Gold Fossicking in Australia
Fossicking for gold with hand tools and metal detectors is popular in Australia, but each state has its own rules: some need a licence or miner's right, others only the landholder's consent, and national parks are closed almost everywhere.
Facts checked 26 October 2026
New South Wales
Where: Private land with the landholder's consent; Crown land where the Mining Act gives a right of entry (check status with Crown Lands); designated Fossicking Districts, where you do not need the exploration licence holder's consent (maps on NSW MinView); many state forests with a permit. Generally not in national parks. You need consent from the holder of any mining title, mineral claim or opal prospecting licence, and from the registered native title body on native title land or water.
Licences and permits: The official guide does not describe a general fossicking licence; instead you need the consents for the land you are on. State forests need a 12-month Forestry Corporation permit (maximum court penalty AUD 2,200 without one). Fines for breaking the fossicking rules are AUD 750 for individuals, with a maximum court penalty of AUD 5,500. Publicly owned gold or gemstones found while lawfully fossicking belong to the finder, and no royalty is payable.
Equipment: Hand tools (hammers, shovels, picks), sieves, pans, shakers, non-powered river sluices and metal detectors (if there is no surface disturbance). No explosives, powered or mechanical equipment, highbankers with powered pumps, dredges, water pumps or powered trommels. Limits per person per 48 hours: 1 cubic metre of material disturbed; 10 kg of gold- or gem-bearing material; 5 kg of other minerals; 5 nuggets of 10 g or more plus 50 g of other gold; 100 g of gemstones. Refill holes to restore the soil profile and do not take bushrock.
Victoria
Where: Crown land, your own land, and private land with the landowner's permission, subject to the fossicking rules on where you can go. Not allowed in national, state, wilderness or marine parks unless specifically authorised.
Licences and permits: A licence or permit is needed. AUD 28.60 for a 10-year miner's right (individuals only); under-18s accompanied by an adult with a miner's right do not need one.
Equipment: Fossicking means collecting gems or minerals with hand tools, including metal detectors and pans.
Queensland
Where: Government-designated fossicking areas where landholder permission is not needed: Central Queensland Gemfields, Central Gold District, South-eastern Queensland, Northern Queensland and the Western Opal Fields. Fossicking is not allowed in national parks or state forests.
Licences and permits: A licence or permit is needed.
Equipment: Licence (individual, family, club, education or tour operator; 1 month or 12 months) bought online via MyMinesOnline. Hand tools only, including pans, sieves, sluices and metal detectors; no machinery, powered equipment or explosives. Do not dig deeper than 2 m on land or 0.5 m in a watercourse; refill holes. No licence is needed to use a metal detector to look for treasure or lost items, or at paid tourist mines.
Western Australia
Where: Available Crown land. A Section 40E permit or the holder's written permission is needed on exploration licences, and written permission on mining leases and prospecting licences. On pastoral leases, stay 100 m from occupied buildings and 400 m from livestock watering points unless the pastoralist agrees. Not allowed in national parks, nature reserves or townsites.
Licences and permits: A licence or permit is needed.
Equipment: A miner's right (from any Mining Registrar's office, per-person fee) allows prospecting with hand-held tools such as metal detectors and keeping samples up to 20 kg. Fill holes and repair ground; carry water, maps, first aid and a registered personal locator beacon. Maximum penalty for illegal prospecting is AUD 150,000 for an individual.
South Australia
Where: Jupiter Creek Diggings near Echunga, and designated areas of Mount Crawford Forest (Gumeracha Goldfields and Watts Gully Diggings) with a ForestrySA permit. Private land needs the landowner's authorisation; Crown land needs consent from the Department for Environment and Water; mineral claims, mining and retention leases need the holder's approval (no permission is needed within an exploration licence). Not allowed in national parks, conservation parks, forest reserves, reservoir reserves or restricted areas; Chapel Hill at Echunga is closed for safety.
Licences and permits: No general fossicking licence is described by the state. A ForestrySA permit (annual or daily, bought online) is needed for the Mount Crawford Forest sites. Using power-operated machinery counts as mining and needs a registered mineral claim or mining lease. All minerals in South Australia are Crown property, and fossicked minerals may not be sold or used commercially.
Equipment: Hand-operated gear: hammer, pick, shovel, sieve, gold pan, metal detector, cradle or rocker, hand sluice box and dry blower. No mechanically operated equipment or explosives. Water-based devices are not allowed in SA Water watershed reserves in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Using a metal detector or digging inside a park reserve is an offence. At Jupiter Creek: backfill holes at once, do not dam or pollute water, no entry on total fire ban days, and no removing specimens from the heritage-listed diggings.
Tasmania
Where: Designated fossicking areas listed by Mineral Resources Tasmania. Not in roadside gutters or embankments, caves or underground workings, or areas closed for timber harvesting or burns.
Licences and permits: No licence is needed in designated areas. No permit needed inside designated fossicking areas; outside them a prospecting licence/permit from Mineral Resources Tasmania is required.
Equipment: Hand fossicking only; no powered or mechanised equipment or explosives. Restore diggings, do not undermine stream banks, keep 10 m from cave entrances. No more than 10 kg of gemstones or rocks in any 48 hours.
Northern Territory
Where: All NT land is open to fossicking if the required notices and consents are obtained: some areas need at least 7 days' written notice to the landowner or title holder, others written consent requested at least 14 days ahead. Declared fossicking areas have their own conditions.
Licences and permits: No licence is needed in designated areas.
Equipment: Digging by hand or with hand-held tools to a depth of up to 1 m. Per-person limits include 100 g of gold (larger nuggets can be kept if reported), 1 kg of gemstones and 20 kg of other minerals. Fossils, meteorites, diamonds and Aboriginal artefacts may not be taken. Carry photo ID and proof of notice or consent.
Sources (10)
- NSW Resources Regulator – Fossicking: a guide to fossicking in NSW (PDF)
- Resources Victoria – Recreational prospecting
- The Canberra Times / The Senior – How to start gold fossicking in Australia: a guide for retirees
- Queensland Government – Licences for fossicking
- Queensland Government – Fossicking in Queensland brochure
- WA Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration – Seven golden rules for prospecting
- SA Department for Energy and Mining – Fossicking
- National Parks and Wildlife Service SA – A guide to fossicking in South Australia
- Mineral Resources Tasmania – Conditions relating to fossicking areas
- NT Government – Fossicking rights and obligations
General information from official sources, checked October 2026. Land status, closures and rules change; check with the land manager or mining recorder before you go.