A guide to fossicking in South Australia

There’s some­thing unique­ly excit­ing about search­ing for hid­den treasures. 

It’s a pop­u­lar recre­ation­al out­let for out­doors-types. Many do it with met­al detec­tors, gold pans and shov­els – the tech­ni­cal term for this is fossicking.

In order to pro­tect our land­scape from degra­da­tion and dis­rup­tion how­ev­er, there’s some strict rules that apply for fos­sick­ing in South Australia

Here’s every­thing you need to know:

What is fossicking?

Fos­sick­ing is described as the recre­ation­al gath­er­ing of min­er­als with­out the inten­tion to sell or utilise them for a com­mer­cial or indus­tri­al pur­pose and which does not dis­turb the land or water by the use of machin­ery or explosives.

Com­mon fos­sick­ing tools include met­al detec­tors, gold pans and picks and shovels.

Fos­sick­ing includes pan­ning, sluic­ing, dredg­ing, met­al detect­ing or any oth­er activ­i­ties that result in removal of min­er­als with­out the intent to sell or to utilise them for any com­mer­cial or indus­tri­al purpose.

On what pub­lic land can fos­sick­ing take place?

There are a num­ber of his­tor­i­cal fos­sick­ing sites with­in South Aus­tralia, only some of which are open to the pub­lic for fossicking.

The Jupiter Creek dig­gings near Echun­ga are pop­u­lar site for fos­sick­ing, as are des­ig­nat­ed areas of the Mount Craw­ford For­est includ­ing Gumer­acha Gold­fields and Watts Gul­ly Dig­gings; these lat­ter sites require a ForestrySA fos­sick­ing per­mit. Gen­er­al for­est vis­i­tors (non-fos­sick­ing), how­ev­er, do not need a per­mit to enter ForestrySA land.

Can I fos­sick in nation­al parks, forests, and reser­voir reserves?

Oth­er than the des­ig­nat­ed areas of the Mount Craw­ford For­est, fos­sick­ing is not per­mit­ted with­in South Australia’s nation­al parks, con­ser­va­tion parks and reser­voir reserves.

Fos­sick­ing on Crown land or with­in nation­al parks with­out prop­er autho­ri­sa­tion is strict­ly pro­hib­it­ed and may result in sub­stan­tial penal­ties, includ­ing fines and legal action. 

Under the Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, it is an offence to use a met­al detec­tor, dig, or dis­turb soil with­in a reserve. 

There’s an impor­tant rea­son for this. 

These activ­i­ties pose a risk to cul­tur­al her­itage, envi­ron­men­tal integri­ty, and pub­lic safetyand are active­ly mon­i­tored and enforced by rel­e­vant authorities.

How should I leave a fos­sick­ing site?

Any fos­sick­ing site must be left in a clean and tidy con­di­tion. If you have dis­turbed the site you need to restore it as close as pos­si­ble to its pre-dis­turbed con­di­tion. Soil, rock or oth­er mate­r­i­al that has been exca­vat­ed must be replaced before you make any fur­ther exca­va­tions. You must remove all refuse, includ­ing bot­tles, cans, etc. from the site.

Fur­ther information:

Fur­ther infor­ma­tion regard­ing fos­sick­ing is avail­able on the Depart­ment for Ener­gy and Min­ing web­site.

Vis­it the Forestry SA web­site for more infor­ma­tion on fos­sick­ing in Mount Craw­ford Forest.

Stay in the know: Sign up to get updates from DEW, straight to your inbox!