Magic From The Land Down Under: Aussie Gold Top Shrooms
Australian magic mushroom, sometimes called “Aussie” or “Gold Tops,” is a strain of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms that grow in Australia and New Zealand.
This mushroom is distinct from Psilocybe subaeruginosa, which is an entirely different species of psychedelic shroom that also grow native to Australia and also goes by the name “Aussie shrooms.”
If you can’t go shroom hunting through cow pastures in the lands down under, you might have some luck purchasing Australian magic mushroom spores online and cultivating them yourself.
Aussie Gold Tops grow relatively easily like most Psilocybe cubensis shrooms and produce bountiful flushes that are sure to impress.
In this guide, we’ll look closer at what you can expect from the Australian shroom and how to grow these successfully from spores.
Australian Strain Specs:
| Potency | Average |
| Cultivation | Easy |
| Species | Psilocybe cubensis |
| Recommended substrate: | Dung, Rye Grain, Brown Rice Flour |
| Sold By: | Spores 101 (🇺🇸/🇨🇦), Miracle Farms (🇺🇸/🇨🇦), Sporeslab (🇨🇦), The Magic Mushrooms Shop (🇪🇺) |
How Potent Are Aussie Gold Top Mushrooms?
It’s impossible to look at a shroom and judge its potency — the strength of its effects depends on the growing conditions, the genetics, and the harvest and drying methods.
The only way to know for sure how potent your Aussie Gold tops are is to send them to a specialized laboratory that can test for psilocybin and psilocin strength.
Most people who have taken Aussie Gold Tops will agree these shrooms are about average in terms of potency — they aren’t super strong like Penis Envy or Tidal Wave, but they’re no slouches, either.
Unfortunately, there isn’t enough quantitative data for these mushrooms to offer any concrete information in terms of potency averages.
While we consider these mushrooms “average” — that doesn’t mean you should take them lightly.
Even average-potency mushrooms can deliver life-changing spiritual experiences. It all depends on the dose, set, and setting (which we’ll talk more about shortly).
Where to Buy Australian Shroom Spores?
Compared to many other cubensis strains, Australian Gold Tops are relatively inexpensive and easy to cultivate, making them a practical choice for first-time growers looking to get started with a beginner-friendly strain.
Australian “Gold Top” spores aren’t hard to find online, but finding a reputable source could be another issue.
Bad suppliers could sell you poor-quality genetics or contaminated prints that aren’t viable for cultivation, so it’s important to research different shroom vendors through online forums and articles like this one.
Here are some of our favorite spore vendors to try first:
- If you live in the United States — Spores 101, Miracle Farms
- If you live in Canada — Spores 101, Sporeslab, Planet Spores
- If you live in Europe — The Magic Mushrooms Shop (🇪🇺), Shiny Spores (🇬🇧)
→ View all spore vendors & grow kit suppliers
History of the Australian “Gold Top” Shrooms
According to the University of Queensland mycologist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Alistair McTaggart, there are over 20 species of magic mushrooms you can find in nature in Australia — some are native, and others have been introduced.
Aussie Gold Tops are a strain of P. cubensis shrooms native to Australia and can grow in cow dung and damp forest floors.
How it became cultivated and popularized isn’t known, but it’s a famous average-potency psychedelic shroom that’s used recreationally and in clinical settings.
Related: Foraging for Magic Mushrooms 101
Aussie Gold Top Variations & Genetic Relatives
Australian magic mushrooms are known for their distinctive gold cap, average potency, and resiliency to contamination, making them a beginner-friendly shroom to experiment with, both consuming and growing.
The exact origins of Aussie Gold Tops remain a mystery, making it difficult to track down any close genetic relatives. However, we can recommend a few other Psilocybe cubensis strains that offer similar experiences and growing habits.
1. Golden Teacher
Golden Teachers are the most widely recognized and commonly cultivated strain of magic mushrooms. Just like the Australian magic mushroom strain, Golden Teachers have gold tops and mild effects.
Because of their abundance and average strength, Golden Teachers are often the reference point for comparing potencies.
If, for some reason, you can’t get your hands on Aussie Gold Tops, you shouldn’t have an issue sourcing Golden Teacher spores.
2. B+ Strain
Just like Golden Teacher and Aussie Gold Tops, B+ is a beginner-friendly shroom with an average psilocybin potency.
According to the shroom community, B+ is a hybrid of P. cubensis and P. azurescens — but this claim is highly disputed, and there isn’t any scientific evidence to back it up.
Even still, B+ shrooms might be the strain you’re looking for if you want a mellow, easy-to-grow shroom with a little bit more novelty to its story.
3. Cambodian Shroom Strain
Cambodian magic mushrooms were isolated from a wild P. cubensis sample found in Cambodia.
It’s a beginner-friendly mushroom because of its exceptional resistance to environmental contamination, something that plagues mushroom growers — no matter how careful they are.
Cambodian shrooms aren’t known to be potent, but with the right growing environment and harvesting techniques, you’ll have a dependable average potency shroom.
4. Psilocybe subaeruginosa
The Psilocybe subaeruginosa isn’t exactly a genetic relative. In fact, this one doesn’t even belong to the same species of entheogenic mushrooms, but it is a famous one native to Australia that’s worth mentioning.
