Fossicking in Tasmania: Where to Go, When and What's Been Found

When is the best time to fossick in Tasmania?

Best monthsNovember to April

Tasmania is cool temperate, so what limits you is weather and daylight rather than heat. The warmer half of the year gives the longest days and the most reliable unsealed roads. The west coast stays wet in any month, so treat those areas as a separate planning problem.

Summer (December to March): The warmest stretch, with average maximums between 18 and 25C according to Discover Tasmania. Longest daylight, so you get more hours on the ground. Total fire bans are common, which means no campfires, and Tasmania's snakes are most active from December to March.

Winter (May to August): Winter maximums generally run 3 to 11C. The contrast across the state is extreme: the west coast averages roughly 2400 mm of rain a year against Hobart's 569 mm. The rough West Coast tracks to Magnet, Lord Brassey and Colebrook Hill are the first ground to become unusable.

Ground conditions after rain: Unsealed forestry roads and 4WD tracks bog and wash out quickly, and creeks rise. River-bank ground such as the Weld River becomes unworkable. Give the country a couple of dry days before committing to a long drive.

Tides on the coastal areas: Killiecrankie, Penguin and Weymouth are foreshore areas, and Mineral Resources Tasmania advises that tidal charts may need to be consulted for all three. Check the tide before you drive, because it decides how much foreshore is workable and when you need to be off it.

Weather can turn in any month: Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania warns that snow, hail, rain, wind and sun are all possible at any time of the year, and that conditions change quickly and frequently in mountain areas. Carry a waterproof outer layer and a spare warm layer even on a January day trip.

Where do people fossick in Tasmania?

These are the public districts Tasmania is known for. Boundaries, current tenements and designated areas change, so confirm the status of any specific ground before you travel.

Gems1876 to 1908

Weld River Fossicking Area, Moorina

North-east Tasmania, adjacent to the Tasman Highway at Moorina, about 70 km north-east of Launceston, reached via Scottsdale or St Helens.

Old north-east tin wash beside the Tasman Highway, where sapphire, spinel, zircon and occasional topaz came from the same gravels.

History and access

History: MRT describes extensive alluvial deposits here that were worked for tin for many years, the material derived from weathering of granite, basalt and other rock types. Cassiterite was the major economic mineral of north-east Tasmania and tin mines were widespread through the district. Chinese tin miners arrived in the north-east in 1876, the Briseis tin mine opened at Derby the same year, and the Frome Dam and Moorina power station were completed in 1908 for the Pioneer Tin Mining Company. The gem minerals came out of the same wash the tin miners were already treating.
What has been found: Corundum (sapphire) is one of the most sought-after minerals here, described by MRT as moderately common, usually as small rounded grains, dark blue and sometimes green or parti-coloured, and only rarely up to a few centimetres. Spinel, cassiterite and zircon are among the more common heavy minerals, topaz occurs as occasional small grains, and chrysoberyl is rare. Nothing about the ground guarantees a stone.

Access realityA declared fossicking area of about 2 km2 beside the highway, so no licence is needed inside its boundary. MRT describes two main collecting areas: one reached from Frome Road by walking the banks of the Weld River, the other via an all-weather track leaving the Tasman Highway about two kilometres south of Moorina. Hand tools only, and metal detectors are not permitted in any declared fossicking area. Before you drive, put the declared area boundary up in Detector Maps so you can see exactly where the open ground stops, plan the river bank walk and the track in as a route, and read the bare-earth hillshade along the Weld for old race lines and worked faces.

Gems1880 to 1890

Gladstone Hill Fossicking Area

Far north-east, around Gladstone, about 90 km north-east of Launceston, reached on good sealed roads via Scottsdale, St Helens or Bridport.

Far north-east tin and gold workings renowned for large smoky quartz crystals, plus clear quartz, amethyst, topaz and jasper.

History and access

History: Gold was discovered at Gladstone in 1880 and more than a dozen mines opened. Water was the constraint. The Mt Cameron water race system was built in 1882 for the Mt Cameron Hydraulic Mining Company, then taken over by the government and used to supply water to small mines in the Gladstone area, and the completed 53 km race was officially opened in 1890. Gold kept coming from the Ringarooma River alluvials largely as a by-product of tin mining and dredging, with 263 kg recorded between 1906 and 1981. The old Garfield tin mine at Gladstone was reopened by the Star Hill Syndicate in 1941.
What has been found: Smoky quartz, clear quartz, amethyst, topaz and jasper around the old tin workings associated with Ah Kaw, Mt Cameron and Alhambra Creeks. MRT notes the area is particularly renowned for large crystals of smoky quartz.

