Australia has a long and rich history when it comes to the search for gold. Possessing the largest share of gold resources in the world, the allure of this precious metal has created many gold rushes over centuries and continues to be a major economic export.
Replica of the Golden Beauty Nugget.
Whether you’re intrigued by gold rush life or looking to strike it rich yourself, here’s a guide to some of the best places in Australia where you can prospect for gold.
Bathurst, New South Wales
New South Wales
Gold panning in a creek
Bathurst, NSW
Bathurst has a rich gold history and was the earliest town settled west of the Blue Mountains. The first gold in Australia was allegedly found here in 1823, although it was kept quiet to encourage more agricultural settlement, and it wasn’t until the 1851 gold rush that mining began here in earnest. Remnants of this fascinating history can still be found throughout the town in the Bathurst Goldfields Education Centre, and of course, through gold panning and prospecting opportunities!
The history of the region means there are many guided tours and places to rent prospecting equipment, making it an ideal location for beginners and those wanting further instruction. But don’t worry if you think after all these years the site would be running low on gold, those who know where to look can still strike gold in close by areas such as Hill End and Ophir Reserve.
Northern Territory
Tennant Creek, NT
Castlemaine, Victoria
Tennant Creek, NT
The relative remoteness and lack of water during the dry season makes the Northern Territory a difficult location for all but the most determined prospectors. The Warrego Fossicking Area, just outside of Tennant Creek, boasts of little more than some rundown windmills, old picnic benches with a BBQ, and a supposedly haunted shack from the 1970s.
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Despite this, the area still receives regular traffic with new finds being reported by locals and tourists alike. In 2020, an 8-year-old boy from Tennant Creek found a two-ounce nugget worth $5,000 while fossicking with his father. Finds like this go to show that with determination and a bit of luck you can still find amazing pieces of treasure across Australia.
Queensland
Clermont, QLD
While Queensland’s Gold Coast may have the claim to fame and thrill, looking inland to the Central Gold District and the township of Clermont is sure to equally excite any Australian gold enthusiast. Following the 1861 discovery of gold in the creeks just south of the now township of Clermont, the region became a major hub for mining in the area with a hotel, post office, and school springing up over the following years.
Many of the dozen fossicking sites operational today such as Bathamptom, McDonald Flat, Four Mile and Black Ridge, are the same areas which have been open since the 1860s! Although now largely a coal mining area, Clermont and its surrounds remain a classic location on the maps of many Australian gold hunters.
South Australia
Jupiter Creek Diggings, SA
In the Echunga goldfields, just 30km southeast of Adelaide, Jupiter Creek is one of few prospecting locations open to the public in South Australia. Although not as gold rich as some other states, there has been enough new alluvial, or loose waterborne, gold over the years to keep this site relevant.
The Jupiter Creek Diggings site is also among the few in SA which permits fossicking, meaning that with a permit you can take home anything you find so long as it is not sold for commercial value. This may not be true in other surrounding heritage-listed Historic Reserves in the Echunga goldfields, so make sure to check Energy and Mining South Australia before heading out for your day.
Tasmania
Beaconsfield, TAS
While Tasmania may have some of the strictest prospecting laws with no public gold fossicking areas, if you’re willing to do some more research into Regional Reserves there are places that may allow prospecting with permission and a Prospector’s Licence.
Beaconsfield, originally named Brandy Creek and renamed in 1879, was one of the first towns in Tasmania to find gold. Mine sites have been in nearly continuous operation since and have yielded some great finds. Located in the Tamar Valley wine region of Tasmania, learning some more gold history and maybe going prospecting is a great addition to any day plans!
Victoria
Castlemaine, VIC
Castlemaine is just one of many locations across the Victorian Golden Triangle where modern-day prospectors can still search for gold. An early gold rush boomtown founded in 1851, the town and surrounding area contain a rich history. Less than a 20 minutes’ drive away you can find the old mining township of Maldon, with a streetscape unchanged since the 1850s.
The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park still allows for gold prospecting today to keep alive the heritage of the region and caters to prospectors of all skill levels. While Castlemaine has a large number of creeks and streams that permit gold planning, make sure to check with the Victorian Earth Resources website for the name of any waterbodies before setting out on your day.
Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, WA
Located in the WA Goldfields, Kalgoorlie was at the heart of the late 1800s Western Australian gold rush. It remains the largest region of gold mining and export in the country and is home to the massive Super Pit, a huge open-air gold mine with a history stretching back to 1893!
Kalgoorlie and the surrounding Goldfields remain a popular area for prospectors today following the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. In 2010 a hobbyist using a metal detector managed to find an enormous gold nugget dubbed the ‘Ausrox Nugget’ outside the townsite of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This specimen, which weighs 23.26kg and was sold for millions, shows that there may still be a fortune to be found by a lucky person in this region.
Fossicking laws and miners rights
Always check your state’s laws regarding prospecting, fossicking and miners rights before heading out, and don’t forget to check out the Heart of Gold App to find more gold-filled attractions around Australia.