Kinross State Forest
Kinross sits near Ophir and Summer Hill Creek, at the very start of Australian gold history. The forest is close to the Ophir reserve where Hargraves, Lister and Tom proved payable gold in 1851, and the surrounding creeks are still fossicked today.
Region
Central West & Tablelands
Nearest access
Near Orange, by Ophir
Elevation
919 m
Forest permit
$27.50 / 12 mo
The forest boundary
The gold outline is the legal edge of Kinross 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
This is the ground where it all started. Work Summer Hill Creek and its feeders near Ophir for alluvial gold, the same wash Hargraves panned in 1851.
Getting there
North-east of Orange, off the Ophir Road past the Ophir reserve. Orange has all 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 high on the tablelands, cold in winter with frost and fog, and cool even through summer. 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 Kinross 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