Rockhampton councillors approve fossicking area at Mount Morgan

Treasure hunters will soon be flocking to an old Central Qld mining town as council pursues State Government approval for an area to dig for gold once more.

Gold fossickers visiting Mount Morgan are one step closer to having a dedicated area to extract the precious metal from.

Gold fossickers visiting Mount Morgan are one step closer to having a dedicated area to extract the precious metal.

Rockhampton Regional Council has endorsed the establishment of a General Permission Area (GPA) for recreational fossicking at No. 7 Dam with plans for the area to be prepared by middle of this year.

The unanimous decision to approve the fossicking area at the March 11 council meeting has been years in the making.

Council will now seek the approval from the State Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development to allow for the creation of the GPA.

Activity on site at Mount Morgan Mine.

Famously known as a former gold boom town which saw 225 tons of gold, 50 tons of silver and 360,000 tons of copper mined in a 99-year period, gold seekers still flock to the area in search of riches.

However, the conditions attached to the decision haven’t been met with universal approval.

Last May a community consultation period was launched with more than 250 responses made, of which 89.1 per cent was in favour of creating a recreational fossicking area.

The incredible Mount Morgan mine, which was once the soul of the town.

Many of the responders were from the Mount Morgan community and Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Tony Williams said the survey sent a clear message.

“The people of Mount Morgan, the broader region and fossickers want to see a GPA established,” he said.

Council staff will be used to develop the GPA ahead of its opening and to alleviate concerns regarding privacy council have added a 50m exclusion zone around the perimeter of the site.

Upon the creation of the GPA, those wishing to undertake recreational fossicking will require a permit issued online by the State Government.

Gold fossickers visiting the Mount Morgan No. 7 Dam are one step closer to having a dedicated area to extract the precious metal.

Councillors are hoping it will boost tourism.

Cr Edward Oram said the creation of a GPA “is very exciting for Mount Morgan and Rockhampton as a whole.”

Though Rockhampton’s councillors may be happy, Mount Morgan Outdoors business owner Eric Stevenson is not happy with the conditions fossickers will have to abide by.

A council draft of 25 rules for those using the GPA include the ruling “hand tools only are permitted (including metal detectors). Educator dredges, sluices, dry blowers or machinery of any other type are not permitted.”

The main feature of the Mount Morgan mine is the huge brick chimney known as the Big Stack, which was built in 1905.

Further drafted rules include that motor vehicles can be used on formed roads and tracks only and that “fossicking must only occur within the general permission area, where it is safe to do so and excluding any dam infrastructure, roads, creeks and gullies.”

Permit holders will be given a map of where they can and cannot go.

Mr Stevenson said the rules will be the downfall of the GPA.

“There is to be no vehicle access except to the main car park, so this means those with limited mobility that want to say, access the three historical abandoned mine sites will have to walk through some pretty rugged country for up to one kilometre from the William Street and about two to 2.5 kilometres from the No. 7 Dam Car Park,” he said.

Concrete bridge and bins at Mount Morgan mine.

“Some of the Grey Nomad fossickers ...of which make up a great deal of the visitors to Mount Morgan simply will not be able to get there to fossick.”

Mr Stevenson also said the rules around which tools can be used and where fossicking can take place are also a problem.

“Fossicking isn’t just metal detecting, it is panning and sluicing in the watercourse for gold, as this district was predominantly hard rock and alluvial mining it would be a major part of fossicking,” he said.

“To be honest, if access via vehicle and no panning \ sluicing in the Dam and River is not permissible, then the GPA will be a failure.”

Originally published as Rockhampton councillors approve fossicking area at Mount Morgan