Cheap MRE Meals – Meals Ready to Eat – Attention Western Australian Prospectors!
Tasty and Very Cheap Indian MRE Meals
Click above image to see bigger image
If your an avid prospector, metal detectorist, camper or even a family who likes to head out bush for a week or three, have you ever tried MRE Meals?
An MRE Meal is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging bought by the United States military for its servicemembers for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. The MRE replaced the canned MCI or Meal, Combat, Individual rations in 1981 and is the intended successor to the lighter LRP ration developed by the U.S. Army for Special Forces and U.S. Army Ranger patrol units in Vietnam.
However, MRE Meals are becoming more and more popular with people who enjoy outdoor activities such as backpacking, camping, metal detecting, hiking and much more.
These MRE Meals are available at most outdoor and camping stores in Australia, such as MainPeak, Anaconda, BCF and all the other Adventure, camping stores around Australia.
But would you pay over $12 for a MRE Meal at MainPeak when you can get a MRE Meal which is just as good, but it will only cost you $2.45!
But the only thing is that these MRE Meals are Indian MRE Meals and they are all Vegetarian, some are Hot and Spicy, some are mildly spicy and some not so mild. But all of them are very tasty and very filling.
A couple weeks ago when I was in Perth, I went to get a Pizza and next door to the Pizza shop was an Indian Delicatesan, that had close to a hundred different types of MRE Meals, and they even had MRE Sweets!
Like I say, all of these MRE Meals cost less than $2.50 per MRE Meal, and I walked out of the shop with around 30 MRE Meals which I plan on using when I go camping, fishing and of course metal detecting.
MRE Meals are also great to have in case of power blackouts, disasters, floods, you can put them in your survival kits!
So if you are planning on heading out bush, by yourself, or with a mate or with your family and you all enjoy Indian food, here is the details of the shop where you can get these cheap MRE Camping Meals in Perth – Western Australia.
SHOP NAME: SHREE GANESH
ADDRESS: SHOP 8 BALCATTA VILLIAGE,
361 WANNEROO ROAD, BALCATTA,
PH: 9349 4079
For interstate readers, go to your nearest Indian Supermarket and I am sure they will have the same MRE Meals for sale!
Why pay $12.60 for a MRE Meal at a camping store, when you can get an MRE Meal for $2.50 at the address above!
More Great Finds – Return to the Old Homestead
Antique WW1 Era Toy Lead Tank
A few days ago I got the metal detecting withdrawal symptons, so I decided to return to a place I had been to a couple times before where I had some great success finding coins and old Australian relics.
I have previously wrote about this old homestead before, you can see both my metal detecting stories about the old Australian homestead here:
As per the second link above, as I walked towards the homstead I decided to turn my detector on, walk at a normal walking pace without swinging the coil and I happened to find a spot with many coins in a small area.
So now as I walk towards a old house I always do this, and it is amazing how successful you can be, without even swinging the detector.
Anyhow back to my story, I went back to the house and started detecting where I had last found the coins, around 10 metres from the ruins, in a ploughed sandy field and it did not take me long to start finding a few interesting things.
I was very excited to have found a beautiful toy tank, which I believe must be a late era World War 1 Toy Tank, likely a model of a real tank.
Antique WW1 Era Toy Lead Tank
It’s definitely one of my favourite finds, not valuable, but just looks beautiful, it is very heavy for such a small toy and built to last.
I had a great couple of hours and I found the following.
50 Years Commonwealth of Australia Medallion which was given to school children to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australian Federation in 1951. The design was chosen after a competition, with the valuable cash prize of two hundred guineas. It was won by John Wolfgang Elischer for his depiction of a man hand-sowing wheat. The wheat has grown to represent the seven States of Australia on the other side of the medal. See a better image here
Jubilee of Australian Federation medal, 1951
I found two more pre-decimal coins as follows:
Also found numerous bullet cartridges a nicely decorated brass button and the usual brass belt buckles
I had a great day, and find items of little value is still a great way to spend the day.