Access realityAn 8 km2 declared fossicking area with sealed road access most of the way, which makes it one of the more forgiving north-east options. Historic mining relics are present, and MRT asks fossickers to avoid disturbing the historic workings and not to collect artefacts such as bottles and pieces of machinery. Work out where those workings sit before you arrive rather than by walking into them. The historic workings layer and the LiDAR hillshade in Detector Maps help you place the old ground before you get there, so you can mark what to leave alone and still make use of the size of the area.

Gems1882 to 1896

Killiecrankie Bay Fossicking Area, Flinders Island

North-west coast of Flinders Island in Bass Strait, about 30 km north of Whitemark. Reached by air or sea, then on unsealed roads.

Bass Strait foreshore where loose topaz, the Killiecrankie diamond, is worked from granite boulder material with smoky quartz.

History and access

History: Tin was discovered at Cape Barren Island and Flinders Island in 1882, and the Pats River tinfield, the largest deposit on Flinders Island, was found by Charles Officer in 1896. The topaz here was derived from tin-bearing pegmatite in the local granites and is rarely seen in place, so what fossickers work is loose material among the granite boulders on the foreshore.
What has been found: Topaz, known colloquially as Killiecrankie diamond, as glassy well-formed crystals or waterworn pebbles, usually colourless to pale blue but also translucent white or pale pink and yellow. MRT records crystals up to about 20 mm as abundant, with some up to 80 mm reported. Smoky quartz occurs with it, and zircon and beryl are rare.

Access realityA 1 km2 declared area on the foreshore in the vicinity of Diamond Gully. Because it is coastal, MRT advises that tidal charts may need to be consulted. Getting to Flinders Island is the real cost of this trip, so build it into an island stay rather than a day out. MRT also notes topaz occurs elsewhere around Killiecrankie Bay, including the old Tanners Bay tinfield nine kilometres to the south. Those other spots sit outside the declared boundary, so read the land status and tenure layers in Detector Maps before you plan anything around them, and download the area in Detector Maps before you fly, because coverage in remote parts of Flinders Island is patchy.

Gems1852

Lune River and Coal Hill Fossicking Areas

Far south. Lune River is about 100 km south of Hobart via Huonville on sealed road as far as Lune River; Coal Hill is about 90 km south-south-west of Hobart, about four kilometres north-west of Hastings, reached via Huonville then unsealed roads and forestry tracks.

Far south lapidary ground yielding petrified fern, agate, jasper, chalcedony and petrified wood, geologically unique in Tasmania.

History and access

History: Coal was recorded at Coal Hill in 1852. The lapidary material at Lune River is derived from the weathering of some Jurassic lavas and sedimentary rocks, and MRT describes it as unique in Tasmania and therefore of geological significance, with Lune River one of the few known Tasmanian sources of petrified fern.
What has been found: Lune River yields petrified fern (commonly but incorrectly described as manfern), agate, petrified wood and jasper, with the petrified fern highly prized scientifically and in lapidary circles. Coal Hill yields agate, jasper, chalcedony and petrified wood, with some agates containing geodes of crystalline quartz and rarely amethyst. MRT notes Coal Hill collecting is best in recently clear-felled areas.

Access realityTwo separate declared areas, 5 km2 at Lune River and 9 km2 at Coal Hill. The Lune River area excludes a block of private property, the proclaimed Lune River Fossil Site and the Southport Lagoon Conservation Area, so boundaries matter here more than most places, and it is worth planning with the land status and reserve layers open in Detector Maps rather than trusting the shape of the area from memory. MRT has noted that Sustainable Timber Tasmania's forestry operations at Lune River have concluded and fossicking may resume, but confirm current status before you drive down. At Coal Hill there is no fossicking within 200 m of the centreline of the Hastings Caves Road, none in new plantation or regeneration until the trees are five metres tall or five years old, and none where a forestry operation is under way. Measure that 200 m offset from the road and mark it on your map before you leave home.

