Planning a trip to old goldfields.

Hi guys.
I think with all thunters there is always that feeling of the possible 'big find' and the excitement that goes with it. I metal detect with a Fisher 1236 X2 really just for fun-(the find!) at local beaches and the odd idiot losing car keys and rings. There are several historical buildings in my area but as I had mentioned somewhere before, in South Africa there is a lot of wire at most of the sites and can be back-breaking and sole-destroying at the same time.
Time to advance!!!
Around the corner from me, 30-40kms away is the town of Knysna-pronounced 'nize-na' and just outside the town was a gold rush in 1876 or so. A fairly large nugget was found on the farm Ruigtevlei in a small river by the farm owner James Hooper. There was a massive influx of prospectors but eventually things 'dried up' and the gold town shut down. The main area is Jubilee Creek near Rheenendal and are known as the Millwood Gold Mines. There is a bush trail running along a small stream which has several tunnels running into the dense wooded hillside-(crouching height). I briefly detected along the path and in the tunnels themselves but all I found was a big old broken axe head. To this day the area is big in timber.
I take it some of you guys use Google Earth in your researches? The area I'm looking at has a few small streams on it and I must try and ascertain which river James Hooper actually found the 1st nugget in but as I have NO clue on how to take it further maybe some of you guys wouldn't mind parting with some of your well earned wisdom.
As with bass fishing I always find it better to just go and fish a dam than ask permission first. If permission is sought and denied then you're caught, well then you are in the poop so I just act dumb, which I manage with a great ammount of natural flare and appologise and harp on the fact that this must be the wrong farm then.
Once I have the general area scoped I plan to use my bike instead of my small pickup van to get into the area and maybe camp out for a night or two. The reason for the bike is that it will be easier to 'hide',(not a van parked on or next to a track) which would bring attention to myself and as the bike is a respectable bike, not a noisy scrambler that whoever may question me may fall for my chirp of a cleaner planet, non-invasive, earthy approach to my illegal camping...
I like the idea of the syphon system but must first check the gradient of the area/streams. I suppose the end of the pipe pretty much flows into a bucket of sorts and the water continues to overflow. Does one then pan the sediment at intervals then? I've only seen guys panning on tv and I know there's an art to it...can I use any shallow steel pan or is plastic a good choice to run a detector over?
This is in a nutshell and I'll try and post a link of the area for those interested. If you read this avier, where are you based in SA and would you be keen on a project like this?

Cheers all and HH

Andrew(Orcaman)








 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,17966.msg115810.html#msg115810

Sure, no problem mate. Just send me your account details and I'll deposit the mandatory $280 admin fees. It may take a while as I'm in a town named Abuja in Nigeria.
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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,17966.msg115816.html#msg115816

Hehe, Andy be nimble, Andy be quick,
Andy make tracks before the click!

We don't really have that problem here...I hope. It's not as if I would be ambling around a farm house in the middle of the night, that would be looking for lead.
I know gold/ore is found in veins but what I'm trying to grasp is how widespread the gold can be from one discovery point. If I find the area where the farmer found his nuggett and where others have found too then would that entire area have a possibility of gold or will it be confined to a vein that has been eroded over time into a creek/river?
Would the deposits be coming from high up in the mountains or not, an interesting one. I'm hoping that the regulars here will get back from their respective hunts today and help me a bit

Cheers,

Andrew

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I vaguely remember meeting you, I could be wrong. I was on my way back from Mauritania and stayed a few days in Dakar, that was in March I think.
I know the coil I have is resin based so I think my chances of repairing it are rather slim. I think it is a hollow base shape filled with resin. Maybe the problem lies at the lead entry so I'll give that a jimmy first.

Cool bananas

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,17966.msg115889.html#msg115889

Hey Orcamon!
I'd be keen.Trying to organize a Gold Bug Pro.
I can act dumb. Or I can use the old.....sorry for the intrusion but I am thinking of doing my masters thesis on the biodiversity of this..........you get where I'm going with it.I've tried it....it works worst thing that can happen is you get told to chuck.Then you just walk away looking at your shoes hehehe.
I am actually quite interested in this project. Could be a good experience.
Viking.

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