The rules at a glance
Do you need a licence to fossick in Queensland?
Everyone who fossicks in Queensland must hold a current fossicking licence, no matter whose land they are on. Fossicking without one carries a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units ($8,635). Carry the licence while fossicking; showing it to an inspector on a phone or tablet is acceptable.
Where you can and cannot fossick in Queensland
| Land type | Status | The rules |
|---|---|---|
| Designated fossicking areas and designated fossicking lands | Allowed | Government-established, signposted areas set up specifically for fossicking. You need only your licence; no landholder permission is required, and under section 46 of the Fossicking Act the owner must not charge a fee for fossicking on the land. Examples include the Central Queensland Gemfields sapphire areas, Thanes Creek near Warwick, Deep Creek near Gympie, and the Yowah and Opalton opal areas. |
| General permission areas (GPAs) | Allowed | Areas where landholders have given general permission for fossicking and sometimes camping. You must hold a licence and follow the GPA conditions and any special conditions of access for the specific area. There are 12 GPAs around Clermont, and some GPAs sit inside state forests, such as Durikai and Talgai State Forests near Warwick. |
| National parks, conservation parks and wildlife reserves | Prohibited | Fossicking is not permitted in national parks, conservation parks or wildlife reserves anywhere in Queensland. No licence or permission changes this. |
| State forests and state timber reserves | Conditional | Prohibited unless a general permission area has been declared inside the forest. Where a GPA exists, fossick only within its mapped boundary and follow its conditions. |
| Private and occupied land | Permit required | You must obtain the landholder's written consent before fossicking on freehold property, land leases or other occupied tenures. Verbal permission is not enough, and the permission must be written on or attached to your licence. Fossicking occupied land without written consent carries a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units. |
| Mining claims, mining leases and mining lease applications | Conditional | You cannot fossick on a mining claim, mining lease or land under a mining lease application without the written permission of the holder or applicant. Tenement boundaries are not always obvious on the ground, so check current claim and lease boundaries on a tenement map before you dig. |
| Unoccupied state land | Allowed | A licensee may enter and fossick on unoccupied state land without separate permission. Excluded land is off limits, with a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units, and land under an exclusive possession native title determination needs the written permission of the native title holders. |
| Road reserves and stock routes | Conditional | Collecting on a road reserve does not require permission, but digging in a road reserve is an offence under section 39 of the Fossicking Act. For stock routes, contact the local council for permission first. |
| Watercourses | Conditional | Boundary watercourses can be entered and fossicked without permission, though adjoining owners may still hold rights. Where a watercourse runs through occupied land you need the landholder's written consent. Dig no deeper than 0.5m, do not excavate on the slopes of banks or within 3m of the top or toe of a bank, and do not excavate within 40m of any bridge, weir or other structure unless signs indicate otherwise. |
What equipment is legal in Queensland
- Hand tools (picks, shovels, hammers, sieves, shakers): Allowed. The Fossicking Act defines a hand tool as a pick, shovel, hammer, sieve, shaker or electronic detector, plus any tool declared by regulation to be a hand tool.
- Gold pans: Allowed. Panning is a hand method and the standard recovery technique in Queensland gold areas.
- Metal detectors: Allowed. Electronic detectors are expressly included in the Act's hand tool definition, but you still need a fossicking licence to use one to fossick.
- Hand sluices: Allowed. The official permitted activities guidance lists hand sluices among the hand tools you can use.
- Powered sluices and highbankers: Banned. No machinery is permitted, and the official guidance singles out water sluices with electronic pumps. Maximum penalty 400 penalty units ($69,080).
- Dredges: Banned. Official guidance states dredges of any kind are not permitted.
- Machinery and earthmoving equipment: Banned. A person fossicking under a licence must not use any machinery or equipment other than a hand tool. Maximum penalty 400 penalty units.
- Explosives: Not permitted. Explosives are not hand tools, so using them to fossick falls under the machinery ban, and authorised officers can require explosives to be removed from or surrendered on designated fossicking land.
Penalties
| Offence | Penalty | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Fossicking without a licence | Maximum 50 penalty units ($8,635) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 25 |
| Fossicking on occupied land, a mining claim or lease, or a mining lease application without written permission | Maximum 50 penalty units ($8,635) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 27 |
| Fossicking on excluded land | Maximum 100 penalty units ($17,270) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 26 |
| Using machinery or equipment other than hand tools | Maximum 400 penalty units ($69,080) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 38 |
| Selling fossicked material in trade or commerce | Maximum 400 penalty units ($69,080) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 36 |
| Digging beyond depth limits, tunnelling, creating overhangs or digging in a road reserve | Maximum 20 penalty units ($3,454) | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 39 |
| Contravening licence conditions | Maximum 20 penalty units ($3,454); licence may also be suspended or cancelled and on-the-spot fines issued | Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld) s 17 |
Local traps worth knowing
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to fossick in Queensland?