Gems1891 to 1940

Magnet, Colebrook Hill and Lord Brassey Fossicking Areas

West Coast. The old Magnet mine is six kilometres directly west of Waratah, Lord Brassey is on Brassey Hill about 17 km west of Waratah, and Colebrook Hill is 4.5 km south-west of Rosebery, reached via the Murchison Highway.

West Coast mine dumps famous for crocoite and yellow chrome cerussite, Australia's best ferroaxinite, and nickel and serpentine minerals.

History and access

History: William Bell found the Magnet silver lode in 1891, the Magnet Silver Mining Company was established in 1894 to work it, the mine reached full production in 1900, and it closed in 1940, after which the Magnet township was auctioned and dismantled. MRT records that Magnet was intermittently worked for silver, lead and zinc for many years and more recently for specimen minerals. Colebrook Hill was originally worked for copper. Lord Brassey was a small mine on a nickel sulphide occurrence in ultrabasic rocks, now mostly serpentinite.
What has been found: MRT describes Magnet as one of only a few publicly accessible locations for crocoite and yellow cerussite; the crocoite occurs rarely, as prismatic crystals to 50 mm, bright orange to red, while the mine is famous for its yellow chrome cerussite, which occurs rather abundantly. Colebrook Hill has produced what MRT calls Australia's best ferroaxinite specimens, some of them world class, as wedge-shaped crystals up to 20 mm. Lord Brassey yields nickel and serpentine minerals including heazlewoodite, hellyerite and zaratite.

Access realityAll three are declared fossicking areas and all three are the hardest to reach in the state. MRT describes the Magnet Road as steep and badly eroded and best restricted to 4WD vehicles. Lord Brassey (0.6 km2) is up a very rough and steep 4WD track. The Colebrook Hill track (0.5 km2 area) is navigable for about two kilometres before it becomes overgrown, with fallen trees and boggy patches, so expect to walk. MRT tells travellers to Colebrook Hill to be prepared for snow and other severe weather conditions at all times. Historic relics at Magnet and Lord Brassey must not be disturbed or collected, and MRT states that under no circumstances should fossickers enter the disused adit at Lord Brassey. This is country to plan properly in the app: measure the walk in from where the track gives out, read the bare-earth terrain and gully lines off the LiDAR hillshade, pin the Lord Brassey adit as ground to keep clear of, and download the whole block for offline use, because coverage across the west coast is patchy and phone range out there cannot be relied on.

Gems1996

Penguin, Weymouth and Tunnel Marsh Fossicking Areas

Penguin sits adjacent to Lonah Road between Ulverstone and Penguin on the north-west coast; Weymouth is on the Bass Strait shoreline about 50 km north of Launceston, reached via Pipers River; Tunnel Marsh is inland, about 80 km north-west of Hobart via Bothwell or Ouse.

Three scattered tumbling-material areas giving jasper pebbles, quartz, agate, chalcedony and petrified wood by beachcombing or shallow digging.

History and access

History: The dark foreshore rocks at Penguin are Cambrian volcanic rocks and form part of the Penguin Geological Monument, recognised by the Geological Society of Australia as a site of special significance. Tunnel Marsh sits on Hydro-Electric Corporation land in the Lake Echo area, as set out in the 1996 order that declared the fossicking areas.
What has been found: Penguin yields jasper as small waterworn red pebbles scattered along the foreshore. Weymouth yields fine-grained quartz pebbles, petrified wood and some agates and chalcedony, all regarded as important tumbling material for lapidarists. Tunnel Marsh yields agate, jasper and petrified wood by shallow digging, though MRT notes the material is generally inferior to that found at Lune River.

Access realityThese are the short-trip areas. Penguin and Weymouth are each about 0.5 km2 and close to sealed roads. Tea Tree Point at the western end of the Penguin area is currently closed to fossickers because of sensitive penguin rookeries and potentially contaminated material, so check with Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania before you go. At Penguin you may collect the loose jasper pebbles but must not damage the rock formations. The Weymouth area is surrounded by private property, and MRT states public access to the foreshore can be obtained from public roads at the eastern end of the area. Tidal charts matter at both coastal sites. Weymouth is the one to map first: the land status layer in Detector Maps shows where the private blocks start, so you can mark the eastern public access and walk in without crossing anyone's paddock.