I am definitely returning back there in the near future, as it has given me some great results, and the ground is perfect for metal detecting and still is still a good area that remains to be searched by me.
Metal Detecting Safety Essentials
I was in Perth a couple of days ago and decided to do a bit of Metal Detecting gear shopping, I put a deposit on a Polaris 6×6 Big Boss, and on the way back I stopped at a Prospecting and Metal Detecting Shop in Midland, it is the Prospectors Patch, a great little metal detecting shop.
While I was in there I decided to buy myself a new GPS, and I went for a Garmin Oregon 200.
It is a pretty amazing tool, I have not used it out bush yet, but I have used it driving my car around the district and it is absolutely spot on as it should be.
It cost me $400 and I have actually just seen the same one on Ebay going for close to $600, so I actually saved some money, usually it is cheaper to buy stuff off ebay.
Garmin Oregon 200 GPS
I have some bought myself some great tools for my metal detecting adventures, I would like to offer any readers some essential safety equipment you should invest in, if you are planning on going out to the wilderness either metal detecting, hiking, camping or in the 4wd.
This is my safety equipment I have invested in and may one day save my life when I am metal detecting in isolated areas:
Billy’s Metal Detecting Safety Essentials for isolated and long metal detecting trips
- Uniden Hand Held Radio x 1
- Uniden Walkie Talkies x 2
- Boat Flares
- Smoke Flares
- Glow Sticks
- Yellow Fluorescent Workers Vest
- Garmin GPS
- Mobile Phone which has Next G
- Knife
- Matches / Lighter
- Binoculars
- Signaling Mirror
- First Aid Kit and Snake Bite Kit
- Torch and Batteries
- Radio
- Small Sidchrome Tool Kit
- Puncture Repair Kit
- EPIRB
If I was allowed to get these, such as you are in the USA, I would also invest in
- Tazer
- Pepper Spray
- Hand Gun or a Small .22 Rifle
- Night Vision (Can’t afford these)
These could be useful if you encounter either a dangerous animal or a dangerous person …. trust me, USA Metal Detectorists swear by them.
Remember, if you are heading out bush or to an isolated area, don’t forget to notify the right authorities of your planned trip, when you expect to return … use your common sense!
Get in touch with the great outdoors with Oregon 200. This next-generation handheld features a rugged, touchscreen along with a built-in basemap, a high-sensitivity receiver, microSD™ card slot, picture viewer and more.
Touch and Go
Oregon 200 leads the way with a tough, 3-inch diagonal, sunlight-readable, color, touchscreen display. Its easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. Both durable and waterproof, Oregon 200 is built to withstand the elements. Bumps, dust, dirt, humidity and water are no match for this rugged navigator.
Find Fun
Oregon 200 supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and details straight to your unit. No more manually entering coordinates and paper print outs! Simply upload the GPX file to your unit and start hunting for caches. Show off photos of your excursions with Oregon’s picture viewer. Slim and lightweight, Oregon is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.
Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix™ satellite prediction, Oregon 200 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Oregon to help you find your way when you need it the most.
Add Maps
Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD cards for all your outdoor activities on land or water (see maps tab for compatible maps). Just insert a MapSource® card with detailed street maps, and Oregon provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Add select topographic maps to take advantage of Oregon’s 3-D map view which gives you a better perspective of your elevation. With BlueChart® g2 Vision, you’ll get everything you need for a great day on the water including depth contours, navaids and harbors. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.
Oregon 200: Touch the great outdoors.
