# Gold top mushroom picking



## 420DrGreenthumb (Feb 24, 2009)

Ok, i've tried gold top mushrooms afew times now and i had a great time, i was at a laid back music festival with heaps of like minded people and hippies, and was camping with some great people.

Now i'm just curious as to the harvesting of them. I live in Australia and i'd like to know what to look for, what to avoid and any general information that would help me on the right track.
I had a look on the net but couldnt find a great deal about Australian mushies so i thought i'd come here to be sure instead of ending up dead in a field somewhere.
Thanks all


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## victozap (Feb 24, 2009)

Are you looking to grow them or to try and find some in the wild? 

I wouldn't try to find boomers in the wild. Most of the mushrooms with hallucinogenic properties are almost identical to some very posiness ones. I don't think it would be worth risking it.


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## white dwarf (Feb 24, 2009)

Look for gold topped white shrooms usually found in cow pastures after a few days of heavy rain. Check that the gills are brown (white gills are toadstools). Break off at the bottom of the stem and place in paper bag. The psilocin and psilocibin oxidise causing the mushrooms to turn dark blue or black in about 15-30 minutes.


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## Jobo (Feb 24, 2009)

white dwarf said:


> Look for gold topped white shrooms usually found in cow pastures after a few days of heavy rain. Check that the gills are brown (white gills are toadstools). Break off at the bottom of the stem and place in paper bag. The psilocin and psilocibin oxidise causing the mushrooms to turn dark blue or black in about 15-30 minutes.


The strain is golden teacher. You should try growing some yourself


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## 420DrGreenthumb (Mar 1, 2009)

So if i gather some cow shit from a paddock so it's un processed and sprinkle some rotting hay over it and water or something? Is it worth the risk with law also? i hear mushies are pretty highly classified..drug wise


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## white dwarf (Mar 5, 2009)

You need a bit of luck but if there are cowshits close to any mushies you find, chances are it is filled with spores.


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## MatthewD (Mar 6, 2009)

I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis). 

Believe it or not, they are VERY easy to identify, and you would have to be downright stupid to mistake one of the deadly types, such as Death Caps, for a Gold Top. And yes, we do have a handful of the most toxic and deadliest Mushrooms growing here (this is Australia after all). 

The easiest way to identify a Gold Top, is by it's....Gold top! It's not actually golden, but moreso tan, and it will often have a 'nipple' on the top. If your suspect Mushroom does not losely fit this description, do not bother further examining it, because it's most likely going to be toxic, and there's a 99% chance it's not going to contain Psilocybin or Psilocin. If your mushroom fits this description, gently break it off at the very bottom of the stem, and then proceed to bruise and/or crush the stem with your fingers. If you have an actual Gold Top, you will see the stem turn a shade of Blue/Black where it has been bruised and broken. This can take anywhere from 10-15 seconds to 15 minutes. 

*Usually the more potent Gold Tops change colour a lot faster, and this is due to a chemical reaction between the Psilocybe/Psilocin and Oxygen. *

The above properties are the main indicators as to whether or not you have an actual Gold Top. You really don't need to check anything else from here, but if you're paranoid, here are a few more safety measures you can take.

1) Gold Tops _may_ have a 'ring' (annulus) 3/4 of the way up the stem, so don't freak out if your Mushroom has one
2) Check the 'gills' underneath the cap - Are they brown/dark in colour? If so, that's good! I would not touch them if they had White gills!
3) Does the Mushroom have a 'cup' like growth at the bottom? They usually losely cover the bottom 1/4 of the Mushroom, and are almost always an indicator that the Mushroom is toxic. These 'cups' grow on virtually all of the most toxic Mushrooms, such as the amanitas. What I mean is, never eat a wild mushroom with a 'cup', since it'll probably kill you.

That's about all I can tell you off the top of my head. I hope I have answered your question well enough, and if I haven't, feel free to ask away.