Gold1847 to 2012

Beaconsfield and the Tamar goldfield

West Tamar, about 40 km north-west of Launceston, on sealed roads.

Tasmania's largest gold mine and its deep-lead alluvials, a history site only, with no public digging today.

History and access

History: Gold-bearing quartz was found at Blyth Creek near Beaconsfield by John Gardner in 1847. William and David Dally discovered the Tasmania Reef in 1877 and the Tasmania gold mine opened at Beaconsfield in 1878. It became Tasmania's largest gold mine, closing in 1914 after producing almost 850,000 ounces, which Bottrill gives as 26.6 tonnes of gold. There was also 1.14 t of recorded alluvial gold at this centre up to 1907, mostly pre-1890, the major producer being a deep Tertiary lead to the east of Cabbage Tree Hill. The Hart Shaft was dewatered in 1995 and the mine officially reopened in 1999. A rockfall in 2006 killed Larry Knight and trapped Todd Russell and Brant Webb for more than a fortnight. Mining finished at the end of June 2012, 135 years after the reef was found.
What has been found: Historically, reef gold derived from mineralised, quartz-veined fracture systems in the Ordovician Cabbage Tree Conglomerate, plus deep-lead alluvial gold. There is no public digging here today.

Access realityThis is not a declared fossicking area and the district has long been held under tenement. Treat Beaconsfield as a history stop rather than a dig: the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre is open seven days and holds the surviving machinery and the 2006 rescue story. Any prospecting in the wider region needs a licence and land access sorted first, and the live tenement layer in Detector Maps is the quickest way to see whose ground you would be asking about before you make the call.

Gold1852 to 1939

Mathinna, Mangana and the north-east gold belt

North-east highlands around Mathinna, Mangana, Fingal, Alberton and Mt Victoria, roughly 95 km east of Launceston and north of Fingal.

An 80 km belt of Tasmania's richest goldfields, with alluvial gullies, lode workings, races and battery sites.

History and access

History: The first payable gold discovery in Tasmania was alluvial gold in the Tower Rivulet near Mangana, found by James Grant in 1852, which started a minor rush. The first lode gold mine, the Sovereign, was established at Mangana in 1859. Bottrill records that the area running north for some 80 km proved to be one of the richest goldfields in Tasmania, worked at Mathinna (Black Horse Gully, Long Gully and Kennedys Flats), Mangana (Majors, Sailors and Sharkeys Gullies), Fingal (South Esk River, Tower Rivulet) and Mt Victoria (New River, Dorset River). 288 kg of alluvial gold was recorded from the Mathinna and Mangana area and 89 kg from the Mt Victoria area, although Twelvetrees estimated between 150 and 250 kg for Majors Gully alone. The New Golden Gate mine at Mathinna reopened in 1887 and closed in 1932. The Wilson brothers, prospecting for tin around Ringarooma, found gold at Mt Victoria in 1882, and gold was discovered at Warrentinna in 1883. Ringarooma United at Alberton, the last of the north-east gold mines, closed in 1939.
What has been found: Alluvial gold associated with Late Devonian quartz veins in the Mathinna Beds, plus the physical remains of extensive lode workings, races and battery sites.

Access realityNot a declared fossicking area. Much of the belt is Crown land and state forest, but parts sit under exploration licences and some is freehold, so the status has to be checked block by block and prospecting needs a licence. Checking block by block is what the tenure and tenement layers in Detector Maps are for, so do it on the map before you commit to a road. The country is dense with old shafts, adits and collapsed workings, and the hillshade and historic workings layers help you see where the mapped ones sit, which matters as much for staying out of them as for reading where the ground was worked.

Gold1868 to 1925

Lefroy, Back Creek and Lisle

North-east of Launceston. Lefroy and Back Creek sit near the lower Tamar; Lisle lies north-east of Launceston toward Golconda and Denison.

Basalt-covered Tertiary deep leads north-east of Launceston, with Lisle possibly the state's largest alluvial producer.

