Prospecting & Fossicking

The Kalgoorlie Boulder region is renowned for prospecting and fossicking. To prospect in Western Australia, each person requires a Miner's Right.

This authorises the holder to carry out the following activities on Crown land not the subject of a mining tenement:

• Prospect for minerals (including gold);
• Fossick for rocks, gemstones etc;
• Conduct tests for minerals;
• Undertake limited sampling using hand held equipment and to remove samples up to 20 kilograms;
• Take water and camp for the purposes of prospecting.

A Miner's Right can be obtained for a fee of $25 at the Department of Mines and Petroleum, or at any Mining Registrar's Office. The Kalgoorlie Mining Registry is located at the corner of Hunter and Broadwood Streets, West Kalgoorlie and can be contacted on (08) 9021 9499. For further details on Miner's Rights and to download the application form click here: Miners Rights.pdf

For prospecting rights, obligations and penalties as a prospector, please refer to the Department of Mines and Petroleum website.