What’s in the Box:
- Oregon 200
- Lanyard
- USB cable
- Owner’s manual on disk
- Quick start guide
Physical & Performance:
Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.3″ x 4.5″ x 1.4″ (5.8 x 11.4 x 3.5 cm) Display size, WxH: 1.53″W x 2.55″H (3.8 x 6.3 cm); 3″ diag (7.6 cm) Display resolution, WxH: 240 x 400 pixels Display type: Transflective color TFT touchscreen Weight: 6.8 oz (192.7 g) with batteries Battery: 2 AA batteries (not included); NiMH or Lithium recommended Battery life: 16 hours Waterproof: yes (IPX7) Floats: no High-sensitivity receiver: yes Interface: USB RoHS version available: yes
Maps & Memory:
Basemap: yes Preloaded maps: no Ability to add maps: yes Built-in memory: 24 MB Accepts data cards: microSD™ card (not included) Waypoints/favorites/locations: 1000 Routes: 50 Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
Features:
Automatic routing (turn by turn routing on roads): yes (with optional mapping for detailed roads) Electronic compass: no Barometric altimeter: no Geocaching-friendly: yes (paperless) Outdoor GPS games: yes Hunt/fish calendar: yes Sun and moon information: yes Tide tables: yes Area calculation: yes Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): no Picture viewer: yes Additional: Touchscreen: yes
Registered my Miners Right for Prospecting
Well, firstly I would like to apologise to any dedicated readers of my blog for the lack of posts for the last 10 days or so, I have been away in the big smoke (Perth) for a few days, and also I have been busy around the house, so I have not been metal detecting for nearly two weeks!
Anyhow while I was in Perth, I decided to go to the Department of Mines and Petroleum to register my Miners Right which will enable my to go Prospecting and Metal Detecting on Crown Land and other areas.
Not that I have any intentions to go looking for gold in the near future, but I suppose it is a handy item to have in case I do strike it rich, and will save me potential problems if I do find gold and don’t have a Miners Right.
If you want to go gold prospecting you will definetely need a Miners Right, having one will save you alot of problems if you do find gold.
When I was at the Department of Mines and Petroleum, they were very helpful, and they showed me a great tool which you can download, it is called the TenGraph Online
The TenGraph is an excellent tool, you can do searches of any town or place in Australia to see where you can go prospecting without permission and where you cannot go prospecting without prior permission.
I have included a screenshot of the TenGraph, it shows the area of my hometown and surrounding districts of Dumbleyung.
Click Image to see large screenshot
TenGraph Online - Dumbleyung Area
If you click on the image attached you will see different colours of that screenshot.
- Black means you are allowed to prospect in those areas
- Blue means that those areas are currently under tenement, and you cannot prospect in those areas unless you get written permission from the tenement holder and
- Green means that there is a Pending Tenement in those areas and you can prospect in those areas.
The Tengraph is not only a great tool for Gold Prospecting, but it is also a very handy tool to do research possbible areas to go metal detecting around old abandoned homesteads, rivers, parks and much more, it is free to use but you must register to use it, it is also free to register.
Read the following information about Miners Rights
Miner’s Rights
Revised as at February 2006
How To Obtain A Miner’s Right
Rights Of The Holder Of A Miner’s Right
Where Can I Prospect/ Fossick
Restrictions On The Activities That Can Be Carried Out On Crown Land
Entry Onto Pastoral Leases
Compensation
Obligations Of The Holder Of A Miner’s Right
Unauthorised Activities
Application Form For A Miner’s Right
How To Obtain A Miner’s Right
A Miner’s Right may be obtained for a fee of $25.00 at the Department of Mines and Petroleum, Mineral
House, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, or at any Mining Registrar’s Office. An application form is attached
to this pamphlet.
An individual or company incorporated under the Corporation Law may hold a Miner’s Right. In each
case it is important to ensure that the Right is used in the full and correct name. A Miner’s Right cannot
be issued in a registered business name.
Rights Of The Holder Of A Miner’s Right
The holder of Miner’s Right is authorised under Section 20 of the Mining Act 1978 to carry out the
following activities on Crown land not the subject of a mining tenement:
• prospect for minerals (including gold);
• conduct geological mapping;
• conduct tests for minerals;
• undertake limited sampling using hand held equipment and to remove samples up to 20
kilograms;
• mark out mining tenements;
• fossick for rocks, gemstones, etc;
• take water and camp for the purposes of prospecting.
Possession of a Miner’s Right does not authorise these activities on private land or Reserve land
(except where the purpose is a Common, Mining or Public Utility).
Where Can I Prospect/ Fossick
Prospecting can be carried out for all minerals including gold and a metal detector can be used.