History and access

History: Samuel Richards found gold near Nine Mile Springs, later Lefroy, in 1868, and gold turned up at Back Creek and Waterhouse in 1869. Four Tertiary leads, all partly basalt covered, were worked in the Back Creek area for an estimated 300 kg between 1870 and 1872. Similar Tertiary leads were worked at Lefroy between 1853 and 1900 for an estimated 155 kg, including the Pinafore, Golden Point and Native Youth leads, all worked up to where they pass beneath basalts. The Bessell brothers opened the Lisle goldfield in 1878; the area officially produced 2.7 t by 1925, and Bottrill's summary table gives 2.81 t recorded against an estimated 8.5 t, while Twelvetrees estimated 8 to 9 t for 1878 to 1909. Alluvial gold was also discovered at the Denison and Golconda fields in 1872.
What has been found: Fine alluvial gold from Tertiary deep leads and reworked Quaternary gravels. Bottrill notes Lisle produced relatively pure, free, angular gold, some of it highly porous, suggesting a secondary origin, that is, reprecipitation in place rather than gold shed straight from quartz veins.

Access realityNone of these are declared fossicking areas. A great deal of the ground is freehold farmland and plantation as well as Crown land, so land status and landholder permission matter here more than anywhere else in the state, and prospecting needs a licence. Put the land status layer up in Detector Maps and work out where the freehold starts before you go looking for a gate, because knowing exactly which block you are asking about is most of the conversation.

Gold1877 to 1941

Corinna, Savage River and the Pieman

Remote west coast, reached by the Western Explorer from Arthur River in the north, or from the south via the Pieman River vehicle barge at Corinna.

Remote west coast diggings on Main, Middleton, Whyte and Rocky Rivers, source of the state's two largest nuggets.

History and access

History: Alluvial gold diggings began at Corinna in 1877, and Bottrill records gold recovered from a wide area about Corinna to at least 1941. Principal workings included Main Creek, Middleton Creek, Whyte River, Rocky River, Savage River, Long Plains and Mount Donaldson. Smith estimated a production of about 600 to 900 kg from Main Creek and its tributaries in 1897, and Twelvetrees about 190 kg from Long Plains in 1900, though official records are very incomplete. The two largest nuggets recorded in the state came from the Rocky River. Charles Sprent discovered iron ore at Savage River in 1877.
What has been found: Historically coarse alluvial gold. Montgomery noted much of it was flattened, rounded and concentrated in sandy carbonaceous bottoms. Tin and platinum-group metals were minor by-products.

Access realityNot a fossicking area, and much of the surrounding country is reserve, conservation area or under tenement. Savage River National Park has no visitor facilities and vehicle access is very limited, with only limited 4WD access into the adjacent regional reserve. In the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area, standard vehicles can use the main arterial roads, but drivers planning to use the Sandy Cape Track or the Balfour Track need a Recreational Driver Pass, and Parks warns many 4WD tracks require experienced drivers in high-clearance vehicles. The area is a significant Aboriginal cultural landscape, with sites protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975. Come for the history and the country, and check status carefully before any prospecting. The reserve, conservation area and tenement layers in Detector Maps show what you are actually entering, and download the area for offline use before you go, because phone range out here cannot be relied on.

Famous Tasmania finds

7.6 kg and 4.4 kg

The two Rocky River nuggets, Corinna district

Bottrill (1991), citing Montgomery (1894), records the state's two largest nuggets from the Rocky River in the Corinna and Savage River field.

850,000 oz, 1877

The Tasmania Reef, Beaconsfield (1877)

Found by William and David Dally in 1877, the Beaconsfield mine opened 1878 and closed 1914 after almost 850,000 ounces, Tasmania's largest gold mine.

1852

First payable gold in Tasmania, Mangana (1852)

James Grant found alluvial gold in the Tower Rivulet near Mangana in 1852, starting a minor rush and opening a belt running north some 80 km.

8 to 9 t estimated, 1878

Lisle goldfield (1878)

Opened by the Bessell brothers. Officially 2.7 t by 1925, but Twelvetrees estimated 8 to 9 t for 1878 to 1909 at Lisle.

155 kg, 1868

Nine Mile Springs, later Lefroy (1868)

Samuel Richards found gold near Nine Mile Springs in 1868. Lefroy's Tertiary leads were worked between 1853 and 1900 for an estimated 155 kg.

288 kg, 1887 to 1932

New Golden Gate, Mathinna

The New Golden Gate mine at Mathinna reopened 1887 and closed 1932. Separately, 288 kg of alluvial gold is recorded from the Mathinna and Mangana area.