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## gangjababy (Mar 6, 2009)

victozap said:


> Are you looking to grow them or to try and find some in the wild?
> 
> I wouldn't try to find boomers in the wild. Most of the mushrooms with hallucinogenic properties are almost identical to some very posiness ones. I don't think it would be worth risking it.


You couldn't be more wrong mushrooms are easily distinguished from one another,, at least cubensis and any other shrooms you'll find in the field. 
Look in cow pastures, the shrooms grow out of the cow shit. Follow MathewD's instructions and you'll be fine. Post some pics of the ones you find to double check, I've been picking for years. Also squeeze the stem and it will bruise greenish and then a few minutes later it'll turn dark purple or black.


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## gangjababy (Mar 6, 2009)

Jobo said:


> The strain is golden teacher. You should try growing some yourself


How do you know that? There are hundreds of cubensis strains out there and a majority of them have golden tops...


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## MatthewD (Mar 6, 2009)

gangjababy said:


> How do you know that? There are hundreds of cubensis strains out there and a majority of them have golden tops...


Incorrect. There's only one type of Cubensis Mushroom (excluding the Subcubensis) which fits into the category of Magic Mushrooms. It most commonly known as the "Gold Top", but also is called "Golden Teacher" by some.

*Picking Tip: You'll most often find them during hot days, with recent rain (a day before is the best), in and around Cow poo.*


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## gangjababy (Mar 6, 2009)

my malabars, sg30's, golden teachers puerto ricans are indistiguishable from each other.
How can you confidently say he has had golden teachers?


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## MatthewD (Mar 7, 2009)

gangjababy said:


> my malabars, sg30's, golden teachers puerto ricans are indistiguishable from each other.
> How can you confidently say he has had golden teachers?


First of all, Gold Tops are _generally _more common, especially in Australia, where the original poster claims to live. I've done a lot of research on this topic, and at least in Queensland, Psilocybe Cubensis are the main Magic Mushroom. I've never seen another type here...Or even heard of people finding/picking them.

Secondly, if they are indistinguishable, then it should not matter anyway, should it? If he can identify one, then he can identify them all.


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## gangjababy (Mar 7, 2009)

they vary in potency and give you different trips
listen, golden tops describe almost any cube out there, it's a blanket term describing any cube.
I'm sure Australia has some pans and possibly some azures as well.
First you say it must be golden teacher then you say, oh they must be golden tops. 
And of course when folks say magic mushroom they are most likely referring to cubes.
Clearly you don't know what you are talking about, there is no way you can positively ID the shroom he's talking about with no description besides, "golden top" and no pic.


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## MatthewD (Mar 7, 2009)

gangjababy said:


> they vary in potency and give you different trips
> listen, golden tops describe almost any cube out there, it's a blanket term describing any cube.
> I'm sure Australia has some pans and possibly some azures as well.
> First you say it must be golden teacher then you say, oh they must be golden tops.
> ...


I did some googling, and I could not find any information of Cubensis mushrooms, besides Psilocybe Cubensis. Maybe Psilocybe Cubensis is the only Cubensis? I wouldn't know.



> I'm sure Australia has some pans and possibly some azures as well.


It's true that Australia does have various species of Magic Mushrooms. However, like you admit, people are more than often refering to Psilocybe Cubensis when they bring up Magic Mushrooms. 

By doing a quick search for Australian Magic Mushrooms, it's quickly realized that the others types are more often smaller, different in structure, and do not necessarily have golden tops. So, considering all of this, it's safe to assume that it's a Golden Teacher that the original poster tried.


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## 420DrGreenthumb (Mar 7, 2009)

MatthewD said:


> I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis). etc etc
> 
> Matt, this is extremely helpful! thanks muchly


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## MatthewD (Mar 8, 2009)

420DrGreenthumb said:


> MatthewD said:
> 
> 
> > I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis). etc etc
> ...


