General News
16 February, 2023
Prospectors take stand against illegal fossicking
Appalled by the damage done to Maryborough’s Jubilee Oval last week, the Prospectors & Miners Association of Victoria (PMAV) is encouraging people to follow prospecting laws. Responding to the vandalism, which involved 13 holes dug allegedly...
Appalled by the damage done to Maryborough’s Jubilee Oval last week, the Prospectors & Miners Association of Victoria (PMAV) is encouraging people to follow prospecting laws.
Responding to the vandalism, which involved 13 holes dug allegedly by people prospecting on the oval, the PMAV has said that its members and other legitimate prospectors are not to blame.
According to PMAV’s Central Goldfields branch president John Garcia, council land would not normally appeal to a prospector.
“We would like the Central Goldfields Shire Council to know that our local PMAV members know how much effort council park workers put into keeping these sites looking their best,” he said.
“We would also like council to know that our members always abide by prospecting laws and are committed to causing no damage in the pursuit of their activities.
“Public gardens and ovals and the like are normally full of what a prospector would call ‘junk’ — this, however, is the sort of area that would be attractive to a person metal detecting for coins or relics rather than prospecting for gold.”
Noting that it was possible to metal detect in spaces without the need to dig holes and cause damage, Mr Garcia said that everyone needed to be mindful of relevant regulations.
“It is a pastime very popular for children as well as adults and we would encourage people to obtain the proper tools for these activities and metal detect with regard to the current laws,” he said.
“If people want to actually take up prospecting they should join a group to learn how to do something like this. We’ll teach you how to do it and where to look — there’s no gold in the oval or council grounds, if there was, it’s gone, so it’s pointless digging there.
“PMAV encourages all prospectors, coin and relic hunters, whether they are a member or not, to abide by the PMAV code of conduct.”
The group requires prospectors to be aware of all statutory regulations that govern the activity in the state, promote responsible prospecting and asks people to only conduct prospecting activities on private land with the consent of the owner.
“It would be a very small minority of either the prospecting or coin and relic hunter community that would commit these offences,” Mr Garcia said.
“The PMAV is interested in having a discussion with council to see if there is anything we can do to assist with getting the message across to that minority not doing the right thing.”
In Victoria, hobby gold hunters must purchase a miner’s right permit to prospect or fossick.
Those caught without a permit can face penalties up to $36,984.
To find out more information on prospecting areas and permits visit www.parks.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/fossicking-prospecting