Topaz to 80 mm

Killiecrankie topaz, Flinders Island

MRT records topaz crystals up to about 20 mm as abundant in the foreshore material at Killiecrankie Bay, Flinders Island, with some up to 80 mm reported.

Crystals to 20 mm

Colebrook Hill ferroaxinite

MRT describes this small open cut near Rosebery as producing Australia's best ferroaxinite, some world class, as wedge-shaped crystals up to 20 mm.

Crocoite to 50 mm

Magnet crocoite and chrome cerussite

At the old Magnet mine near Waratah, crocoite occurs rarely as prismatic crystals to 50 mm beside the famous yellow chrome cerussite. Crocoite proclaimed a symbol 2000.

263 kg, 1906 to 1981

Ringarooma River gold

263 kg of gold was recorded from the Ringarooma River alluvials between 1906 and 1981, mostly as a by-product of tin mining and dredging.

How to plan a fossicking trip in Tasmania

Settle the legal question on the exact blockThere are eleven declared fossicking areas in Tasmania and no licence is needed inside their boundaries. Everywhere else, MRT states that fossicking without a prospecting licence is illegal. The historic goldfields at Beaconsfield, Mathinna, Lefroy and Corinna are not fossicking areas. Start on the map rather than on a place name: open Detector Maps over the spot you have in mind and read the land status and tenure layers, so you know whether you would be standing inside a declared area, on live tenement or on freehold. MRT is the source for the licence rule itself. Sort this out before you build a trip around a place name.

Carry the tenement, reserve and boundary layers with youExploration licences, mining leases, conservation areas, national parks and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area all cut across old goldfield country, and several fossicking areas exclude neighbouring reserves and private blocks. The declared fossicking area boundaries are proclaimed by MRT, so treat its published boundaries and area rules as the legal word on where the line sits. The rest is map work you do yourself: put the land status, reserve and live tenement layers up in Detector Maps, zoom in on the block you actually intend to walk, and download that area so the layers and your GPS position keep working once you are out of signal.

Read the conditions for the specific area, then put them on the mapHand fossicking only, no power-operated or mechanised equipment and no explosives, a 10 kg limit per person per 48 hours, no fossicking in caves or underground workings, no vehicles off formed tracks, no undermining of creek and river banks, and diggings restored before you leave. Metal detectors are not permitted in the declared fossicking areas. Individual areas add their own rules, such as the 200 m exclusion either side of the Hastings Caves Road centreline at Coal Hill. MRT is where you confirm the conditions that apply to your area. Anything spatial belongs on your map before you drive: measure that 200 m offset in Detector Maps and mark the edge, so the limit is something you can see in the field instead of something you are guessing at.

Ring the land manager before you commitMost of these areas sit on state forest or Crown land. Sustainable Timber Tasmania asks visitors to contact the regional office to find out what activities are occurring, whether heavy vehicles are using the same roads, and where gates are locked. Parks and Wildlife handles the reserve areas, including the current Tea Tree Point closure at the western end of the Penguin area. Those calls are the official word on access and closures, and the answers are worth keeping. Drop a pin in Detector Maps on each locked gate, haul road and closed section as you are told about it, so the route you plan matches the ground you will actually be allowed to drive.

Study the historic workings from homeRaces, sluiced faces, dumps, dredge tailings and shaft lines show up clearly on LiDAR hillshade and on old plans, and they tell you both where the ground was worked and where the hazards are. This is the part Detector Maps is built for. Run the bare-earth hillshade to pull those features out from under scrub, cross-check them against the mapped historic workings and the historic topographic and georeferenced map overlays, and save a pin on anything worth a look and anything worth staying well clear of. An hour on the map beats a day of wandering, and on the north-east and west coast fields it is also a safety exercise.

Download offline maps and tell someoneParks and Wildlife advises carrying a map because mobile phone range cannot be relied upon, and coverage is patchy across the west coast, the deeper north-east forests and remote parts of Flinders Island. Download the area in Detector Maps before you leave, so your maps, your saved spots and your GPS blue dot all keep working with no signal. Then tell a reliable person your route and expected return time, record your intentions in log books where they are provided, and carry a personal locator beacon for remote trips.