Prospecting cannot be carried out on a mining tenement unless the tenement holder’s consent is
obtained and if a pastoral lease is affected the pastoralist should be notified.
Prospecting may be carried out on an exploration licence situated on Crown Land where a Section 20A
Permit has first been obtained – refer to Information Series Pamphlet No. 18.
Fossicking authorises the collection of mineral specimens (excluding gold and diamonds) for lapidary
work or hobby interests. Use of a metal detector is not permitted. In addition the written consent of any
mining tenement holder and the pastoralist is required.
Restrictions On The Activities That Can Be Carried Out On Crown Land
When on a pastoral lease the written consent of the occupier is required before conducting activities on:
a. land for the time being under crop;
b. a yard, stockyard, garden cultivated field, orchard, vineyard, plantation, airstrip or airfield;
c. land in actual occupation and on which there is a house or other substantial building;
d. the site of any cemetery or burial ground;
e. land within 100 metres of land referred to in (a) to (d) above; and
f. land which is the site of, or is situated within 400 metres of the outer edge of, any water works,
race, dam, well or bore (unless the excavation was previously made and used for mining
purposes by a person other than the pastoralist).
A Warden may order access to these areas other than (c) above, where he/she is satisfied that the land
is bona fide required for mining purposes. Compensation for loss or damage to the land is to be agreed
between the parties or determined by the Warden.
Entry Onto Pastoral Leases
(Refer to Information Pamphlet No. 5 – Prospecting, Exploring, Mining on Pastoral Leases)
The holder of a Miner’s Right may pass or repass over any of the restricted land referred to above in
order to gain access to any other Crown land for the purpose of conducting activities allowed under a
Miner’s Right.
Before doing so, the holder of a Miner’s Right must take all reasonable and practicable steps to notify
the pastoralist (consent is not required) of his intentions and when passing or repassing shall:
i. take all necessary steps to prevent fire, damage to trees or other property and to prevent
damage to any property or livestock by the presence of dogs, the discharge of firearms, the
use of vehicles or otherwise;
ii. cause as little inconvenience as possible to the pastoralist in relation to the passing and
repassing;
iii. comply with any reasonable request made by the pastoralist in relation to the passing and
repassing;
iv. restrict the number of passes or repasses to the minimum necessary for the purpose of mining
on or marking out that other land; and
v. make good any damage caused by the passing and repassing to any improvements or
livestock on the land.
Compensation
Any person (or company) holding a Miner’s Right is liable to pay compensation in accordance with
Section 123 of the Act for any loss or damage caused by that person (or company) whilst exercising any
right authorised under Section 20(2) in respect to any Crown land.
Obligations Of The Holder Of A Miner’s Right
As well as the above requirements for pastoral leases, in respect to all Crown land the holder is required
to:
• ensure that the least possible damage to the surface of the land is caused;
• fill in disturbances on the surface of the land made while conducting activities and which are
likely to endanger the safety of any person or animal;
• take all necessary steps to prevent fire, damage to trees or other property and to prevent
damage to any property or livestock by the presence of dogs, the discharge of firearms, the
use of vehicles or by other means;
• not to obstruct any public thoroughfare or undermine any road, railway, dam or building so as
to endanger public safety;
• not to remove any fencing, timber, etc. previously erected around or placed on an abandoned
shaft, pit, etc. in such manner as to render the area unsafe.
Unauthorised Activities
It is an offence under the Mining Act, 1978 to carry out mining operations on any land without
authorisation, and a penalty of $100,000 (plus $10,000 per day if the offence is a continuing one)
applies.
The holder of a Miner’s Right is authorised to search for and remove samples from Crown land, however
he is not permitted to carry out activities such as “strip mining” (ie. the use of front-end loaders and
bulldozers or similar machinery to strip the surface of soil or vegetation).
These types of operations may only be carried out in respect of granted mining tenements and
conditions will be applied to require compliance with methods of rehabilitation laid down by the
Environment Division.
