I’m Rob — A Gold Prospector in Training

Digging for Legacy.

A complete beginner. A gold detector. And a stretch of the Western Australian outback that has been hiding gold since 1895. Follow along as I learn from scratch.

THE STORY

Why I started digging

25 years as a Subsea Remotely Operated Vehicle Supervisor. 3 years as a controls engineer in the Pilbara. Now retirement is approaching. So what does a man do next? Buys a Miner’s Right, enrolls in a gold prospecting course in Leonora, and hires a metal detector worth more than his first car. Not for the gold. For the story. For the adventure. And frankly, to prove there’s plenty of life left in him yet.
See all the gear (and the bad idea).

Latest from the Field

Field notes from a beginner. Updated when something’s actually happened.

Rob in a hi-vis jacket standing still on red dirt under a deep blue sky, with scrub and trees behind him.

Five Metres from the Car

Rob October 24, 2026

Day ten: a grid pattern buried in tin, two more nuggets — one of them five metres from the car — and the tailgate.

Red cleared ground with tyre tracks under a huge blue sky and a low morning sun in the WA goldfields.

That’s What I Came Here to Do

Rob October 16, 2026

Day nine: the ground I picked myself before the trip, Junk City, a date loaf on the tailgate, and a sound that wasn’t tin.

A dead tree and purple wildflowers on red gravel under a clear blue sky in the Western Australian goldfields.

Did I Mention the Junk?

Rob October 2, 2026

Day eight: sunshine at last, back to the scene of the crime, the last pharmacy for 1,666 kilometres, and a junk tub that is doing extremely well.

AI-powered prospecting research, free for beginners

A live map of Western Australia. Tap any tenement to see what the old timers found — and what they missed.

Open the Map

General research tool only. Not professional advice. Users are responsible for verifying tenement access, safety, and legal compliance. Read the disclaimer.

Follow the Journey

Get updates when new posts go up. No spam. Just gold, red dirt, and the occasional fly.

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