Young's Enhancement Project Update
Youngs Block Fossicking Area is a Charters Towers Regional Council owned site for the purpose of providing an area for tourists and locals to enjoy the regions rugged scenery and reach back to the region’s origins of gold mining.
Young’s Block is situated within the Charters Towers Goldfield, about 15km from town in an area that has had significant historic gold production. The Charters Towers Goldfield lies along the Mosgardies Shear Zone, and it is believed the Devonian gold ore bodies were deposited by ore fluids that used the crustal structures as channel ways.
Young’s Block Fossicking Area Enhancement Project is supported by Dalrymple Landcare Committee, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Charters Towers Regional Council.
The project aim for the Fossicking Area site is to create an environmental maintenance plan and to undertake works relating to invasive plant control and improvement in erosion controls and social amenity.
The area currently offers fossickers and nature lovers the opportunity to visit the site and enjoy bird watching, bush walking and fossicking for gold, however it is currently in a poor state of repair as the site was previously heavily overgrazed and included extensive weed issues.
The project will decrease erosion by the installation of whoa-boys and water diversion away from affected areas and tracks, decrease the abundance and density of invasive plants such as Chinee Apple, Rubber Vine and Bellyache Bush and increase visitor enjoyment through reseeding of treated areas with native species.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming open days which will include information regarding land condition improvement, erosion controls on degraded land and dealing with areas heavily infested with invasive plants. This will enable participants to learn and scale this outcome to mitigate impacts and develop controls for land under their control.”
Looking for Gold!
Make sure you have your Fossicker’s Licence
General responsibilities ..
DO NOT…
destroy or injure any trees
clear any vegetation except above an actual excavation
pollute any watercourse, dam or the like
create areas likely to erode
interfere with any livestock, wildlife or property infrastructure (e.g. windmills, bores, pumps, tanks, fences)
interfere with any heritage or cultural site
undermine any banks or dig pits to create any tunnels or overhanging sections.
Please take the time to care for our land today and into the future.
For further information please contact the Dalrymple Landcare Coordinator or Charters Towers Regional Council on 07 4761 5300, and read more here.