Important Note
The information contained in this pamphlet is to serve as a guide only, and every holder of a Miner’s
Right has an obligation to be fully aware of the relevant provisions of the Mining Act, 1978 and
associated Regulations.
MINING ACT 1978
APPLICATION FOR A MINER’S RIGHT
TO: Director, Mineral Titles Division
Department of Mines and Petroleum
Level 1, Mineral House
100 Plain Street
EAST PERTH WA 6004 (May also be sent to any Mining Registrar’s Office)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(name in full-block letters)
of
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
(full postal address)
Postcode: …………………………… Telephone No: …………………………….
hereby make application for the use of a Miner’s Right pursuant to Section 20(1) of the Mining Act,
1978.
The prescribed fee of $25.00 is attached.
……………………………………………………..
(Signature of Applicant)
This pamphlet is issued by the Mineral Titles Division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum
1st Floor Mineral House
100 Plain Street (Cnr Adelaide Terrace)
EAST PERTH WA 6004
PHONE: (08) 9222 3333
FAX: (08) 9222 3444
Internet: http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au
N.B. The information contained in this pamphlet is designed to assist in gaining a general awareness of
the requirements of the Mining Act 1978 and is not intended to be a substitute for understanding the
statutory requirements of the Act and Regulations there under.
Seben Metal Detectors – Don’t Buy One!
Just writing this post, to warn people not to buy seben metal detectors which are commonly seen on ebay for sale.
I have never used one, but I know they are just a piece of junk which are made in China for around $5 and sold to people on ebay for around $200.
To prove my point, check out this Seben Metal Detector Review people complain that the English Manual does not make sense, no doubt the manual is probably in broken english!
If you have bought one, I feel sorry for you, or are bidding on a Seben Metal Detector currently … cancel your bid now!
If you want to take up metal detecting, invest in a metal detector that is going to last, perform, give you results and find you treasure!
Brands such as:
Whites Metal Detectors
Fisher Metal Detectors
Minelab Metal Detectors
Garrett Metal Detectors
Viper Metal Detectors
And many more of the best brand metal detectors
Just do some research before you consider buying a metal detector, you really don’t have to spend that much money to buy a good detector. And obviously it will depend on what type of metal detecting you are interested in, the most common is coin shooting, beach detecting, relic hunting and ring finding, and obviously gold detecting, but you need to be pretty serious to get into that side of the game, especially in Australia, where much of the surface gold has been found.
Metal Detecting Sieves
Plastic Metal Detecting Sieve
I get quite a few search engine hits from people looking for Metal Detecting Sieves, so I thought I would throw a few photos up of the Sieves I use.
These Sieves are very cheap and absolutey brilliant when going metal detecting, they are very light weight, easy to carry in your free hand.
The first one I use is a Plastic Garden Sieve I bought from Bunnings in the Garden section, it cost me around $10 from memory and will last many years! You can also get them from BCF Stores.
It has helped me find many rings, jewellery, old australian coins (pennys, half-pennys, silver coins, modern day coins, bullet shells, old military buttons and badges and small relics.
When I get a signal from my detector, I will dig up a small amount fo soil and place that soil in my Sieve, then sweep the detector coil of the Sieve and if I get the same signal again, thats when I will give the Sieve a good sideways shake (be prepared to get dust in your face, clothes and hair … thats a fund part) and then all the sand will drop through the sieve holes, leaving behind material such as grass, small stones, leaves, you just pick that stuff out carefully not to pick out the possible ring or coin.
Then shake it sideways again until the sieve reveals your treasure!
It is so easy, and most of the old pennys, silver coins, militaria objects and some jewellery and rings I have found this way.
Using a sieve reduces the risk of you cutting yourself on broken glass, rusty nails, wire, and even getting bitten by a spider or small snake which might be hidden amongst the soil. I have been bitten by a spider once this year and its not nice.
The other day I went to my local rubbish dump, did a bit of rummaging around and found myself a “seed sieve” used by farmers, garden nurserys, gardeners and so forth.
