Fossick MapDo you need a licence?
No, there’s no general fossicking licence in South Australia. What you need is permission for the land you’re on.
| Land | What you need |
|---|---|
| Private land | The landowner’s permission, before you go in |
| Crown land | Consent from the Department for Environment and Water |
| Mineral claims, mining leases and other tenements | Approval from the holder. Current tenements are on the SARIG map |
| Exploration licences | No permission needed if you’re only fossicking |
| Mount Crawford Forest | A ForestrySA permit, bought before you start. Annual and daily permits are available |
| National parks, conservation parks and forest reserves | No fossicking |
All minerals belong to the Crown, and you can’t sell what you find or use it for any commercial purpose.
Opal: the precious stones prospecting permit
To mine for opal you need a precious stones prospecting permit.
- You must be 16 or over, and an Australian resident or on a current working visa.
- It lasts one year and can be renewed.
- Apply in person at an Opal Mining Registrar office in Andamooka, Coober Pedy or Marla, and bring ID such as a driver’s licence or passport.
- The fee is in the Opal Mining (Fees) Notice.
Coober Pedy and Andamooka are proclaimed precious stones fields. Access to Mintabie is restricted, and you can’t mine at Lambina or Welbourn Hill without a Native Title Mining Agreement. The opal fields table lists every field.
What you can use
Hand-operated equipment only: picks, shovels, gold pans and metal detectors. Using power-operated machinery counts as mining, which needs a mineral claim or mining lease. Using a metal detector in a park or reserve is an offence.
Where to go
- Jupiter Creek is open. Only non-mechanical tools are allowed (pans, hand sluices and metal detectors), and you must backfill every hole straight away. It’s closed on total fire ban days.
- Chapel Hill is closed for the foreseeable future.
- Mount Crawford Forest has designated fossicking areas, away from active harvesting. Keep holes small and backfill them, and keep children under direct supervision. The forest closes on total fire ban days, and fires are banned on ForestrySA land from 1 November to 30 April.
- The Echunga goldfields are heritage listed. You can’t remove specimens or artefacts.
Rules on the ground
- Put back what you dig before you dig anywhere else.
- Keep away from old mine shafts.
- Report hazards or damage to the Department for Energy and Mining at DEM.customerservices@sa.gov.au.