Australian Events 2011

March

Australian Gold Panning Championships
March 19, 2011, Victoria – run by the Victorian Gold Panning Association – web link

June

Annual Pine Creek Gold Rush Festival
June 14-25, 2011 (dates to be confirmed) – Gold panning competition, nugget hunt, damper making, food and bar stalls, plus lots of other gold related activities – contact: +61 (8) 8976 1391 – web link

August

North Queensland Panning Championships 2011 (Mareeba)
(Date to be confirmed) – run by the North Queensland Miners Association Inc – the NQMA puts on a wonderful competition with great prizes and stiff competition. Demos of metal detecting, displays of mining, prospecting and fossicking equipment and many events including the Gold Rush, where you "stake your claim" and if you are one of those closest to the lode you win a prize! – contact Ralph Delacey on 4032 0123 or Lyn Byrne on 4091 4905 – web link

Charters Towers Gold Fever Festival
August 6-7, 2011 – Celebrating a town built on gold mining with all its glorious history – Contact events coordinator on 4761 5515 – web link 1 – web link 2

October

Gympie Gold Rush Festival (Queensland)
October 22-28, 2011– Saturday October 8, 9am-4pm, the Gympie Gold Rush Festival Gold Panning Championships, and a Prospectors Day on Sunday October 9 – web link – 2011 tentative Program – info@goldrush.org.au

Western Australia

There is an annual detecting competition and gold panning competition in Western Australia You can find out what you need to know from the Australian Prospectors and Leaseholders Association (APLA), or the Coolgardie Gem and Mineral Club.

International Events 2011

New Zealand

The Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust runs the annual New Zealand Goldpanning Championships every November. The Trust is a member of the World Goldpanning Association. Check out the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust website for details. Otago Goldfields heritage Trust. Phone/fax +64 3 445 0111. goldfields@nzsouth.co.nz

South Africa

The South African Gold Panning Championships, September 24-26, 2010, took place at the gold panning competition site, near the Joubert Bridge, at Pilgrim's Rest, Mpumalanga Province. The contest promises to be as heated and exciting in 2011, with competitors from several other countries also participating in the event. Check it out at www.sagoldpanning.co.za

Great Britain

The British Goldpanning Association holds the Scottish and British Gold Panning Championships during the last weekend of May (bank holiday weekend) at the Wanlockhead Lead Mining Museum. The Scottish Championships are on the Saturday and the British Championships on the Sunday. Various competitions are held, including the open competition, veterans (over 60yrs) tri-pan, teams, juniors (under 16yrs) children are catered for too. The championships are an event open to all, not just BGA members. In 2011 the championships will be held May 28-29, 2011. www.britishgoldpanningassociation.co.uk

Europe/World

Gold panning is enjoyed by many Europeans, as you can see by the number of events shown in this calendar – the World Goldpanning Championships is in Poland, August 22-28, 2011 – the River Goldpanning World Championships is in the Czech Republic, September 9-11, 2011 – web link

International Gold Panning contacts

World

Membership in the World Gold Panning Association is open to nations. Click this link for the email contact information for a number of national associations from member countries, including Australia & New Zealand.

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