The Schmich family tree extends back to the 1850s when Bill Schmich's great grandparents left Germany and followed the dream of massive gold finds in the antipodes.

Mr Schmich began searching for gold, in and around Ophir, as a five-year-old in 1946 and he has been in love with the area ever since.

That love affair with the area has inspired Mr Schmich and other members of the Ophir Recreation Trust to launch its inaugural discovery day on April 12.

"This place was the start of the gold rush era in April of 1851 and is probably the most significant event in the development of Orange as a large centre," Mr Schmich said. "All those people came from overseas and as soon as they saw how good the soils were a lot of them stayed."

The Schmich family certainly stayed around and all of Bill's five children still fossick around Ophir.

“It's in the blood,” Mr Schmich said. “Walking around this area with a metal detector is very relaxing and people come here for a week or so to go fossicking, camping and fishing.”

Although the majority of gold has been removed there are still treasures of a different kind to be found.

“I have found coins, cutlery and all sorts of old implements using the metal detector,” Mr Schmich said. “I tend to look for artifacts now more than I do gold.”