Tallandoon, Eskdale & Mitta Mitta Goldfield Prospecting Maps – Explore the Nuggety Heart of Victoria’s High Country

 

Gold was first discovered at Mitta Mitta in 1852, making it one of Victoria’s earliest alpine rushes. The nearby districts of Eskdale and Tallandoon quickly followed, as prospectors uncovered alluvial gold in the river flats and terraces. By the late 1850s and into the 1860s, quartz reef mining had commenced, and the field grew into a significant producer.

The entire area remained active well into the 1920s, with some mines reopening during the Great Depression. What sets this goldfield apart is the combination of deep alluvial leads, coarse nugget patches, and reef systems still detectable today.

 

🏔️ Major Mining Areas:

Mitta Mitta township: Center of activity with both reef and alluvial mining

Tallandoon: Known for ancient river channels and gold-rich benches

Eskdale: Productive alluvial area and base for regional quartz reef operations

Snowy Creek & Little Snowy Creek: Famous for nuggets, with waterworn and crystalline gold found in gravels and gutter leads

 

✨ Notable Discoveries & Features

The Mitta Mitta Deep Lead, uncovered in the late 1800s, was one of Victoria’s richest buried auriferous leads

Gold nuggets up to 20 ounces were reported in the Tallandoon district, especially from bench gravels

Quartz reefs in the region returned grades of up to 1 oz per ton, often with free-milling gold and minimal sulfides

Local legends tell of unnamed gullies yielding dozens of ounces to lucky prospectors even into the 1900s

The region was also noted for re-worked tailings during the Depression years, some of which still contain recoverable gold

 

⛏️ Ideal For:

Detectorists hunting coarse alpine nugget gold

Creek panners exploring ancient riverbeds and flats

Explorers tracing historic deep leads and quartz reef systems

History buffs uncovering stories from Victoria’s lesser-known but productive fields

 

⚠️ Access & Permissions:

Most of the area lies within state forest, crown land, and public waterways, making it highly accessible for holders of a Victorian Miner’s Right. Always respect private land boundaries, and check local maps for fossicking-approved zones. Creek beds and public forest tracks near Eskdale and Mitta Mitta offer some of the best legal access to proven gold ground.

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Trace the Gold Trails of Victoria’s Alpine Wilderness – With the Tallandoon, Eskdale & Mitta Mitta prospecting map, you're equipped to explore one of the state's most picturesque and gold-rich regions. From waterworn nuggets to reef quartz, this historic high country field still holds golden secrets waiting to be uncovered.

 

Link to the Map of Tallandoon, Eskdale & Mitta Mitta 1915:

https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE15498494&mode=browse