The pandemic-induced desire to escape crowded spots – as well as the soaring price of gold – has fuelled a surge in interest in prospecting and fossicking that shows no sign of slowing.
As grey nomads and others pack up their metal detectors, sieves and pans and head out to try their luck, many country areas are enjoying the benefits of the grey and gold dollar.
Volunteers at the Lake Alford visitor information centre, which issues permits for the Deep Creek fossicking area which is located just south of Gympie in Queensland, said there had been big demand in recent months.
Indeed, Mayor Glen Hartwig says demand for fossicking permits has soared by 40% since last March.
“With the gold price being $2,500 per ounce, I think there is an interest in mining again in and around Gympie,” he told the ABC. “If you pull up 30 grams, it’s a good day away … not only are our own residents doing a bit more fossicking but there are the travellers that are coming through trying their luck as well.”
He said while there was gold out there, it was the town that was the real winner as treasure-seeking tourists delivered a much-needed cash injection to the region.
“For Gympie, we’re one of the perfect locations in the south-east corner,” he said. “We don’t have the hustle and bustle and the congestion like Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast.”
And grey nomads who might be tempted to look for gold for the first time, Mr Hartwig warned there was a bit of an art to it, with some people better suited to it than others.
“You can use a cradle, which is a bit more industrious, but most people just use a fossicking pan and swirl it around, and the gold’s denser and generally settles to the bottom of the pan,” he told the ABC. “Some people might find it a little bit therapeutic, others immensely frustrating.”