Do you need a licence to fossick in Tasmania?

The short version

You do not need a permit to fossick inside Tasmania's eleven declared fossicking areas, but Mineral Resources Tasmania states that fossicking outside them is illegal without a prospecting licence, and metal detectors are not permitted for use within the declared fossicking areas at all. That distinction shapes every trip in this state, because the famous goldfields are not fossicking areas. For licence types, conditions, limits, land access rules and penalties, see detectormaps.com/au/fossicking-laws/tasmania/.

Full Tasmania fossicking laws

Staying safe out there

Old shafts and aditsMRT counts more than 4,000 abandoned mining sites and says do not enter them. Collapse, noxious gases, hidden hazards. Never enter the Lord Brassey adit.

Cold and wet, not heatParks and Wildlife warns snow, hail, rain and wind are possible any month. Carry waterproof and spare warm layers. Colebrook Hill can see snow anytime.

No mobile coverageSignal is poor to absent on the west coast, deeper north-east forests and remote Flinders Island. Carry a map, tell someone your route, take a beacon.

Log trucks and forestryMRT warns Coal Hill travellers to watch for log trucks. Drive to gravel conditions and stay clear of any active logging, clearing, burning or planting.

Venomous snakesTiger snake, lowland copperhead and white-lipped snake are all venomous, though encounters are rare. Most active December to March. Wear boots and watch your hands.

Leeches and mosquitoesNormal in wet forest country, especially the north-west and southern forests around Lune River and Coal Hill. Gaiters, long sleeves, repellent, and check yourself afterwards.

Fast-rising creeksWeld River banks and west coast creeks rise quickly after rain. Do not undermine or excavate stream banks, a condition of the areas, and never cross floodwater.

Tides on the foreshoreKilliecrankie, Penguin and Weymouth face Bass Strait and MRT advises checking tidal charts. Watch the sea and keep a clear exit as the tide rises.

Fire restrictionsCampfires are prohibited on total fire ban days. No fire without the land manager's permission, and at Lune River no open fires or burning off to help digging.

Remote far westSavage River National Park has no facilities. Sandy Cape and Balfour Tracks need a Recreational Driver Pass, experienced drivers and high-clearance 4WDs. Plan properly.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time of year to go fossicking in Tasmania?

November to April is the practical window. You get the longest days, the driest ground and the most reliable unsealed roads. Winter is not impossible on the sealed-access coastal areas, but the west coast averages around 2400 mm of rain a year against Hobart's 569 mm, and the rough tracks to Magnet, Lord Brassey and Colebrook Hill turn ugly fast.

Where should a first-timer start?

The Weld River area at Moorina is the usual answer: a declared fossicking area beside the Tasman Highway, with clear boundaries and alluvial gravels that are straightforward to work with a sieve and a bucket. Gladstone Hill is a good second stop in the same corner of the state, on sealed roads most of the way. If you only have a few hours, Penguin or Weymouth are small foreshore areas with sealed road access where you are looking for pebbles rather than digging.

Do I need a metal detector?

No, and you cannot use one inside a declared fossicking area, because MRT states metal detectors are not permitted for use within them. Detectors are hand-held instruments used for prospecting, which needs a licence. For the fossicking areas the useful kit is a sieve or classifier, a small pick and trowel, a garden fork, a bucket, a spray bottle to wash stones, and eye protection if you are breaking rock on a dump.

Can I camp near the fossicking areas?

Often, yes. Sustainable Timber Tasmania allows camping on the permanent timber production zone land it manages except in areas that are signposted otherwise, and it recommends contacting the regional office beforehand to confirm where camping is allowed. Campfires are prohibited on total fire ban days, and inside a fossicking area no fire may be lit without the relevant land manager's permission. Parks reserves have their own rules and fees.

Do I need a four-wheel drive?

For most of them, no. Weld River, Gladstone Hill, Penguin, Weymouth, Killiecrankie and the sealed approach to Lune River are reachable in a normal car, though some final stretches are unsealed. The three West Coast areas are different: MRT describes the Magnet Road as steep and badly eroded and best restricted to 4WD, Lord Brassey as a very rough and steep 4WD track, and the Colebrook Hill track as navigable for only about two kilometres before it becomes overgrown and boggy.

