Bookookoorara State Forest
Bookookoorara lies near Boonoo Boonoo, north of Tenterfield, in tin and gold country close to the Queensland border. The creeks off the granite were worked for alluvial tin, with some gold, and the forest is high, cold and lightly used.
Region
New England
Nearest access
North of Tenterfield
Elevation
877 m
Forest permit
$27.50 / 12 mo
The forest boundary
The gold outline is the legal edge of Bookookoorara 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
Work the granite creeks for alluvial tin, with some gold in the heavier wash. The high country near Boonoo Boonoo is cold and lightly worked.
Getting there
North of Tenterfield off the Mount Lindesay Highway toward the Queensland border. Tenterfield has fuel and supplies.
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
It sits in the mid-hills, warm in summer and cold at night, with the odd frost in winter. 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.
Heat and water
The lower country gets hot in summer and a long way from a tap. Take more water than the day looks like it needs, watch for snakes, and tell someone the track you are on.
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 Bookookoorara 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