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## gangjababy (Mar 8, 2009)

MatthewD said:


> I did some googling, and I could not find any information of Cubensis mushrooms, besides Psilocybe Cubensis. Maybe Psilocybe Cubensis is the only Cubensis? I wouldn't know.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


it's like saying my weed is purple, what strain is it and you reply oh it must be grandaddy purp because it is purple. Forgetting that there are plenty of other purple strains out there.
*IT is impossible for you to give the exact strain with no description, just give it up.*


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## Hippie33 (Jan 21, 2017)

Hey i am also living in queensland, I am new to shroom hunting and am having a bit of trouble finding them, there are plenty of cow pastures around here but most are quite close to the owners house.
It has been about 80-90% humidity everynight for the past couple weeks and temperatures around 26-28 at night and 33 max during the day. Do you think pan cyans will be around? Any help would ve wonderful. Thankyou in advance.


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## throwdo (Jan 22, 2017)

Iv always picked out of the wild if yhey grow in shit you snap stem if it turns blueish purple there good im still alive we had 2 kinds that i found back in texas golden teachers and bela tops


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## greenghost420 (Jan 25, 2017)

these make u all giggly after bout an hour, and even change the pitch of ur laugh?


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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)

Hey fellas I live in queensland to and yesterday I found a tun of these growing in a mulch area of my yard they don't bruise when you squeeze the stem so I'm pretty sure they are nothing. Just wondering if anyone could tell me what they are because if they are poisonous I'll spray the area so my dogs don't eat them lol? Thanks.


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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)




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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)




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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)




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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)




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## throwdo (Mar 9, 2017)

Nothing good there dont think your dogs would eat them


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## Lovell22 (Mar 9, 2017)

Sweet Thanks mate. they have tried already lol. Bloody eat everything the bastards...


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## Lovell22 (Mar 10, 2017)




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## Lovell22 (Mar 10, 2017)

Hey lads Sory to be such a pain in the ass. caught my stupid muts ripping these out dunno if they actually ate any or not. do you guys know if they are poisonous or harmless? tried looking over Google but didn't find aanything... thanks guys


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## throwdo (Mar 10, 2017)

They would of been sick already


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## Lucky Luke (Mar 10, 2017)

Dogs are pretty clever... Never heard of one eating a mushroom..

Wallabies like the golden tops though...


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## Shag Pile (Mar 14, 2017)

If your not searching for cubes. Then you should be hunting subs. I got a pic of pne for my avatar.

After the first frost in nsw is a good rule of thumb to start searching. Search places with decent ground cover. Valleys of woodland hills or pine forests are good places, if there is bracken ferns growing your usually in the right spot. 

Subs have a bone white stem that bruises blue with pinched or crushed. There tops are a golden, caramel colour (similar to a deadly lookalike with a golden/orange top. These will bruise brown).


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## zigamarla (May 21, 2017)

Hey guys, these are the type I've been finding around my mates property... ? Cows everywhere so good likelihood I suppose but can anyone confirm or have experience with these...


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## Lucky Luke (May 21, 2017)

zigamarla said:


> Hey guys, these are the type I've been finding around my mates property... ? Cows everywhere so good likelihood I suppose but can anyone confirm or have experience with these...


dont look like the golden tops near me.


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## HeatlessBBQ (May 21, 2017)

for real ^


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## HeatlessBBQ (Aug 1, 2017)




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## RatGirl (Feb 24, 2018)

Hey guys, I understand this forum is for Golden tops and I think these actually might be Blue meanies, but basically I need a little help identifying and there are so many good comments here I was really hoping someone might help me ID this guy based on these pic. If you can't help that's fine, but I also looked into the identifiers for blue meanies and gold tops. I live North QLD and it's Feb and there are a ton of these shrooms through the cow pies on our farm. Any advice would be much appreciated


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## Lucky Luke (Feb 24, 2018)

Im in Tassie and that's not like the golden tops around here.

Next time cut the mushrooms stems and leave the root system un stressed and intacked.


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## RatGirl (Feb 24, 2018)

Sorry, I'm a real novice. I thought I was meant to stress it to see if wen't dark blue/black. I don't think they are golden tops but I guess I just wanted some sort of opinion on whether or not these might be blue meanies... or at least not deadly. here are some pics of them still in the pie.