Perfect for Metal Detecting
Its downfall is that it is aluminum, so there is no point sweeping the coil over the top, but still nethertheless will come in handy, the holes are bigger and will be much quicker to sieve the soil to find the gold, rings, coins and much more.
I also have a water sieve, this is pretty good, and you can buy them on internet metal detecting shops for around $40 USD, but why waste $40USD when you can make one yourself from around $10 AUD! All you need is the Plastic Garden Sieve as per the photo above, some long cable ties, and a small old tyre tube, you can get the tyre tubes from any tyre place like Ian Diffen, Beaurepairs and so for, no doubt for free! The tyre places are happy to get ride of their old tire tubes for free.
Then all you need to do, is place the plastic Sieve in the middle of the trye, cable tie it securely, and thats it, go metal detecting in the water, place the sand in the sieve, it washes away to reveal a beautiful lost ring!
I have also made myself a Mobile Metal Detecting Sieve, I call it the Shermanator, see the threads and what I found found using Metal Detecting Sieves on How to build a Shermantor
Some Recent Metal Detecting Sieve Finds
Aboriginal Stone Knife
The Aboriginal Knife
Around a week ago I went out the local bush to test out the Shermanator Sifter I just made, unfortunately I forgot to put in the battery for my detector so could not do any detecting…. always the way!
Anyhow I dug around a few spots where I had previously found some old coins and here is what I found.
No much, but at least the sifter works well and I was surprised to find a very old Australian Aboriginal Stone Knife, basically would have been used to skin Kangaroo’s, cut meat and so forth.
Not exactly a good specimen, but I know an Aboriginal Tool when I see one, a Stone not native to this area and probably bought in by local tribes, many years ago, hundreds, thousands who knows.
Also a few pics of The Shermanator in Action.
Shermanator in Action
A Shovel load of hidden treasure?Pieces of Glass, Metal, Nails, Small Stones etc
Old Buttons, Nails, Bottle Tops and the Aboriginal Knife!
The Shermanator!
I decided to make myself a little toy to hopefully make my Metal Detecting Hobbie a bit more easier… when out in the Australian Bush and also down the Beach, I have named it “The Shermanator” (Sherman is my surname, my first name is William … For all you Civil War Buffs, there was a very famous American General in the American Civil War named General William Sherman.
Anyhow, I made this today and here is my Step by Step guide to making it!
I made this because it will be great for many uses, whether being on the Beach, on a old road or out the bush and many more examples.
Obviously it is not allterrain, but the small trolley can be attached to a Four Wheel Motorbike.
This will in my opinion make my detecting experiences so much easier.
The trolley will be used to carry all my equipment to my detecting location. Such equipment as my Metal Detectors, Food, Water, Camera, all my little Detecting Accesories, First Aid Kit.
Easy, now all I need to do is pull the trolley and not cart around all the other stuff on my back!
The trolley is also completely detachable to fit in my car for long journeys.
The Sieve is securely attached to the trolley and it lifts up and down for storing stuff and also to work the sieve easier and can be easily removed for water detecting, yes it floats.
The sieve will be great for finding all coins, jewellery, rings, and larger items such as old bottles when digging around old bottle grave yards.
I am sure you can get similar type Trolleys in the USA, Europe, UK etc, go to your local Garden Centre or Handy Man Centre – Walmart etc.
All up it cost me $200 Aussie Dollars to make, thats approximately $140 USD.
Here it is! I like it.
THE SHERMANATOR
1 x 4 Wheel Garden Trolley (Cost $115 AUD) Assorted Plumbling Pipes & Attachments (Cost $60 AUD)Birdcage Mesh (Free - from Disposal Dump) used as a second type of sieve to catch other items missed by the first top layer. (Bottm Layer)Door or Window Security Mesh - Aluminum (Cost - Free from my Door) (Top Layer)
Detectable - Floatable Sieve
Billy Sherman and The Shermanator
Uses on the Beach
Bottle Dump Sifting - Coins - Jewellery - Old Bottles
open it to get rid of the stuff which does not fall through the holes, such as glass, bits of metal, nails etc
It works Perfectly!
