ARMED with picks, shovels and panning dishes - the allure of gold once attracted prospectors to outback Western Australia.
Some 100 years on, groups - including the Perth Amateur Prospectors - have carried on the tradition of fossicking for the precious metal.
Perth Amateur Prospectors was founded by Simon Atherton a year ago, after COVID left him out of his usual line of work as a safari destination specialist with Southern African Safaris.
With the arrival of the pandemic, Mr Atherton decided to try his hand with prospecting tours, with the idea of creating adventure and tourism in the Goldfields.
He has since hosted seven musters at Coolgardie and Donnybrook, which have been attended by almost 150 people of all ages and demographics.
The musters have proven popular in that spots normally fill up within 12 hours from being promoted
At the most recent muster an impressive 81.88 gram gold nugget was struck, setting the benchmark for the 2022 season.
Mr Atherton said generally gold wasn't guaranteed to be found - it just came down to pure luck.
"I have had people come with me in the rain and mud and find gold for their first-time," Mr Atherton said.
"Their excitement of their find is what drives me."
Three leases have been pegged in the past 12 months, which enable access to certain land, for Perth Amateur Prospectors' future fossicking.
Those sites are at both the southern and northern side of Coolgardie.
He said when they pegged land it became pending, filling out paperwork and waiting for government and native title approvals.
"Once it has been approved you are given a mining lease - it could be land another mining company has dropped or Crown land not yet explored."
On the first day of a muster, participants convoy from Perth and meet at a designated camp area in Coolgardie for a safety briefing.
Mr Atherton said this ensured they were educated and trained on all the land they have access to find gold, ensuring they understood the equipment and knew how to return safely back to camp.
One of the training highlights on muster is the gridding session, where people have to locate items marked out within a specific area in the ground.
"I detect an area, make sure it is clear of any rubbish, bury a nugget and a bullet and give time for people to find it as soon as they can and keep that nugget for a souvenir," he said.
"Gridding is a fantastic training exercise and an exercise like that teaches them all about it, learn the threshold (sound) of their detector."
Some of the best detectors in the market are said to be able to detect up to three feet underground.
Mr Atherton said it was important to be knowledgeable of the machine being used and also wary of the sounds.
While the ground may not always contain gold, participants can be sure to find other treasures including crystals and rare earth minerals.
One of the most memorable finds in a Perth Amateur Prospecting muster was when a participant pulled six nuggets from a patch.
"When you prospect in the Goldfields there are also relics of the past, which people have left behind," Mr Atherton said.
"As an example, I found an old scotch bottle from Scotland dated 1880.
"When you go out bush you will find bottle dumps where old time miners put their rubbish and finding a bottle in complete form could be worth thousands of dollars.
"I know some of the ginger ale bottles out of Kalgoorlie are now worth up to $30,000 if you find the right one."
Mr Atherton said backyards could also be a gold mine for old relics and valuable items, which had been lost or misplaced more than 100 years ago.
In fact, he said most of the people attending the Perth Amateur Prospecting musters were relic hunters.
These hunters mainly prospect on the beach or backyards however they want to learn about gold prospecting.
"A lot of the time their machines aren't really designed to find gold," he said.
"I try to locate relic areas for them, so they can dig and hopefully find something with some value in it.
"Some things may not have monetary value in them, but there's always value in simply finding them.
"People love it for the experience."
So, what's the dream for Mr Atherton?
He hopes when travel starts to pick up again, he will be able to get people on the train to Coolgardie for a three-day camping and training experience.
"I'll put them on the gold for a few days before they head back home on the train," Mr Atherton said.
"With the growth of TV shows like Aussie Gold Hunters and Outback Opal Hunters, I know there is a market there for people who want to experience finding gold."
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