Australian man finds $150,000 gold nugget after spotting tiny yellow dot in red dirt
Rare 1.2kg gold nugget found after days of searching in red dirt
An amateur gold prospector in Australia's outback has struck it lucky, discovering a gold nugget estimated to be worth between $150,000 and $160,000 after days of searching in the red dirt.
The unnamed man discovered Mount Stuart Station near Tibooburra, in far north-western New South Wales, after several unsuccessful attempts to find something valuable.
Speaking to ABC News, he said his searches usually turned up discarded metal, including lead bullets, old nails and horseshoes.
The signal from his metal detector initially gave little indication of the find's size. However, as he dug deeper, the machine began producing a much stronger signal.
He recalled spotting a tiny, bright yellow dot in the center of the hole during one of his first attempts to clear the soil.
A video of the discovery, shared on Facebook, captures the prospector digging through the dirt before pulling out the sizeable nugget. His excitement is evident as he examines the find, exclaiming: “Look at that! I can't believe this, look at this!”
The gold nugget weighs nearly 1.2kg
According to ABC News, the nugget, named the Tibooburra Spud, weighs nearly 1.2kg and contains quartz. Testing found that about 940 grams of the specimen was pure gold.
Its estimated value ranges from $150,000 to $160,000, although the final selling price could vary depending on the buyer and collector demand.
The finder reportedly plans to sell the nugget to a collector, potentially securing a higher price for the unusual specimen.
Gold prospecting gains interest
Greg Spangler, who sells prospecting equipment in Broken Hill, told ABC News that nuggets weighing more than a kilogram are rare finds.
However, he noted growing interest in gold prospecting as a hobby, with more people taking to the outdoors in search of precious metal deposits.
For the unnamed prospector, what began as another search through Australia's rugged outback ended with an extraordinary discovery — one that turned a tiny flash of yellow in the soil into a potentially life-changing find.
