Several years ago now, we became big fans of the TV show Aussie Gold Hunters, a Western Australian production that first caught our attention long before border closures and COVID-19. Who knew watching strangers dig around in the dirt could be so captivating?
I had also been busy planning a road trip across the heart of Australia to Alice Springs, I realized calling it a “road trip” was a bit of a stretch. The plan was to venture through the desert on little more than a dusty dirt track. Sure, we could’ve taken the bitumen roads, but that would’ve added a whole lot of extra kilometres to the journey. It was going to be a rough-and-ready adventure, and while Debbie was excited about the trip, the idea of bush camping wasn’t exactly winning her over. She prefers her “wildlife” safely contained within a David Attenborough documentary.
That all changed when I mentioned we’d be traveling through the goldfields and could try our hand at a bit of gold prospecting — just like on Aussie Gold Hunters! Suddenly, Debbie was all in, and our adventure had a fun new twist. The thought of striking it rich clearly beat the prospect of sharing a tent with curious critters.
Now, we had zero experience with prospecting and no detecting equipment, but we figured the Christmas holidays were the perfect time to practice. So, the day after Boxing Day, we packed our tent and whatever camping gear we could find, hopped in the car, and made a quick stop at Reeds (the local prospecting shop) to hire a metal detector. We were ready to become professional gold diggers — or at least look the part.
With everything set, we hit the road toward the goldfields. Our confidence was high; our knowledge was low. What could possibly go wrong?
Follow along as we share the highs, the lows, and the laughable mistakes of our gold-hunting adventure. We’ll show you what to do—and definitely what not to do—when it comes to prospecting for gold. Spoiler: If you see us running, it’s not from excitement—it’s probably from a snake.
You can follow our adventures here.
We hope you enjoy the ride!
Debbie & Wayne
