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Although most State and National Parks in Victoria are off limits for gold prospecting, some of them do have designated areas where prospecting is permitted.
Prospecting is allowed in some areas within the following parks:
- Beechworth Historic Park
- Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
- Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
- Enfield State Park
- Greater Bendigo National Park
- Heathcote-Graytown National Park
- Kara Kara National Park
- Kooyoora State Park
- Paddys Ranges State Park
- Reef Hills State Park
- Steiglitz Historic Park
- Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve
Prospecting maps
Parks Victoria provides a series of maps showing the designated prospecting areas within some of these parks.
Download links for the available prospecting maps and some links to places of interest for these areas are provided further down on this page.
Please note that prospecting is also allowed in most crown land, state forests, many reserves and private property with the land owner's permission.
The following prospecting maps only provide information for these State and National Parks managed by Parks Victoria.
For more information about land access rules in the surrounding areas, take a look at this information provided by Earth Resources.
Useful resources
You may also find the following links useful (or keep scrolling down to browse through the gold prospecting maps for Victoria's State and National Parks):
- Guide to gold prospecting in the Victorian Goldfields
- Places to prospect in the Victorian Goldfields
- Gold-bearing creeks and rivers in Victoria
- Historical gold maps of the Victorian Goldfields
- Gold shops, detector hire and gold tours in the Victorian Goldfields
- YouTube channels from the Victorian Goldfields
- Dangers of mine shafts in the Victorian Goldfields
gold prospecting maps for victoria's state and national parks
Parks Victoria are currently updating their website and prospecting maps for some areas are temporarily unavailable. This list provides links to all the maps currently available:
Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
Red Knob Mining Landscape, Vaughan VIC
Gold prospecting is permitted throughout most of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, with only a few small areas off limits.
The area around Castlemaine was the world's richest shallow alluvial goldfield and is filled with fascinating historical sites.
Some places of interest throughout the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park include:
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
Reedy Creek, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
Gold prospecting is permitted in designated areas throughout the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, which is located near Beechworth.
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park Prospecting Map - Please note that there is currently an issue with this map, as it does not show any designated prospecting areas. Hopefully this will be resolved soon and a new map uploaded to the Parks Victoria website.
Greater Bendigo National Park
Old Tom Mine, Whipstick VIC
Gold prospecting is permitted throughout most areas of the Greater Bendigo National Park / Bendigo Regional Park, with only a few areas off limits.
Some places of interest in the area include:
Heathcote-Graytown National Park
Gold prospecting is permitted throughout most areas of the Heathcote-Graytown National Park, with only a few areas off limits.
Kara Kara National Park
Gold prospecting is permitted in designated areas of the Kara Kara National Park.
Some places of interest in the area include:
Kooyoora State Park
Union Reef Mine site, across from the historic Cobb & Co Well, Kingower VIC
Gold prospecting is permitted in designated areas throughout the Kooyoora State Park.
Some places of interest in the area include:
Paddys Ranges State Park
Gold prospecting is permitted in designated areas of Paddys Ranges State Park, located near Maryborough.
Some places of interest in the area include:
Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve
Gold prospecting is permitted within designated areas throughout the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve around Wedderburn.
PROSPECTORS AND MINERS ASSOCIATION VICTORIA
Established in 1980, the Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria is a voluntary body created to protect the rights and opportunities of those who wish to prospect, fossick or mine in the State of Victoria, Australia.
You can support the PMAV in their fight to uphold these rights by becoming a member. You'll also gain access to exclusive publications, field days, prospecting tips, discounts and competitions.
Check out the PMAV website for more information.
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