Fossicking in Mount Crawford & Jupiter Creek | Adelaide Hills

Fossicking family fun in Mount Crawford and Jupiter Creek – hunt for gold, gemstones, or crystals right near Adelaide.

Article by Claire Davill

South Australia experienced some small gold rush fever in the 1800s, and there are now two areas where families can try their luck hunting gold or sparkly gems. Fossicking can be a fun family activity, and you don’t even need much in the way of equipment.

Mount Crawford Forest

Managed by Forestry SA, there are designated zones within Mount Crawford forest where fossicking is permitted. You will need to pay a small fossicking fee here, $8.15 for adults and $4.70 for children (prices as at July 2026). Permits are easily purchased online at the ForestrySA website.

The allowed area for fossicking is large, but the most interesting, and most easily accessible areas are along Watts Gully Road. If approaching from Forreston Road, park either at the WG2 Track, or a little before. There are plenty of parking spots along the north side of the road here, and this will give you access to a small, stony creek right near the road. If you walk up the gully to the right of the WG2 track, you’ll find evidence of old diggings, with lots of shallow pits and trenches. There are lots of patches of scattered quartz rock all through this area, and these are great places to hunt for quartz crystals. 

In the creek, you can pan for gold and hunt for aquamarine, tourmaline, garnet, or coloured quartz.

Even if you don’t find anything, the area is picturesque and a great place to hunt for interesting fungi, insects, tadpoles and birds. The creek is great for playing in, with lots of small rocks and shallow water. Winter is the best time to fossick here, as there will be water in the creek and the shallow pits also create ponds. It’s much easier to dig in the soil when it is damp after rain.

Jupiter Creek Gold Diggings

This area is located near Echunga, and has a large carpark, several signposted trails, and lots of information signs about the old gold mining infrastructure. It makes for an interesting walk, even if you’re not fossicking. There are no permits required to fossick here.

There are plenty of areas of quartz here too, so you can hunt for gold and crystals. In winter, there is often water in the creeks and a few small waterholes form, which makes the area idea for panning.

Equipment Needed for Fossicking

You can fossick without any equipment at all! Turning over rocks and hunting through rock piles, or looking through stones in the creeks can often result in some interesting finds. However, taking along a few small trowels or shovels with you means you can dig through sandy areas, in creek beds, and in old digging pits and trenches to hunt further. Always backfill any holes that you dig, and don’t disturb native wildlife.

A gold pan can also be handy, and these are available for sale at places like Anaconda or other camping stores. Expect to pay around $12 for a pan, with ridges for trapping heavy items like gold. 

If you happen to have one, take along your metal detector, but these are definitely not necessary. We own one, and it has never detected anything of note at either fossicking site, apart from some old cans and buried bottle caps.

It is also a good idea to take some bags or backpacks to carry any rocks or crystals you find, and a small jar or screw top container with some water, in case you find any small flecks of gold (particularly if panning).

Things to Consider:

• Both fossicking sites contain old mining pits and trenches. In both sites, the deeper, dangerous pits have been fenced off with warning signs, but it’s still prudent to keep an eye on little ones.
• The creek at Watts Gully is close to the road in places, so you will need to keep an eye on little ones here. Watts Gully Road is a quiet, dirt road and does not get a lot of traffic.
• If you are planning to pan in the creeks or waterholes, take gumboots for the kids, or a change of clothes.
• If you are hunting for mushrooms and fungi, remember to never touch and definitely never eat any fungi you find, as some are poisonous.
• At Watts Gully, there is a lot of mica schist in the soil, especially on the WG2 track. This is a sparkly gold coloured mineral, and unfortunately looks a lot like gold! You might need to manage expectations that your kids have not, in fact, struck it rich!
• Gold, if you are very lucky, is most likely to be found attached to quartz rocks or in pools in creeks.
• Only fossick in designated areas, and note that both locations are closed on Total Fire Ban days.

Locations:

Mount Crawford: Watts Gully Road near WG2 Track

Jupiter Creek: Berry Road, near Echunga. The entrance to the diggings and car park are clearly signposted.

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Department for Environment and Water’s Fossicking Page

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (July 2026)

SUBSCRIBE

Follow Play & Go on Facebook and Instagram

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out what’s on, where to go and what to do with the kids in and around Adelaide. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may even get the odd ‘special offer’ exclusively sent to our newsletter subscribers only!