ELEVEN year old Sharlotte Bourne of Wangaratta won a national under 12s gold panning competition in Blackwood last Saturday.
Sharlotte was introduced to the hobby at the age of five through her Dad, Clint Bourne, and started competing three years ago.
"My Dad gold pans a lot and we also go out camping and do it," she said.
"When I first (competed) I got bronze, now this year I've won."
The aim of the competition is to pan the most amount of gold in the least amount of time without making mistakes.
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"They would melt gold into little squares and then hide it in some dirt and we had to pan it out and if you got the most in the least amount of time you win," Sharlotte said.
Mr Bourne said there are even time penalties if they make mistakes.
"There's six bits (of gold) in each heat and if you get all six bits in the least amount of time you win," he said.
"If you lose you get a three minute penalty and if you don't put a lid on the vile (a glass container to put the gold flecks in) you get a two minute penalty."
Mr Bourne even has a business where he manufactures and sells gold panning equipment.
"It was an interest from when I was a kid," he said.
"I just tried to make the hobby into a job really and I'm sort of still in the process of still doing it and Sharlotte enjoys it as well."
Sharlotte won a gold medal, a gold mining pack which had a vile filled with gold and a pan.
