FAMILIES have been put at the heart of latest growth in  gold detecting across central Victoria.
Hundreds of enthusiasts were part of last weekend’s Wedderburn Jamboree and a major sponsor says experiencing the outdoors was proving a boom for the hobby.
Minelab’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand, Mark Wellington, was among the crowd marvelling at family involvement at Hard Hill.
“It’s growing,” Mark said of the jamboree and gold detecting.
“We see more women, children  ... parents looking to get children off computer screens and into the bush.
“And they don’t just look down for gold, they are looking up and celebrating the bush.”
Mr Wellington said the greater participation of families was heralding a change in the hobby’s demographic.
Veteran detectorist Terry Aldridge said bushland experiences were a practical way for families to be out and about when there were cost of living pressures.
He regularly goes over old goldfields around the Loddon Shire, St Arnaud and Maryborough and the hobby was not expensive.
Among 194 in the senior detector hunt was Tyler Dixon.
“It’s my first time here ... I only got into detecting last year,” he said.
By Saturday afternoon he had found three keys in the hunt. “They say there’s still 20 so I’ll keep hunting.”
The Minelab detector prize did not go to Tyler, however, with Paul Pike’s lucky token taking the honours.
Watching the gold panning competitions was another first-time visitor to the jamboree, Cairn’s Steve Matthews who had caught up with Alan Hanburg, another of the event’s veterans.
“Been coming since 2001 and it’s a lot of fun,” Alan said.
But he said finding gold was harder in central Victoria than his home batch of Batlow, between Wagga Wagga and Canberra.
“I find plenty of gold at home but it would take a week to find as much here,” he teased.
Minelab at the weekend committed to continue its support of the jamboree.
The Wedderburn Tourism event organisers say the jamboree’s growth that brings hundreds of people to town for the long weekend will see a greater call for volunteers in the future.
The weekend’s junior detector hunt, had 24 participants. 1st Amelia Epps, 2nd Kira Seja, 3rd Harley Meade.
Senior gold panning -41 participants, 1st Mick Mifsud, 2nd Alisah Calvert, 3rd Tom Calvert.
Junior gold panning - 28 participants. 3-7 Years: 1st Aurora Cain, 2nd Jaxon Bushchmann-Scholes, 3rd Eleanor Golden
8-10 Years: 1st Alexander Milgate, 2nd Izabell Baker, 3rd Archer Pridham. 11-13 Years: 1st Ryley Rizey, 2nd Siara Downing, 3rd Brock Dunn 14-16 Years: 1st Eliza Seja, 2nd Max Beagley, 3rd Jai-Lee Calvert