Streams of Gold: A beginning prospectors guide to alluvial deposits (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781466202511)

Began my apprenticeship as a Aircraft Instrument Technician, studied electronics and later joined the Victoria Police Force, eventually retiring from the workforce in 2005. In 1967 Picked up a gold pan and went to Walhalla, a small gold mining town in south east Victoria, sat down on a gravel bar and began my search for gold. Did not find any gold until after I bought a book, discovered the point bar and realised the importance of sampling a stream. Over a 3 month period I found a few specks of gold, all up about 2 or 3 gram. I thought I was king of the river?. I met 'Hans' on the river, a 60 to 65 year old prospector. What this man did not know about prospecting was not worth talking about. A friendship developed, he took me under his wing and became my mentor. Every weekend for about 18 months I was undergoing a second apprenticeship. I was introduced to sampling a stream and very rapidly became aware of its importance and tedium. I certainly learnt a lot from him. The importance of the grave bar? Was introduced to natures natural riffles? Became fully aware that the water travels in more directions than just down stream? The difference between creep and suspension? And developed an understanding that gold is just another piece of the alluvium in the stream? It later became my desire to know more about the placement of gold in a stream. Most were aware of where to find their gold, I needed to know how and why. By regularly visiting libraries I became aware of stream technology and began to further realise the importance of the secondary currents within a stream, their ability to construct gravel bars along with the capability of the stream bed and the bar to trap gold. I now no longer search for gold in its true sense, I seek the desired alluvium after I am aware gold is present in the stream and look for minor indications to where the appropriate alluvium has been released by the stream and hope gold is an ingredient of the alluvium set down Gold was a lot easier to locate in the late 60's and early 70's the population on the stream was minor, not to mention that Australia's population then was only about 10 million. Floods were more frequent, at least annually, so the gold was regularly replenished. The gold detector was unheard of. The only avenue open to the weekend prospector was the stream and its contents