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## SEQLDER (Feb 28, 2018)

Hello, found these at home (Fraser coast qld). Have I struck gold or garbage? I’m going the later. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy being in nature and keen to learn and explore if any members want to share their knowledge. Thanks everyone


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## HeatlessBBQ (Feb 28, 2018)

Those will give You the squishies, @SEQLDER.
Possibly even poisoning.

Psychoactive mushies blue bruise after when picked, mate.

Have any dry specimens to show off with blue bruising?


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## HeatlessBBQ (Feb 28, 2018)

RatGirl said:


> Hey guys, I understand this forum is for Golden tops and I think these actually might be Blue meanies, but basically I need a little help identifying and there are so many good comments here I was really hoping someone might help me ID this guy based on these pic. If you can't help that's fine, but I also looked into the identifiers for blue meanies and gold tops. I live North QLD and it's Feb and there are a ton of these shrooms through the cow pies on our farm. Any advice would be much appreciated  View attachment 4095216 View attachment 4095217


These look promising, though.


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## SEQLDER (Feb 28, 2018)

HeatlessBBQ said:


> Those will give You the squishies, @SEQLDER.
> Possibly even poisoning.
> 
> Psychoactive mushies blue bruise after when picked, mate.
> ...


Thanks mate I will steer clear! I was in the process of drying them with the fan but will just turf them now. There was no sign of any bruising. Will have to try my luck another time. Thank you again for commenting!


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## Dt555 (Jun 8, 2018)

Hi - can anyone tell me if these look like gold tops?

Cheers!


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## Lucky Luke (Jun 9, 2018)

Dt555 said:


> Hi - can anyone tell me if these look like gold tops?
> 
> Cheers!


 They are not Golden tops.


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## Dt555 (Jun 10, 2018)

Lucky Luke said:


> They are not Golden tops.


Thanks for confirming


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## Diana Tryit (Sep 14, 2018)

MatthewD said:


> I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis).
> 
> Believe it or not, they are VERY easy to identify, and you would have to be downright stupid to mistake one of the deadly types, such as Death Caps, for a Gold Top. And yes, we do have a handful of the most toxic and deadliest Mushrooms growing here (this is Australia after all).
> 
> ...


HD



MatthewD said:


> I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis).
> 
> Believe it or not, they are VERY easy to identify, and you would have to be downright stupid to mistake one of the deadly types, such as Death Caps, for a Gold Top. And yes, we do have a handful of the most toxic and deadliest Mushrooms growing here (this is Australia after all).
> 
> ...


 g’day what about this little fella


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## Diana Tryit (Sep 16, 2018)

Gday MatthewD, I live in the Whitsundays Queensland and ive found a shroom that is exactly described by you above and although mainly tan was fairly bloody golden in areas, had a nipple, had black gills underneath, a little 'frill' on stem, no cupping underneath, however it didnt go blue with bruising and only realy blackened over time, so next question is how to prepare it ? its been in a tissue in a drawer for a week. It was about 50c coin when picked, is one enough for a trip and should I just down it whole with a gulp of beer ? Id also like to grow a few more and have plenty of cow shit nearby. This one popped up in my yard when I inadvertently mowed some cow shit into my lawn, added some Thrive, and in the past Sulpher of pot ash but after a longish dry winter we had 50mm of rain and bang 1 gold Top ! What else can I add to the mix to grow more beside cow dung ? is there spores on the tissue ive got the shroom in ? So many questions !


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## Ryesouthcoastguy (Dec 14, 2018)

Just picked these out if some cow shit far far south coast NSW ...
Any idea what they are ?
They look like gold tops


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## HydroRed (Dec 14, 2018)

RatGirl said:


> Hey guys, I understand this forum is for Golden tops and I think these actually might be Blue meanies, but basically I need a little help identifying and there are so many good comments here I was really hoping someone might help me ID this guy based on these pic. If you can't help that's fine, but I also looked into the identifiers for blue meanies and gold tops. I live North QLD and it's Feb and there are a ton of these shrooms through the cow pies on our farm. Any advice would be much appreciated  View attachment 4095216 View attachment 4095217


This is probably the closest I've seen in this thread.


