how can a complete novice find ore?
how can a complete novice find ore?


You don't.

In addition to Fred's excellent answer regarding the legalities of the matter, I would add the following:


All of the easy stuff has already been found, and finding any more ore requires efforts beyond what you can do on your own.
Stuff that is easy to find now is commonly in old mines or old mine tailings. These are dangerous places to be in. There is risk of collapse, acid mine drainage, and a bunch of other nasty things.
Learning how to find "ore" regardless of the first two points requires proper education in geological sciences.
Smelting copper ore, as per your idea, is a bad bad bad idea. Copper ore is usually in the form of copper sulfides. You really don't want to breath sulfur-bearing gases while you're smelting the ore.




If you are interested in looking for minerals and such, as a resident of New South Wales I recommend you talk a look at this website:

https://www.resourcesandgeoscience.nsw.gov.au/miners-and-explorers/fossicking-in-nsw

It contains information and resources that might be useful to you.