Yes. Everyone fossicking in Queensland must hold a fossicking licence under the Fossicking Act 1994, on every land type including designated fossicking areas. Fossicking without one carries a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units, which is $8,635 at the current penalty unit value. Carry your licence while fossicking; a copy on your phone is acceptable.
How much is a fossicking licence in QLD?
As at August 2026, an individual licence costs $9.97 for 1 month, $37.84 for 6 months or $63.73 for 1 year. A family licence costs $14.28, $48.55 or $85.14 for the same periods. Club licences are $106.67 a year. Fees are GST free and are re-indexed every 1 July, so check the official purchase page for the current amount.
Where can I fossick for gold in Queensland?
The main gold options are the 12 general permission areas around Clermont in the central gold district, Thanes Creek near Warwick, Deep Creek near Gympie, and the Talgai and Durikai State Forest general permission areas. Sapphires are found in the Central Queensland Gemfields, topaz near Stanthorpe and at O'Briens Creek near Mount Surprise, and opal at Yowah and Opalton.
Can I use a highbanker or sluice in Queensland?
Hand sluices are legal. Powered sluices, highbankers with pumps and dredges of any kind are banned because no machinery is permitted when fossicking. The maximum penalty for using machinery is 400 penalty units, currently $69,080, so keep everything hand operated.
Can you fossick in national parks in Queensland?
No. Fossicking is prohibited in national parks, conservation parks and wildlife reserves throughout Queensland. State forests are also off limits unless a general permission area has been declared inside them, as at Durikai and Talgai State Forests.
How deep can you dig when fossicking in QLD?
No deeper than 2m below the natural ground surface on land, and no deeper than 0.5m in a watercourse. Tunnelling and overhangs are prohibited, and you cannot dig at all in road reserves. You must refill your excavations and leave the site in a safe, tidy condition for stock, landholders and other fossickers.
Can I sell gold or gemstones I find fossicking in Queensland?
Occasional sales of single finds to hobbyists or through exhibitions are fine. Repeated selling through shops or businesses, or selling as part of making a living, is treated as commercial activity, carries a maximum penalty of 400 penalty units, and requires tenure under the Mineral Resources Act 1989 instead.
Do kids need a fossicking licence in Queensland?
Not their own. A family licence covers the licence holder, their spouse, and a child, or a student under 23, living with the licensee as a member of the household. At $85.14 a year it is the cheapest way to cover a household.
Can I camp at Queensland fossicking areas?
At some. Duck Creek, Sheep Station Creek, Opalton, and the Divide, Reward, Rubyvale, Sapphire and Scrub Lead areas require a fossicking camping permit ($4.76 per night or $30.02 per week for individuals and families), with a maximum stay of 3 months at any one area. Camping is not permitted at the Clermont gold areas; stay in town instead. The camping permit does not replace your fossicking licence.
Official sources
- Fossicking licence types (Queensland Government)
- Purchase a fossicking licence online, with current fee table (Queensland Government)
- Fossicking camping permits (Queensland Government)
- Permitted fossicking activities and materials (Queensland Government)
- Where you can fossick (Queensland Government)
- Responsibilities of fossickers (Queensland Government)
- Fossicking areas in Queensland (Queensland Government)
- Central gold district, Clermont (Queensland Government)
- South-eastern Queensland fossicking areas (Queensland Government)
- Western Queensland opal fossicking areas (Queensland Government)
- O'Briens Creek fossicking area, Mount Surprise (Queensland Government)
- Fossicking Act 1994 (Qld), current in-force version
- Fossicking Regulation 2019 (Qld), Schedule 6 fees in fee units
- Acts Interpretation (Fee Unit) Regulation 2022 (Qld), fee unit value
- Penalties and Sentences Regulation 2025 (Qld), penalty unit value
- Penalties and Sentences (Penalty Unit Value) Amendment Regulation 2026 (Qld), as made
Rules and fees change, and Australian government fees are commonly updated on 1 July. This page was last verified against the sources above in August 2026. Where this page and an official source disagree, the official source wins.
See exactly where these rules let you dig.
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