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## Lucky Luke (Dec 14, 2018)

Ryesouthcoastguy said:


> Just picked these out if some cow shit far far south coast NSW ...
> Any idea what they are ?
> They look like gold tops


Didnt turn purple so no they are not.


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## Diana Tryit (Feb 28, 2020)

Diana Tryit said:


> Gday MatthewD, I live in the Whitsundays Queensland and ive found a shroom that is exactly described by you above and although mainly tan was fairly bloody golden in areas, had a nipple, had black gills underneath, a little 'frill' on stem, no cupping underneath, however it didnt go blue with bruising and only realy blackened over time, so next question is how to prepare it ? its been in a tissue in a drawer for a week. It was about 50c coin when picked, is one enough for a trip and should I just down it whole with a gulp of beer ? Id also like to grow a few more and have plenty of cow shit nearby. This one popped up in my yard when I inadvertently mowed some cow shit into my lawn, added some Thrive, and in the past Sulpher of pot ash but after a longish dry winter we had 50mm of rain and bang 1 gold Top ! What else can I add to the mix to grow more beside cow dung ? is there spores on the tissue ive got the shroom in ? So many questions !





Diana Tryit said:


> HD
> 
> g’day what about this little fella


Ive cracked the code !


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## Dt555 (May 2, 2020)

Hi fellas, can anyone help me indenting these please?

Thanks in advance.


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## Budget Buds (May 2, 2020)

Dt555 said:


> Hi fellas, can anyone help me indenting these please?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


No.... If you cant have someone in person id them for you then err on the side of caution . Eating a mushroom that hasn't been 100% identified to be what you're looking for is playing Russian roulette .....


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## canndo (May 22, 2020)

Lovell22 said:


> Hey lads Sory to be such a pain in the ass. caught my stupid muts ripping these out dunno if they actually ate any or not. do you guys know if they are poisonous or harmless? tried looking over Google but didn't find aanything... thanks guys


The grayish ones? If they autodigest ( get inky) then they are a common mushroom that you may not want to eat if you are a drinker. You will get pretty sick.


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## Budget Buds (May 22, 2020)

canndo said:


> a common mushroom that you may not want to eat if you are a drinker. You will get pretty sick


Black morel's will do the same thing to some people....


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## intoxicatedeuphoria (Jul 29, 2020)

Hey guys! sorry to bother, but does anyone know any places around newcastle / sydney where mushies grow? im at a bit of a loss and dont really want to trespass on anyones property.. are there any up in the Wattagans perhaps? 
Thanks !


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## kubkade (Mar 23, 2021)

MatthewD said:


> I live in Queensland, Australia, and I have quite a lot of experience with Magic Mushrooms, having picked and taken them upwards of 10 times now. The type we get here are your typical/proper 'Gold Tops' (Psilocybe Cubensis).
> 
> 
> Hey, I read your forum and it was really helpful, there's been tons of mushroom growth around my area in Springfield and I thought id take a look around, I followed your steps on the ring, colour, frill, and nipple on the mushrooms I picked, and used some other google searches as well, however when I crushed the stem from the bottom and let it sit for 15 minuets, it only turned a light/dark shade of red, what more can I do??


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## Aussie Astra (Apr 8, 2021)

Hello lovely people. I live in south east qld and am having an awful time trying to find places to go a hunting around here. Usually head down northern NSW but with the back and forward boarder restrictions etc I just haven't been down for a while. Would anyone know of good spots between Redcliffe and Glasshouse mountains to find those magical mushrooms that I hold dear? Thank you muchly for any advice.


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## Autofire (Apr 8, 2021)

Aussie Astra said:


> Hello lovely people. I live in south east qld and am having an awful time trying to find places to go a hunting around here. Usually head down northern NSW but with the back and forward boarder restrictions etc I just haven't been down for a while. Would anyone know of good spots between Redcliffe and Glasshouse mountains to find those magical mushrooms that I hold dear? Thank you muchly for any advice.


