Northern Victorian MP Gaelle Broad will officially open the Australian Gold Prospectors Expo in Bendigo this weekend.
Ms Broad said the expo was a “golden opportunity” for people to learn more about prospecting.
She said the recent discovery of a large gold nugget worth $240,000 in central Victoria had sparked a fresh outburst of gold fever in the area.
“There are almost 73,000 active miner’s rights in Victoria and the rush to get involved shows no sign of slowing with more than 8,000 purchased last year alone,” she said.
Ms Broad said central Victoria was home to one of the world’s great gold rushes in the 1800s, which focused mainly on the “golden triangle” ranging from Bendigo to Ballarat and up to Wedderburn.
“That gold rush saw the extraction of many thousands of tonnes of gold,” she said.
“However, there is something of a second gold rush underway now, as large mining companies and amateur fossickers use modern technology in a bid to unearth new riches,” Ms Broad said.
Fossicking and recreational prospecting is permitted in state forests and in designated areas of some national, state, historic and heritage parks. In Victoria, hobby gold hunters must possess a miner’s right, which allows them to keep any gold they find. A miner’s right can be purchased for $26 from Services Victoria.
“The expo will showcase all aspects of gold prospecting. It will make for an interesting and fun day out for families, as well as for the more serious prospectors,” Ms Broad said.
The expo will be held at the Bendigo Showgrounds this Saturday and Sunday, April 15 and 16.
The official opening is at 10am Saturday.
Media Contact: Linda Barrow 0484 303 764 linda.barrow@parliament.vic.gov.au