Where to Find Gold Around the World

Australia.

Victoria's Golden Triangle around Ballarat, Bendigo and Maryborough produced the 1850s gold rush and some of the largest nuggets ever found, including the Welcome Stranger, found at Moliagul in 1869. Western Australia's goldfields around Kalgoorlie are still detected for nuggets. Prospecting in Victoria and Western Australia needs a Miner's Right, and other states have their own fossicking licences and areas.

New Zealand.

The Otago gold rush began at Gabriel's Gully in 1861, and the West Coast followed. The government designates gold fossicking areas where hand panning is allowed without a permit, including stretches near Arrowtown on the Arrow River. Outside those areas you need the landowner's or the Department of Conservation's permission.

Canada.

The Klondike gold rush followed the 1896 discovery on Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, and the Klondike Visitors Association keeps a claim on Bonanza Creek open for free public panning. British Columbia's Cariboo and Atlin districts have long placer histories. Staking or working a claim needs a free miner certificate in BC and a claim in the Yukon.

United Kingdom and Ireland.

Gold occurs at Wanlockhead and the Leadhills in southern Scotland, around Dolgellau and Dolaucothi in Wales, and in parts of Cornwall and Devon. In the UK, gold and silver rights belong to the Crown, and you need the landowner's permission. Metal detecting finds that qualify as treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 must be reported to the coroner. In Ireland, using a detector to search for archaeological objects needs a licence.

Europe.

Finnish Lapland has a living gold-panning tradition at Tankavaara and in the Lemmenjoki area. Gold is also panned in rivers in France, Spain, Italy, Slovakia and elsewhere, but many European countries restrict metal detecting and require permits or reporting for archaeological finds. France, for example, requires authorisation to detect for archaeological objects.

United States.

California's Mother Lode, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, South Dakota's Black Hills, and the southern Appalachian gold belt of Georgia and North Carolina. Much of the western gold country is federal land where casual panning is allowed outside active mining claims. See the US guide to where to pan for gold.

How PinPoint Treasure helps.

PinPoint Treasure works worldwide: its agents read geology, terrain, historic maps, soil and old mining records for any point on Earth, and add US mining claims and USGS gold stream samples where they exist. Ask PinPoint Treasure about a specific place or story and it researches the records for you: newspapers, land and mining records, old maps, LiDAR and land status, with the source behind every claim.

Which country has the most gold to find? For amateurs, Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand have the most accessible gold country, with large historic goldfields and public fossicking or panning areas. China, Russia and Australia are the largest commercial gold producers.

Where can I pan for gold in Europe? Finnish Lapland, Scotland's Wanlockhead area and Wales are well known, and some rivers in France, Spain, Italy and Slovakia carry gold. Rules on land access and metal detecting vary by country, so check before you go.

Do I need a licence to prospect for gold? Often yes outside the US. Victoria and Western Australia require a Miner's Right, New Zealand allows hand panning only in designated fossicking areas or with permission, and Canadian provinces and territories require claims or certificates for anything beyond casual panning.

Where was the biggest gold nugget found? The Welcome Stranger, found at Moliagul in Victoria, Australia in 1869, is generally cited as the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found.