About Us

About Us Bill O'Connor: I Help WA Prospectors Find Gold, Better Ground, and Stay Within the Rules

My Knowledge Will Give You The Best Chance to Find Gold in WA

Bill

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If you are reading this About Us Bill O'Connor page, you are probably looking for simple, practical help to give yourself a better chance of finding gold in Western Australia.

That usually comes down to a few things:

• getting onto ground that still has a real chance of producing gold,
• knowing where you are allowed to go,
• and avoiding the wasted time, fuel, and frustration that come from bad information.

That is what Gold Prospecting WA is about, and I have been helping prospectors find gold legally since 2009.

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Who I Help

I write mainly for new and rookie detectorists, although experienced prospectors also use the site.

Most beginners are not short on enthusiasm.

What they are short on is clear, easy to use information.

They do not want to spend days researching rules, guessing at access, or driving long distances to ground that has little real chance of producing gold.

They want simple, practical guidance, and a better system for working out where to go, what to use, and how to stay within the rules.

That is the gap this site is designed to fill.

How Gold Prospecting WA Came About

I have had a long interest in geology and prospecting for years.

My original dream was to become a geologist, but life took me in a different direction. I married young, started a family, and work had to come first.

Even so, I never lost that interest in geology and rock hunting.

Back then (in the last century), while studying part time to matriculate for University and balancing work and family, I came third in WA in Matriculation Geology in WA. I just loved that subject, still do.

After retiring in 2005 following 43 years with Australia Post, I finally had the chance to put more time into geology, travelling, and metal detecting for gold around Western Australia.

When I first started metal detecting in 2005, I was terrified about going on ground I was not allowed to go. I also struggling to work out where the gold was and where exactly I was on the ground when I was prospecting.

I also realized how hard it was to find simple, reliable WA-specific information.

I noticed people were wasting time on barren ground, getting confused about where they could legally prospect, (or they just broke the law and went wherever they wanted to!).

That is why I built the Gold Prospecting WA site: to simplify the information you need and share information that helps you find gold locations.

The aim of this website is simple: to help you improve your chances of finding gold nuggets in WA without having to learn everything the hard way.

That includes helping you:

• Find ground that is more likely to be worthwhile metal detecting.
• Avoid wasting money on trips on barren or poor ground.
• Find out how to get access to most gold bearing ground in WA.
•  Know the equipment you need and choose the right gear.
• Save time by using simpler information and practical systems instead of piecing everything together yourself.
• Help you know EXACTLY where your are on the ground when prospecting?

Prospecting is hard enough without having to fight your way through confusing rules or mind-numbing research before you even leave home.

My Experience 

I have been helping prospectors through this website since 2009.

Over the years, that has included involvement in seminars, workshops, and prospecting education in WA.

Between seminars in Cue and other workshops and open days, we helped hundreds, nay, thousands of people get started or find more gold.

I have also been closely involved with the Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association (APLA) over the years, including serving as Secretary, Treasurer, of the Perth Branch and Webmaster of APLA, and I have the wonderful privilege of being a Life Member of APLA.

My experience is not just online. It comes from years of owning mining leases, prospecting, research, travelling through WA, studying maps and access questions, and finding out how make sense of the same problems many beginners still face now.

More Information About Bill O'Connor

Owner of;

Gold Prospecting WA. (This website) On the site I write about: - finding gold in WA - gold prospecting locations - access and rules - metal detecting for gold - maps, tools, and systems that help prospectors make better decisions.

metal-detecting-wa.com.au. a Membership site providing locational information about where to go metal detecting in the Murchison Region.

The Android and Apple Gold Tracker App -Which provides a “Potential to Find Gold” score for Every Graticular block in Western Australia.

Managing Director, of a former exploration company SLS Exploration Pty Ltd.

CEO, Goldtracker Pty Ltd.

Manager of a Mining Lease in Cue.

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Links to Published Books

Murchison Gold Atlas - Find Gold In WA, Maps - Geology - Proven Locations

The Best Detectors to Find Gold Nuggets in West Australia: Don’t Waste Your Time (And Money!) by Using the Wrong Detector

About Udo

Vale Udo 1/06/1947 - 18/11/2025

As you may or may not know Udo and I had been running the Gold Prospecting WA website and teaching people how to find gold for 15 or so years now at our seminars and through our training, books website and talks.

Udo was an important part of the early development of Gold Prospecting WA and was greatly respected in the prospecting community. He is sadly missed.

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