In 1872, construction workers were preparing to install telegraph lines south of Darwin, digging between Adelaide to Darwin. They discovered gold in the process, triggering another gold rush, and an influx of miners, primary Chinese immigrants. The Chinese had been working on the telegraph lines, but were a cheap source of labor when mining began in earnest.
Paddy’s Rockhole yielded another find in a dry creek bed in 1887. Although the gold rush was small in comparison to the rush of 1872, it did create Arltunga, east of Alice of Springs, which was the first town in central Australia.
Yet another discovery in 1909 was reported 200 or so miles from Hall’s Creek in the Tanami Desert, 450 miles to the southeast of Wyndham.
One of the difficulties early miners faced in the desert was the lack of water, as dry washing operations were not very sophisticated and resulted in carting material great distances to water. Subsequent improvements have made the recovery much easier. Many miners are using metal detectors in their search for nuggets.
There are a few highly productive gold mines in the Northern Territory, including the Callie, Zapopan, and Mt. Bundey mines. Several hundred thousand troy ounces have been produced by these three mines.
The best places for the recreational miner to search for gold are those places where gold has been recovered in the past. A prospector using a metal detector will want to locate areas that have produced courser gold, rather than fine, or flour gold.
Also Read: Gold Prospecting in New South Wales
Some possible areas to search are:
1.In the Tanami Region, explore the Dead Bullock Formation.
2.The middle part of the Pine Creek Orogen, or the northwestern belt between Katherine and Darwin.
3.The Eastern belt in the central Tennant Inlier, consisting of the Warramunga Formation.
Arnhem Province, Pine Creek Orogen, Murphy Inlier, Tennant Region, Arunta Region, Musgrave Province and the Tanami Region are the only areas known to contant the type of rock and alluvial sediment consistant with gold recovery.
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