I found a lot in the cow pastures just out of Byron back in 2004. Only about half a k or so from Belongil fields caravan park


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## Aussie Astra (Apr 8, 2021)

Autofire said:


> I found a lot in the cow pastures just out of Byron back in 2004. Only about half a k or so from Belongil fields caravan park


 Yeah its awesome down that way. I used to go between murwillumbah and nimbin but atm its just not worth it with the restrictions etc which is why I was hoping for somewhere the qld side of the boarder. Thank you for responding though  Stay safe and happy.


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## Mushluv (Oct 21, 2021)

Aussie Astra said:


> Hello lovely people. I live in south east qld and am having an awful time trying to find places to go a hunting around here. Usually head down northern NSW but with the back and forward boarder restrictions etc I just haven't been down for a while. Would anyone know of good spots between Redcliffe and Glasshouse mountains to find those magical mushrooms that I hold dear? Thank you muchly for any advice.


Hi Astra. I'm on the Sunny coast and on the Hun too without much luck. Big rains tonight do I'm gonna give it another crack tomorrow. I'll let you know if I get lucky


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## Dreaming1 (Oct 22, 2021)

There is a test for psilocybin now. Miraculix psilo-Qtest. Easily check for magic. If a mushroom makes psilocybin, it doesn't make any toxins. Even in a family that has poisonous members. All mushrooms that make psilocybin are safely edible. 
The earth has you. Enjoy living.


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## Pabsy (Nov 13, 2021)




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## Pabsy (Nov 13, 2021)




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## iknownutting (Jun 10, 2022)

Aussie Astra said:


> Yeah its awesome down that way. I used to go between murwillumbah and nimbin but atm its just not worth it with the restrictions etc which is why I was hoping for somewhere the qld side of the boarder. Thank you for responding though  Stay safe and happy.


 How did you guys go with your hunting ? 
I've found shrooms in my cow paddocks up in gympie but I really wana start a mushy social hunting group where we go for Walks once a month around sunshine coast. 

Shromery is a great forum to join also


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## iknownutting (Jun 10, 2022)

This was my small bounty from last week . Was enough to see the concrete I was sitting on turn into moving snakes but I'm after that 5DG experience haha


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## GreenestBasterd (Jun 10, 2022)

Where I am, a few hours below Sydney, they grow in broken down wood/mulch and have been abundant for the last few months.

I picked some great ones from the back of woolies car park where they laid mulch around trees in 2014 and that patch is still going strong!!!

a lot of the time you find plenty in urban environments from councils maintaining areas with already decomposing mulch.

another great spot for goldtops is the edge of fire trails in the bush/hills before the mountains, where each year they grade the roads and the years of this happening, have spread the spores all over the place! combine that with the broken down timber pushed aside each year and sunlight, it’s the perfect conditions.

the council actually go up each year to “destroy” these masses of mushrooms and in the process have inadvertently helped create better conditions than there would be if left alone. Thanks guys hahaha


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## mertaroid (Sep 20, 2022)

GreenestBasterd said:


> Where I am, a few hours below Sydney, they grow in broken down wood/mulch and have been abundant for the last few months.
> 
> I picked some great ones from the back of woolies car park where they laid mulch around trees in 2014 and that patch is still going strong!!!
> 
> ...


Hey Greenest, i'm down south of sydney as well around gong area.. I was wondering if you could point me in the right areas to go hunting in ?


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## GreenestBasterd (Sep 20, 2022)

Bit further south, the Brindabella mountains.
Give me an hour or so and I’ll screenshot you the map of a good spot/dirt road to walk alongside.


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## mertaroid (Sep 20, 2022)

GreenestBasterd said:


> Bit further south, the Brindabella mountains.
> Give me an hour or so and I’ll screenshot you the map of a good spot/dirt road to walk alongside.


Thats great. tnx for that.. And which wollies might be a hot spot ?


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