Aussie man has golden touch with £200,000 nugget find

By MARGARET NEIGHBOUR
Published on 19/01/2013 00:44

AN AMATEUR Australian prospector who had not had much luck searching for gold has struck it rich, unearthing a nugget heavier than a newborn baby and worth around £200,000.

The anonymous prospector discovered the 5.5kg nugget near the town of Ballarat, in an area known as the “Golden Triangle” due to its rich veins which sparked a gold rush in the 1850s.

The find came to light when the man walked into the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop and told owner Cordell Kent: “Mate, I found a good one”.

He then revealed the nugget, adding that he had weighed it on the bathroom scales at home.

Mr Kent said: “It’s a substantial nugget.”

The Y-shaped nugget, 10in long and 6in wide, was found by the prospector using an Australian-made gold detector.

Mr Kent added: “The intrinsic gold value is about A$286,000, but because it’s a natural raw specimen and they’re extremely rare it’s got a value far in excess of that.”

The southern state of Victoria’s “Golden Triangle” is known for large nuggets, such as the legendary massive 27.21kg “The Hand of Fate” nugget, which is now housed in a Las Vegas casino.

Mr Kent said the find was likely to create a new, mini-gold rush.

He said: “It’s given a lot of prospectors great hope that there still are great pieces out there.”