Fri, 15th July, 2016 Bush camp near Sandy Creek, E of Nullagine, WA

7am 13.5 degrees so didn’t put the heater on but after we got up I realised I probably should have!! Still windy outside but the sky is still clear and blue.

Jeff headed back to explore his mine area more. I went back to my patch and Steve worked another area nearby.

I got 5 ‘hellos’ off my patch before smoko then nothing so I moved further up the slope. Still nothing so moved back down and further across towards where Steve was working. I got a loud signal that I thought was rubbish but dug up anyway as you never know and guess what it was a nice little nugget. It was more of a ‘You Hoo’ sound and he got my attention. Steve called out that he had a big piece so ran over to check out his – it was a lovely nugget.

Back to my spot I got another ‘You Hoo’ in a flattened area of spinifex and I dug up a little round flat piece. Steve beat me with another nugget that had quartz in it – very nice – we would like more of that size.

A 4-wheeler zoomed by but didn’t stop to say hello. Back to the van for open grill sandwiches – we both qualified for them today. Of course I had to make them as Steve’s gold weighed more!! Got out the scales for the weigh in. Steve’s two nuggets weighed in at 7.01 grams, my 8 nuggets came to 1.53 grams!! If he can continue with the bigger nuggets I am quite happy to be picking up the little ones!!

  

Steve got out his rake to clear away the spinifex around the area where he got the two nuggets – played hide and seek with a little snake too!! I worked my way around the cleared areas and then got a light ‘hello’ next to one of my drag marks from when I first walked up!! A nice little round nuglet. Walked back across my patch to try up the other side and got one more nuglet. That gave me the 10 for the day and my shoulder said it was time to rest. Got to spend some time doing my blog etc. My total for the day was 1.96 grams for the 10 nuglets. More than happy with that. 

Steve went back to detect his cleared area. I walked up the rise with my camera. It is quite pretty around here. 

Zoomed in on our camp just east of Sandy Creek (the taller treed area). 

Walked back to see how Steve was going. This is his pile of raked spinifex. 

Still working the cleared area. 

He got another nice one out of that hole. All three bigger nuggets were in a row a few feet apart.

Jeff came back empty-handed unfortunately. He didn’t see the 4-wheeler but saw his tracks. He hasn’t come back this way.

Weigh in time – for the gold, not us. Steve’s 3 bigger nuggets and four little ones came to 11.25 grams. Now we are making some money!! 

 Took close ups of this biggest one (4.31 grams).

Temperature drops quickly once the sun starts to set so back into the warm clothes and into the van. Luckily we have stew left-overs tonight as we are both a bit weary!!