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Australia Fossicking Explorer

Fossicking in Australia

Search government-supported fossicking areas, permitted prospecting parks, visitor fossicking destinations and research-only planning areas across Australia. Pin colours can show either access status or material type, while every record keeps mineral occurrence separate from collecting access and links to the relevant official guidance.

130mapped places reviewed
109verified / conditional / permission
130primary-source links
12research-only planning records
A pin is not a legal boundary. Use the official boundary or tenure link before collecting. Research-only records are deliberately non-navigable, and closed areas are retained on the map to prevent accidental access. The ACT has no collecting pin by design because current ACT Government guidance says a fossicking licence cannot be obtained.
Australia field map

Fossicking Map Explorer

Filter by state, material, precision, access status and trip radius. Each place includes a decision-ready field profile, evidence links and navigation only where the destination is defensible.

130 map records 8 jurisdictions modeled 109 collecting candidates 37 navigable
Map ≠ collecting permission. Verified means current evidence supports the modeled activity; Conditional means resolve a stated condition first; Research is context only; Closed/prohibited means do not collect. Navigation never overrides tenure, claims, ownership, closures, permits or posted rules.
Showing the full reviewed dataset.

Interactive map. Use plus and minus controls to zoom, Fit to show filtered pins, and the results list for complete source and access details. Press Escape to close open map panels.

AustraliaPins, clusters and state groups are clickable · drag, zoom or change map layers

Use the map without guessing access

1

Choose a candidate

Filter by material and access class. Research-only markers are leads for further checking, not recommendations to collect.

2

Open the boundary

Use the official map or area guide. A regional marker can sit kilometres away from a legal collecting boundary.

3

Check licence and tenure

State rules differ. A licence or Miner’s Right does not automatically grant access to private land, tenements, reserves or closed ground.

4

Check current conditions

Fire bans, forestry operations, tides, road closures, wildlife protections and park works can change whether a trip is practical.

Fossicking rules by state and territory

Queensland

44 map records

A current Queensland fossicking licence is required. Specified fossicking land and general permission areas simplify access, but official boundaries, exclusions and site conditions still apply.

Licence: Current Queensland fossicking licence required; site-specific tourist-mine arrangements can differ.Land: Specified fossicking land simplifies permission. Elsewhere, written landholder or other controlling permission may be required.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

New South Wales

32 map records

Fossicking is lawful in NSW, but access depends on the land manager. A State Forest fossicking authorisation is required except where a current designated set-aside says otherwise. MinView should be checked for State Forest fossicking zones and exclusions.

Licence: No single general NSW fossicking licence; State Forest fossicking authorisation may be required for the forest/site used.Land: Landowner or land-manager access rules, native title and specific reserve/forest conditions remain controlling.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

Victoria

14 map records

A current Victorian Miner’s Right is required for recreational prospecting. Parks Victoria allows fossicking/prospecting only in designated parts of listed parks, and protected rivers, heritage areas and temporary closures must be respected.

Licence: A current Victorian Miner’s Right is required for recreational prospecting/fossicking.Land: Use eligible Crown land, your own land or private land with access permission; designated park areas and local restrictions still control.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

Tasmania

12 map records

Tasmania has 11 declared Fossicking Areas. A prospecting licence is not required inside those declared boundaries, but only hand fossicking is allowed, site conditions apply and some subsections can be temporarily closed.

Licence: No prospecting licence is required inside a declared Fossicking Area; outside declared areas a prospecting permit is required.Land: Stay inside the declared boundary and obey area-specific forestry, tide, closure and land-manager conditions.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

Western Australia

10 map records

Western Australia legally distinguishes fossicking from prospecting. A Miner’s Right is required for both. Statutory fossicking excludes gold and diamonds, uses hand tools only and is limited to hobby/specimen collecting; land tenure, reserve purpose, occupier consent and mining-tenement consent can still control access. Prospecting on a granted exploration licence requires a Section 40E permit.

Licence: A WA Miner’s Right is required for both statutory fossicking and prospecting.Land: A Miner’s Right is not blanket access: occupier, pastoral, reserve and mining-tenement controls may require notice, consent or another permit.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

South Australia

8 map records

Fossicking is available at specified public historic sites and designated ForestrySA areas. Coober Pedy and Andamooka also have site-specific public or managed opal-noodling access that must not be confused with general access to active claims. National Parks, Conservation Parks and Forest Reserves are not general fossicking areas; mineral claims and leases can require holder approval. Chapel Hill is currently closed to public access.

Licence: No single statewide recreational fossicking licence; site-specific permits apply, including ForestrySA fossicking permits at designated Mount Crawford areas.Land: Obtain landowner permission outside clearly public sites; current mineral claims/leases and private mines can require holder approval.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

Northern Territory

10 map records

A current NT fossicking permit is required. Declared fossicking areas do not require a separate fossicking notice or consent, but other land tenures may require notice or written consent and remote-area conditions still apply.

Licence: A current NT fossicking permit is required under the current 2026 forms/Q&A guidance.Land: Declared areas need no separate land notice/consent, but pastoral, private, Aboriginal, reserve and mineral-title land can require notice or written consent.
Explore state map Official guidance Official map

Australian Capital Territory

0 map records

The ACT Government states that you cannot obtain a licence to fossick in the ACT, mainly because the Territory is surrounded by nature reserves protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. No public collecting pin is promoted.

Licence: ACT Government states that a fossicking licence cannot be obtained in the ACT.Land: No public collecting pin is promoted; public/nature-reserve land remains subject to ACT land and conservation controls.
Official guidance

How records are classified

Verified means a current authoritative source directly supports the location as a recreational fossicking/collecting area. Conditional means a licence, Miner’s Right, official boundary, permit or site condition must be satisfied. Permission covers managed visitor access or land/claim-holder permission. Research only marks a mineral-rich region or visitor lead that is not itself a collecting authorisation. Closed / prohibited records remain visible to prevent accidental access.

Every record includes a checked date, named source, coordinate-precision label, land manager, methods, restrictions, season/conditions, hazards and a field-planning checklist. The decision badge tells visitors whether to verify a boundary, resolve conditions, obtain permission, research further or avoid collecting. Directions are suppressed unless a record has a sufficiently defensible destination; no badge or checklist grants collecting permission.

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