LEONORA GWALIA
Home to the deepest decline mine in Australia and the ghost town of Gwalia. This area launched Herbert Hoover's career and is still yielding massive nuggets to electronic prospectors.
Pastoral Leases
Much of the land here is Active Pastoral Lease (Station Country). While a Miner's Right gives you access, you **MUST notify the station owner** before entering.
Gates & Livestock: Leave gates as you found them. Do not disturb stock. This is working cattle country.
Gwalia Museum
A preserved shanty town. Walk through the tin shacks of the 1900s miners. Essential history to understand the ground you are working.
Webb's Patch
A common name for designated fossicking areas. There are several public commonages around Leonora where you can swing without a 40E permit.
Laterite Gold
The gold here is often in "impregnated ironstone" or laterite. Don't just look for white quartz. Scan the dark, heavy iron rocks too.
Field Tips: Chain Your Coil
The ground here is open and flat. It's easy to miss spots. **Chain your patch.** Drag a heavy chain behind you (or mark lines with a boot) to ensure you overlap your coil swings by 50%. The big nuggets are gone; you are looking for the ones everyone else walked over.
What Your Gold Is Worth
Rough spot-price estimate of your find. Real payout depends on purity, weight, and who you sell to — but this gives you a ballpark before you head home.
This is a rough calculator — purity, refinery fees, and market spread all affect what you actually get. Check current spot prices before selling.
Gold Knowledge Resources
Optional gold-culture references for readers curious about bars, coins, purity and storage language after prospecting. These are third-party resources, not financial advice.
BullionVault
Third-party resource for learning how vaulted physical gold services describe storage, fees and custody.
BullionStar
Useful for comparing bars, coins, premiums and purity language after learning field testing basics.
APMEX
Browse mainstream bullion product formats and premiums as gold-culture background, not prospecting advice.
JM Bullion
Reference catalogue for seeing common retail names, weights and purity markings used on coins and bars.
The Digger's Code
- Backfill all holes before you leave.
- Pack out all your trash.
- Respect fence lines and gates.
Legal Disclaimer
Land access rights, safety conditions, and public fossicking zones change. You are solely responsible for verifying regulations with local authorities (DOC/Council/BLM) and assessing river safety before visiting. Paystreak.io accepts no liability for injury, fines, or trespassing. Never dig on private land without explicit permission.
✓ Information last verified: January 2026