Psilocybe subaeruginosa, or “P. Subs,” is supposedly one of the strongest psychedelic mushrooms in the world and grows abundantly in the land down under in parks, forests, scattered around university campuses, and farmer’s fields.
P. Subs are naturally potent, with the average psilocybin content ranging around 1.93% in dried weight, producing highly visual psychedelic trips with as little as a gram of the dried shroom.
It is a felony in Australia to pick these shrooms — on top of this, you have to be careful of poisonous look-alike mushrooms, so it’s not recommended that you go hunting for these out in the wild.
P. Sub spores are rarer to come by than the Australian cubensis shrooms. Still, if you get ahold of some and are prepared for the work that goes into cultivating them, you’re in for a wild trip.
How to Grow Australian Cubensis Shrooms
Aussie Gold Tops have several notable traits that make them an attractive option for cultivation for new and experienced growers.
These shrooms are known for their resistance to contamination, rapid colonization, high fruiting potential, and gentle euphoric effects.
The biggest concern for growers is maintaining a sterile environment during the inoculation process and keeping a temperate and humid environment during the incubation phase.
You can usually find at-home kits for growing magic mushrooms from the same vendors that sell spores, but if you’re up for it and keen to save some money, you can design your own mushroom-growing setup.
For a more detailed description of how to get started growing magic mushrooms, we recommend checking out the Tripsitter beginner’s guide to the PF-Tek method.
In our opinion, the PK-Tek method requires minimal equipment and is the most straightforward way to grasp the concepts of cultivating mushrooms from syringe spores.
Even though Aussie Gold Tops are suitable for beginners and can withstand contaminants, it’s still crucial to prioritize a sterile environment to guarantee success in your endeavors. This involves sterilizing and disinfecting your equipment and workspace, as well as wearing masks and gloves.
The most exciting part of growing Aussie Gold Tops is its first flush — you’ll get the most amount of mushrooms from the first go, but you can still expect to harvest more shrooms on the fourth and fifth flush — under the right conditions.
Aussie Gold Top Mushroom Effects & Characteristics
The effects of Australian Gold Tops are often described as uplifting, energetic, euphoric, and spiritual, which induce deep introspection and bouts of creativity.
These shrooms tend to be gentler on the body than other, more potent strains, making them more appropriate for first-time use and those who want more of a head high.
Of course, the experiences with magic mushrooms can vary from one individual to the next depending on unique body chemistry, how much magic mushrooms were consumed, and their environment.
For first-timers, it’s generally recommended to stick to standard doses (3-5 g) — you can always take more, but once you’ve consumed the shrooms, you’re going to have to wait till the shrooms are done with you.
Related Article: Check out our handy magic mushroom dosage calculator
Frequently Asked Questions About Australian Magic Mushrooms
1. Why is it legal to purchase magic mushroom spores in some places where psilocybin mushrooms are illegal?
Psychedelic mushroom spores are legal in some countries, including the United States and Canada, because spores don’t contain psilocybin or psilocin, compounds with psychoactive properties.
Spores are considered an entirely different entity from the mushroom-fruiting body, which is consumed for its psychedelic effects.
Although you might be able to purchase psychedelic mushroom spores, growing psilocybin-containing mushrooms may be illegal in your country, as magic mushrooms are considered a controlled substance. Make sure you check on the local laws before purchasing and cultivating them at your own risk.
2 What’s the difference between the Australian Strain (P. Cubensis) and Submarines (Psilocybe subaeruginosa)?
Both of these are psilocybin mushrooms native to Australia and New Zealand. However, they are, in fact, different species of magic mushrooms with different genetic traits and growing conditions — which is what creates a distinction between a strain and a species.
The Australian strain (P. cubensis) is well-known for its gold-colored caps with a white ring around the outer edge. It is generally considered moderate potency and is often used by people who are new to using psychedelics.
Submarines (Psilocybe subaeruginosa), on the other hand, are different species of magic mushrooms that have a distinct physical appearance, with a darker cap that is often brown or gray and a stem that is thicker at the base. Submarines are one of the more potent strains of magic mushrooms.
3. What can I do to get more out of each flush of mushrooms?
The first flush of your Aussie Gold Tops will have the most bountiful results, and subsequent flushes will yield fewer and fewer shrooms.
One trick people use to stimulate the growth between flushes is to dunk the cakes in an ice bath, which might help you harvest more between each flush.
4. What is a standard dose of Aussie Gold Tops?
Aussie Gold Tops are known to have average potency, which means you can use the general guidelines for dosing magic mushrooms.
A standard dose of Aussie Gold Tops is 3-5 grams. Of course, the results may vary, depending on their growing conditions and the individual’s body chemistry.
5. What are the side effects of consuming Aussie Gold Tops?
As with consuming any hallucinogenic mushroom, there are potential risks and side effects involved.
While psilocybin shrooms are generally considered non-toxic, it’s possible to experience a bad trip that can lead to psychological distress and put you at higher risk for physical harm.
This can be avoided if you take the appropriate doses in a safe environment.
Other potential side effects of consuming Aussie Gold Tops include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and headaches, which are unpleasant. Still, these effects are temporary and go away once the effects of the mushrooms wear off.
