Epithermal Gold 2005 - Organisation

The Epithermal Gold 2005 International Study Tour was focused on a selection of the more significant epithermal (& related porphyry) gold deposits found on the western margin of the Pacific.

It included examples in virtually all of the different geo-tectonic settings, hosts, ages, elemental & alteration associations, climatic environments, physiographic terranes and all of the different styles of this important group of deposits.

The tour covered a vast geographic interval from Japan in the north, through Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, to Australia in the south, including many in "difficult to get to" locations.

As such it presented a unique opportunity to obtain a detailed overview of virtually all of the different variations and possibilities of epithermal gold occurrence.

Participants had the option of taking either the full tour -or- any block of 4 or more days up to the total number of days on the Tour as suited their availability and interest.

Those who commenced at the beginning of the Tour, made and paid for their own travel arrangements to be in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan, by 7:00 pm on the evening of Saturday 26 March, to commence the Kyushu Field Workshop and mine visits, before continuing through Indonesia, Papua New Guinea to Australia. Participants will be able to join and leave at any point along the route.

The Tour technical program ended on return to Townsville airport, Queensland, Australia on the morning ofSaturday 9 April 2005, at approximately 12:00 noon. Participants ending the tour there were responsible for all of their own travel and accommodation arrangements and costs from that time, date and location.

For those who took less than the full Tour, a start and end point were advised on confirmation of their registration. Each participant was responsible for travel to the start point and from the end point thus advised.

PGC arranged all travel from when each participant joins the tour until they left it, including all surface (land and sea), scheduled airline travel and air charter. The cost of this travel was covered by the Tour Fees and by additional Air Fares/charter charges.

The Tour Fees and Air Fares had to be paid to PGC within two weeks after confirmation of registration. The air fares were charged at cost, and had to be paid at the same time as the Tour Fees. Participants were responsible for their own travel to the start point and from the end point of their tour.

In some special circumstances it might have been cheaper for local participants to book their own airline flights on tour had they so nominated. However, it was ESSENTIAL that all of the tour party travel together on the same flights between mine visits. For those who preferred to book their own flights as nominated on the Registration Form, PGC advised of the appropriate flight details in their "Confirmation of Registration" letter.

All accommodation reservations were made by PGC between the start and end dates/times of each participants' tour. However, all accommodation costs had to be paid by the participants on checkout during the tour and NOT by PGC. Participants were also responsible for paying for their meals (except the Introductory Dinner) and other personal incidentals while on tour.

As part of the tour, participants received a comprehensive collection of literature to read prior to commencement or during the tour. These papers covered the regional geology and distribution of mineralisation in the provinces being considered, as well as descriptions of the individual deposits to be visited and other significant examples throughout the region.

Approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the tour, participants were given a detailed itinerary with accommodation information, including the street address, phone and fax numbers and tariff for each hotel. All they needed to bring was their field gear, personal affects, and credit card/travellers cheques to pay for accommodation and meals.