Is it actually worth the trip?

Set your expectations by the material, not by gold-rush stories. The north-east gem gravels have produced sapphire, zircon, topaz and spinel for well over a century, but MRT describes the sapphire as only moderately common and usually small, and there is no such thing as a sure day. The West Coast mine dumps are the strongest draw for mineral collectors, since MRT calls Magnet one of only a few publicly accessible locations for crocoite and yellow cerussite. Nobody can tell you that you will find anything.

Can I take children?

The coastal and roadside areas suit families well: Penguin, Weymouth and Killiecrankie are surface collecting on a foreshore, and Weld River is a river-bank sieve. Keep children well clear of old workings anywhere in the goldfield or tin districts, watch the tide at coastal sites, and remember the two metre depth limit and the ban on undermining creek banks apply to everyone.

Sources

18 sources used on this page

Mineral Resources Tasmania: Fossicking areas (eleven declared areas, two-metre depth, no licence required inside) Mineral Resources Tasmania: Fossicking Areas in Tasmania (individual area pages for access, collecting areas and materials) Mineral Resources Tasmania: Conditions Relating to Fossicking Areas (hand fossicking only, 10 kg per 48 hours, no caves or underground workings) Mineral Resources Tasmania: Prospecting and fossicking (prospecting licence; metal detectors not permitted within designated fossicking areas) Mineral Resources Development (Fossicking Areas) Order 1996, Tasmanian Legislation (schedule of the eleven declared areas and their land tenure) Bottrill, R. S. 1991. Alluvial gold. Mineral Resources of Tasmania 11, Division of Mines and Mineral Resources (goldfield histories, production figures, largest nuggets) Bacon, C. A. 2013. A Tasmanian mining history timeline. Tasmanian Geological Survey Record 2013/10 (discovery, opening and closure dates) Preston, K. 2011. Mount Victoria Goldfield, Tasmania: a case of unfulfilled potential? Journal of Australasian Mining History, Vol. 9 ABC News: End of an era for Beaconsfield mine (30 June 2012) ABC News: Mineral Resources Tasmania on more than 4,000 abandoned mine sites and the dangers of entering them (2 March 2022) Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Safety in parks (weather at any time of year, phone range cannot be relied upon) Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area (Recreational Driver Pass for Sandy Cape and Balfour Tracks, Corinna barge, Aboriginal Heritage Act 1975) Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania: Savage River National Park (no visitor facilities, limited access) Discover Tasmania: Climate and weather (summer and winter maximums, Hobart 569 mm, west coast 2400 mm) Discover Tasmania: Walk safe in Tasmania (three venomous land snake species, PLBs, coverage, log books) Sustainable Timber Tasmania: Visiting land we manage (camping, campfires on total fire ban days, regional office contact) Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Symbols of Tasmania (crocoite proclaimed a formal symbol in 2000) Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre (visitor information, open seven days)

Historical detail on this page is drawn from the sources above and was last reviewed in August 2026. Nothing here promises a find, and ground status changes: always check current access, tenements and designated boundaries before you dig.

Keep reading

Tasmania fossicking lawsWhat licence Tasmania requires, where you are allowed to dig, and what the penalties are, checked against the official source.Gold prospecting clubs in TasmaniaClubs and branches that run organised trips onto ground they already have permission on.How to fossick: nine techniquesPanning, sluicing, detecting and sniping, explained step by step with video.

Know the ground before you drive out.

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Fossicking in Tasmania · Detector Maps

Fossicking in Tasmania: where to go, when to go and what has been found

When is the best time to fossick in Tasmania?

Where do people fossick in Tasmania?

Weld River Fossicking Area, Moorina

Gladstone Hill Fossicking Area

Killiecrankie Bay Fossicking Area, Flinders Island

Lune River and Coal Hill Fossicking Areas

Magnet, Colebrook Hill and Lord Brassey Fossicking Areas

Penguin, Weymouth and Tunnel Marsh Fossicking Areas

Beaconsfield and the Tamar goldfield

Mathinna, Mangana and the north-east gold belt

Lefroy, Back Creek and Lisle

Corinna, Savage River and the Pieman

Famous Tasmania finds

How to plan a fossicking trip in Tasmania

Do you need a licence to fossick in Tasmania?

Staying safe out there

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