When winter hits the Australian bush, most prospectors pack up their gear, pour a warm drink, and wait for spring. But real gold doesn’t take a season off—and neither do we.
For our latest adventure, my 7-year-old son Finn, our good mate Nick from Picket Prospecting, and I packed up the truck and hiked deep into the frozen cuts of Trunkey Creek. We weren't just heading out for a casual day of panning; we were putting two brand-new Chrisundertaking river sluices through the ultimate cold-weather stress test.
With temperatures dropping to a bitter -2°C, this trip quickly morphed from a standard gear test into a true battle against the cold.
The Freezing Reality of -2°C Gold Hunting
Arriving at the creek in the dead of winter, the landscape was completely locked in frost. Frozen dew coated every leaf and rock, and the air was cold enough to turn every breath into a thick fog cloud.
Before we even dropped a shovel into the paydirt, one thing was clear: survival and staying warm had to be priority number one, especially with Finn on the trip.
The water in Trunkey Creek was hovering just above freezing. The moment you dipped a hand in or grabbed a bare metal tool, the chill went straight to your bones. Basic physical tasks you usually take for granted—like scooping dirt, running classifiers, or adjusting sluice legs in the current—turned into a shaky-handed struggle.
Before getting the sluices dialed in, I got to work building a roaring campfire on the bank and stockpiled an absolute mountain of firewood. Throughout the morning, even the heavy physical labor of digging and classifying dirt wasn't enough to keep our core body temperatures up. Having that fire raging nearby was the only thing keeping Finn warm while the sun slowly worked to swipe away the thick morning frost.
Testing the New Chrisundertaking River Sluices
The primary objective of braving the extreme weather was field-testing two new custom sluice designs engineered for high performance and portability.
The 3D-Printed Mini Sluice: Built specifically with Finn in mind, this ultra-lightweight setup gives young prospectors a real, functional rig without the heavy weight of traditional metal setups. The best part? The design is fully scalable. Whether you want a micro setup for backpack prospecting or a larger footprint, the 3D print files are available right on our website so you can print and customize your own at home.
The 2-Piece Compact 8" x 24" Sluice: Transporting gear deep into remote bush locations is usually a pain. To fix that, I designed this new medium-sized sluice to split down the middle into two compact sections that slide together seamlessly. At 8 inches wide and 24 inches long when assembled, it features custom-engineered riffles designed to trap fine flour gold without losing heavy nuggets.
Getting Finn’s mini sluice set up in the flow first gave him a chance to work his own line of dirt while I tuned the larger split sluice right next to him. Seeing a 7-year-old push through frozen fingers to shovel gravel into his own rig made every cold minute worth it.
Did We Find the Gold?
If you've spent any time on the river, you know the gold god doesn't always hand out massive paydays just because you worked hard in tough conditions. We didn't pull out ounces of heavy nuggets on this run, but we dialed in the fluid dynamics on both sluice designs, verified their fine-gold retention in freezing flow rate conditions, and walked away with a pan full of shiny specs.
More importantly, we survived the freezing conditions, kept Finn safe and warm, and shared an unforgettable father-son adventure in the wild.
Watch the Full Frozen Adventure
Want to see the freezing hands, the hot campfire action, and the full breakdown of how these new sluices perform in real-world conditions?
🎥 Click here to watch the full YouTube video: Surviving -2°C Freezing Creek Gold Prospecting!
Don't forget to drop a comment on the video letting us know what you think of Finn's 3D-printed setup!
Grab the Gear & Print Files
Ready to upgrade your prospecting setup for your next bush trip? Head over to the official Chrisundertaking store to grab custom gear, download 3D printing sluice files, and check out our full lineup of lightweight prospecting equipment built by prospectors, for prospectors.
- Explore the Store & Download Files: chrisundertaking.com
Stay warm out there, keep your riffles full, and we’ll see you on the next stream!
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