Bermagui State Forest
Bermagui State Forest lies by the coast near the Montreal goldfield, one of the few places in Australia where gold was worked almost on the beach. The Montreal rush of the 1880s worked the sands and creeks by the sea, and the forest sits on that same ground.
Region
South Coast
Nearest access
Bermagui, by Montreal
Elevation
59 m
Forest permit
$27.50 / 12 mo
The forest boundary
The gold outline is the legal edge of Bermagui State Forest, drawn from the NSW state forest estate. It is the forest boundary, not the fossicking area. Some compartments inside it are closed for logging, safety or the environment, so check the Forestry Corporation map before you go.
Boundary: NSW Dedicated State Forests estate, Forestry Corporation of NSW and Spatial Services. Satellite: © Mapbox, © Maxar.
What to look for here
The Montreal goldfield worked gold almost on the beach. Look over the old Montreal ground near Bermagui and pan the coastal creeks where lawful.
Getting there
By Bermagui off the Bermagui Road from the Princes Highway at Tilba. Bermagui has fuel, food and camping.
Open on the Dig Here mapThe permit, in short
Fossicking in any NSW State forest needs one Forestry Corporation permit: $27.50 for 12 months, valid state-wide, through Service NSW. Hand tools only, one cubic metre of ground in any 48 hours, fill your holes, and carry the permit. Without one, fossicking in a forestry area can draw a court penalty of up to $2,200.
Out in the forest
This is low coastal country, warm and humid in summer and mild in winter, with ticks and leeches after rain. It is a working forest, and the country is rough, so a few things to keep in mind.
It is a working forest
Logging, harvesting and hazard-reduction burns all happen here, and compartments close at short notice. Give machinery room, obey the signs, and do not drive around a closed gate.
Old workings
The goldfields left unmarked shafts, adits and collapsed ground. Do not walk up to a hole or climb in. The ground around an old working can give way under a boot.
Ticks and leeches
Warm, damp coastal forest means ticks in the scrub and leeches after rain. Cover up, check your skin at the end of the day, and watch for snakes along the creeks in the warmer months.
Reception drops out
Mobile coverage fails in gullies and under canopy. Download the map before you leave town, and do not rely on a phone for the way back.
Fossicking districts nearby
The closest gazetted fossicking districts to Bermagui State Forest. Inside a district you do not need an exploration licence holder's consent, which the forest permit does not cover.
More New South Wales fossicking
See every state forest and all seventy gazetted districts, with the rules in plain words.
Back to the NSW guide