NT Gold Panning Championships in Pine Creek attracts locals and tourists

Knee deep in a muddy stream and an age-old pursuit, prospectors have battled it out at the Northern Territory Gold Panning Championships.

The annual event was held on Saturday in the Top End town of Pine Creek, about 220 kilometres south of Darwin, attracting about 40 entrants.

Gold panning adjudicator John Fisher said there were a few tricks that could give competitors an edge.

“The secret is, get plenty of water in there and get rid of all that sand,” he said.

Mr Fisher said there was an undeniable thrill watching entrants — particularly younger competitors new to the gold panning game  — find even a small amount of gold.

Mr Fisher says it is still a rush to watch people discover gold.(ABC News: Myles Houlbrook-Walk)

A sport of speed and precision

In gold panning competition, a competitor enters the river with a bucket of sand.

Inside the bucket, a few small pieces of gold are hidden.

Competitors must be meticulous or incur penalties.(ABC News: Myles Houlbrook-Walk)

When the competitor transfers the sand into a panning dish, their time starts.

When a piece of gold is discovered, a competitor then removes it from the pan and places it into a vial.

All competitors are given gold to start, but it's their job to find it as quick as they can.(ABC News: Myles Houlbrook-Walk)

Once a panner believes they have found all the gold in their bucket of sand, they stop the clock.

However, if any gold flakes are missed, a time penalty is given.

Paul Watkins, who competed in the event, said he had developed a nice little gold collection after 35 years of panning. 

“You see the gold in the pan and you think, 'wow, I've actually found it',” he said.

“I've got enough to melt down to about the size of a 20-cent piece.”

A gold nugget worth about $200 is given away at the championships every year.(ABC News: Myles Houlbrook-Walk)

The biggest show in town

Pine Creek's population, now about 400, peaked in 1895 at 750.

Then, the town's population was mostly Chinese prospectors searching for gold.

Gaye Lawrence says the town has preserved its cultural heritage dating to the 19th-century gold rush.(ABC News: Myles Houlbrook-Walk)

Gaye Lawrence, who volunteers with the Pine Creek Heritage and Tourism Association, said the traditions and Chinese heritage of the town were dearly valued.

“We thought having a festival for our town would put us on the map a bit,” she said.

“To celebrate the mining history and the Chinese heritage. It's important.”