You will need this licence if you are a commercial tour operator who conducts, offers to conduct, agrees to conduct, or arranges for someone else to conduct, a commercial tour. A licence for commercial tour operators authorise fossicking for a maximum of 50 people at any one time and place.
Licences are not required at tourist mines and similar sites that charge a fee for entry. You also don’t need a fossicking licence to hunt for treasure or lost items using a metal detector. This licence does not authorise fossicking for fossil specimens.
You must follow the conditions of your licence and carry it on you at all times when fossicking. You can receive on the spot fines or be prosecuted if you breach the conditions of your licence.
Land that has been designated as a fossicking area can be both either publicly or privately owned. It is the commercial tour operator's duty to seek the landowner's special permission before fossicking can commence on the land. You will not need to obtain special permission from the landowner in general permission areas and designated fossicking lands and areas. Licence holders must comply with the Act and Regulations regarding permitted fossicking activities and locations.
A commercial tour operators licence does not include an exploration permit or camping permit, these must be obtained separately.
