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Follow That Horse …

true tale of gold and the search for adventure and Reality television in the form of “Aussie Gold Hunters” has
wealth: This is the history part of the story but the best made metal detecting very popular as a weekend past time.
A part is to get out into the bush with your family and go Metal detectors do come in all price brackets. To start with you
gold hunting. need to purchase a “Prospectors Licence” and follow this up
with research (lots of research). Knowledge of the area, legal
A prospector, Laurie Sinclair went to check why his horse “Har- requirements and basic safety are the cornerstones of your
dy Norseman” was limping. experience.
When he bent to examine the hoof, he found that the problem
was a gold nugget! A rich gold reef was discovered and the area The area borders on the Nullabor Plain which is a massive
was named Norseman to honour the horse. The year was 1894 limestone plate. There are limestone caves and sinkholes which
and a brooch was made from this particular nugget. It is in the are dangerous. It is essential to let people know where you are
late Victorian style and is the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie-Boul- going. Gold is not found in limestone but it can yield treasure in
der. another form - meteorites!

The area is generally known as The Goldfields. Kalgoorlie is the A topographical map, co-ordinates of the area and permission
centre of the gold mining industry in Western Australia. The to be there are essential. A handheld radio and boots are next
on the list. The safety aspect needs to be highlighted - eucalyp-
tus trees all look the same. This means that prospectors face
the challenge of finding their way back to the vehicle and camp
in potentially hostile terrain. In the excitement of the detector
buzzing it is very easy to lose track of your surroundings.

Imagine this scene: you are out in the Australian bush, wearing
a hat (it gets very hot here) and while moving the metal detector
from side to side over the ground just ahead of you the ear-
phones emit a high pitched sound. You then go over the same
ground again to pinpoint the location. Then you proceed to dig
up the soil/gravel/dirt. You carefully examine the bits and pieces
as you gently sift through the sand. More often than not you
will find discarded bits of rusted metal, old nails, pull tabs from
drink cans, rusted tins and spent cartridges.
pubs resemble the salons of America with swing doors. A little
known fact is that J.Edgar Hoover, famed for being the director Even the metal in safety boots will set off the detector. One of
of the FBI and the President of America, came from Kalgoorlie the most obvious and basic rules is that if you dig a hole you
where he worked as a mine manager. Kalgoorlie with the have to fill it in again. There are many metal detectors on the
headgear and old pubs filled with memorabilia is reminiscent of market. Different coils will detect metal at different depths. You
South Africa’s Kimberley - but without the Big Hole! need to be physically fit to go out into the bush to start with.
Gold prospecting is not easy. The concept that the nugget is
According to rumour there is gold to be found in the National going to be exposed to view as you walk along a flat surface is
Parks - definitely out of bounds for prospectors. A reef of gold is totally inaccurate. However, we do have earth tremors from
said to run out to sea … The entire area is rich in minerals.
White quartz is sometimes found near gold. A local island is
called Ruby Island (which may refer to garnets) Frequently
prospectors find pyrope garnets which indicate the proximity
of gold! Peridot or Olivine is a green gemstone also found near
gold deposits.

Esperance locals go surfing, diving, fishing and gold prospect-
ing. It is completely normal to head inland on a Friday and
spend the weekend camping. Imagine unzipping the door of
your tent early on a Saturday morning overlooking the remote
Australian landscape. This could be the day that you find your
first or biggest nugget - with that in mind you head off looking
for the signs that you have researched. The excitement of the
search never fails!

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