dig all day....i just dont want to dig all day not knowing whether im wasting my effort or being on private land....any suggestions would be fantastic! anyone willing to meet me out anywhere from oberon to hill end to show me the ropes i would venture anywhere to be able to learn from someone who has done it before....a lot easier to learn the ropes when someone can give you a run through etc, im available anytime as i am retired(no not old age retirement lol not that there is anything wrong with being old lol) im ex army and easy to get along with and an eager learner/digger! i can be with or without my wife incase you also have a partner ...she is also a keen digger! i would also throw in a good meal at the local pub and or any other enticement to get someone who knows what they are doing out in this cold weather! also anyone who is going out metal detecting and wants someone to dig for them (not expecting anything but to learn) my hand is up!
anyway worse comes to worse i have u tubed a 1000 videos on sluicing/ metal detecting so any suggestions on areas that would have a running creek etc etc would be fantastic!
thanks

[Simon]

Hi Carms,

Best to test pan for gold before you set up your sluice. In saying that, you can go to Sofala and Turdondale (on the Turon) to run your sluice or head up the Hill End. There is gold all up there.

Cheers

Simon

[carms]

thanks simon, just a simple thing like test panning is something i didnt even think about but is self explanatory....why go to the effort of getting the sluice set up when there may not be any gold! you say sofala and turondale on the Turon river....i know both of these places but am not aware of public fossicking grounds on the river...is there any specific area that isnt privately owned land? i have my permit from the forestry office but am worried about walking onto private land or something.....i have read many rivers are gold bearing etc and can find them on a map and likely places i would look but dont know if you can just find the closest road and hike on in? for places like Sofala where would i find info on where i am actually able to go?

[Simon]

Mate, There is public land around Coles bridge at Turondale and beside the road following the river at Sofala. There are plenty of places to have a dig.

Cheeers

Simon

[carms]

Brilliant!, thanks simon, i think we may be heading that way this weekend....hopefully now i wont be shot for claim jumping lol

[carms]

Hey simon,
I took your advise and went out to coles bridge before Turondale, being the first time out sluicing it took me well over an hour to try and get the flow correct into the sluice and even then i wasnt very happy as i couldnt really get the bubbles to dance between the rifles....as for the area near the coles bridge there were plenty of area i thought i could dig but really i didnt have a clue lol....should i dig down to bedrock in that area? like on the back inside of one of the bends? or do i look for an ancient wash up higher and sluice that material? it was actually quite frustrating in the end but i still saw a few flakes for the little work we did(which i believe came from a big hole just near the bridge that i just sucked some gravel from....anyway if you could give me an idea of where i would actually dig or what in that area that would be great....i thuink i saw some earth removed from up on the bank...maybe i sluice that stuff? i think also a highbanker with a pump may be preferable over a river sluice as i dont think the flow etc is that hard to get correct? would that be right?

anyway thanks again for the tips, the area around the bridge is really pretty (except for the regular shots being fired in the area?...not too close but close enough for me to know they were shots lol)

[carms]

or the gold may have come from a spot near Sofala that the general store pointed me too....they got mixed together which sort of sucks as it would be good to know where to go back too although i think neither place had anything worth digging again...not where i was exactly but im sure feet away there was prob a heap of gold...if only i knew what material to go after! lol

[Deleted]

Dont know that area very well mate, but will becoming up that way in 3 weeks and spending 5 days trying, so would be happy to show you what I can. I am sure someone else will be able to give you some area specific details, or I can dig my notes out when I come up.

[Deleted]

normally the best way to find a spot to sluice is by test panning, no colors .. find a new spot . The elevated placers you were speaking of probly do contain gold, try and find a cutting in the slope and inspect the layers, it is normally quite obvious the signs of an old river bed ( you will see the layers of different sized gravels ) if there are signs of diggings that is always a good clue. Rivers \Creeks nearby to elevated placers will also usually carry gold, test spots with your pan to find the best concentration for sluicing.

[carms]

thanks diggerdude, im not too far from Sofala - Hill End area so if your heading up this way it would be great to meet up one day for a bit of a pan etc & im always happy to do a bit of digging in exchange for learning a trick or two ;D just send me a pm closer to the date and we can work out a time and place....as the only thing i really walked away with from my last trip was a flat tyre which decided to slowly leak throughout the night....i suppose least it didnt happen on the dirt goat track between sofala & hill end lol i think another issue was the old diggings in the area had been picked over and washed around from the recent floods so there were trees down and other stuff which made it hard toread...and river rocks everywhere! lol
I may also have my detector by then so i may even be up for that if you also use a detector to prospect

anyway thanks again for the offer, i will always shout lunch and a few drinks for anyone who wants to go out so i can get some practise!