Latest news with #nugget
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie couple ecstatic after finding $40,000 'clunker' in the outback
An Aussie gold prospector and his partner have found a huge nugget worth about $40,000 while making a YouTube tutorial about the best places to look for the precious metal. Kevin Richardson was filming his latest search near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, explaining to his viewers that there are ways to 'dramatically increase your chances' by doing research on particular areas to give you the 'highest possible chance' of striking gold. After finding several small pieces over a couple of days, Kevin was explaining how it's important to also check under bushes. That's when his detector started 'screaming'. "It could be a clunker. Wouldn't that be good?" he said while digging down in a small patch of red dirt surrounded by shrubs. 'You know, I never get my hopes up too high with these sort of targets. Too many times I've dug up a bullet.' But seconds later, he unearths a dusty lump of gold and appears to be in disbelief as he examines the nugget in his hand. 'Oh my God! That is gold, look at the size of that!' he said, before kissing the nugget. "Well, I did say it could be a clunker!" He guessed the nugget weighed about two ounces and was worth potentially $10,000 — but he later realised he was drastically underestimating its value. Putting the nugget on a set of kitchen scales back at his camp, he found that it weighed almost seven ounces, meaning the potential value is more than $40,000. Profit will help pay off couple's caravan Kevin, who has been filming his adventures with his wife Eliza for five years, said he plans to sell the nugget and use the money to pay off his caravan. He said the find was his largest discovery to date, and told the ABC it shows how important it is to do your research instead of just randomly picking a spot and expecting to find gold. "Too many people buy a detector and just head out anywhere and think they're going to find gold. You've got to do research," he said. "If you've researched an area and you think there should be gold there … you've got to work the ground very, very carefully.' Though the pair are from Victoria, they regularly visit WA as they believe it is easier to find gold there. They say the state is 'very supportive' of mining and prospecting. He said he will have a replica cast of the nugget made as a keepsake of his once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Friends make $161,000 discovery in WA Kevin's belief that WA has more gold could be true. Two other prospectors in May found a whopping 31.5 ounce nugget at Sandstone, a small town some 400km northwest of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Earlier that day, the two friends had also found a one-ounce nugget, bringing the total of their haul to around $161,000. Another prospector in WA had similar success, stumbling across a 20-ounce nugget said to be worth $130,000. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Prospector unearths gold nugget on camera in WA's Goldfields
A prospector has literally struck gold while making a tutorial video on the subject in Western Australia's Goldfields, unearthing a 7-ounce nugget. Kevin Richardson, who runs an educational YouTube channel sharing his prospecting tips and tricks, was demonstrating the importance of searching under bushes near Kalgoorlie when his metal detector started beeping loudly. And the nugget he discovered is worth a potential $40,000.
ABC News
07-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Grey nomad strikes gold unearthing nugget in outback
A Victorian man has unearthed a gold nugget worth around $40,000 while filming a prospecting tutorial video in WA's Goldfields with his wife.
ABC News
06-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Prospector unearths gold nugget worth about $40k on camera in WA's Goldfields
A prospector has literally struck gold while making a tutorial video on the subject in Western Australia's Goldfields, unearthing a 7-ounce nugget. Kevin Richardson, who runs an educational YouTube channel sharing his prospecting tips and tricks, was demonstrating the importance of searching under bushes near Kalgoorlie, about 600 kilometres east of Perth. Then, his metal detector started beeping loudly. "You do get a lot of old tin cans left from the old miners on the fields. "My first reaction was, 'Oh, it's a tin can,' but there was no tin can on the ground." Mr Richardson called his wife, Eliza, to come and film "just in case" he found something. "But right up until the time where I had it in my hand, I still didn't really believe it was gold," he said. The 7-ounce nugget was covered in dirt, but the weight of it was an immediate indicator that he had found gold. "I'm thinking I'm going to dig out a bullet or a piece of tin, and then I just felt the weight in my hand with this gold nugget and I just knew straight away what it was," he said. The video captured the incredible moment Mr Richardson realised it was a gold nugget. "Oh my God! That is gold, look at the size of that," he exclaimed before kissing the nugget. The gold price is hovering around $5,200 an ounce, putting the nugget's value at potentially more than $40,000 given its size. The pair, who are from Victoria, regularly prospect in the Goldfields, but Mr Richardson said this find in July was their largest discovery. He said it should be worth enough to pay off his caravan. "This was out of the box because even though I've been doing this for years, I was hoping for the day when I would join what they call the 1-ounce club," he said. "I'd come close a few times, but to suddenly get a 7-ounce one, it was just a dream come true, really." Mr Richardson said persistence and research were key to finding gold. "Too many people buy a detector and just head out anywhere and think they're going to find gold. You've got to do research," he said. "If you've researched an area and you think there should be gold there … you've got to work the ground very, very carefully." WA is a prime destination for tourists interested in prospecting, and Mr Richardson said it was easier to find gold there than in his home state. "It's also a very supportive state for prospecting. "The Western Australian government really does support mining, which includes prospecting." The nugget will be sold to a professional gold buyer, but Mr Richardson has already found someone to make a replica nugget for him to display at home.
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Prospectors flock to WA Goldfields after large nugget unearthed
A large gold nugget like this one has been found in Western Australia, about 500km north of Kalgoorlie. Photo: Dave Craw / University of Otago By Macey Turner and Katrina Tap, ABC Veteran prospector Chris MacGregor had one thought when he heard about a chunk of gold that weighed nearly a kilogram being found near a historical West Australian gold mine town recently - "you lucky people". The 895-gram nugget found by prospectors near Sandstone, 513 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, is worth about $165,000. "I'm sure they put in the hours, which is what it's all about, and good luck to them," MacGregor said. The Perth resident is one of many visitors making the most of a booming prospecting season in the region. Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association of WA president James Allison said the discovery of the large nugget showed "the big gold" was "still out there". "With the technology now, there's a lot of people going over old ground and still finding gold - that's why all the caravan parks - they're all full," he said. "It's just the allure. If you find an ounce of gold - that's about the size of a 10-cent piece - that's worth $5000." Gold was first found in the region by prospectors Arthur Bayley and William Ford in 1892. Australia's Golden Outback chief executive Marcus Falconer said finds such as the Sandstone nugget were "important" in keeping the mystique of the Goldfields alive. "People decide to - like back in the gold rush days - come to seek these things out," he said. City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder mayor Glenn Wilson said the current record high gold prices had certainly excited people. "There's gold fever getting around at the moment," he said. "It's great to see that people are making the most of what is a very buoyant gold price." Prospectors have been flocking to the region for 130 years but Wilson said gold tourism was a largely untapped market. "Prospectors might spend up to three or four months out on the land looking for that elusive nugget," he said. "I think there's a massive opportunity - to harness and to further understand what that prospecting community does deliver." Greg and Liz Watson own a company that operates guided prospecting camps about 60km north of Leonora. Greg and Liz Watson thought the pandemic would ruin their gold tourism business but say demand has skyrocketed since. Photo: ABC Goldfields: Macey Turner Liz Watson said the demand for their tours was insatiable this season. "We've had to expand the amount of people we have on the tours," she said. "This year I'm turning away six to 10 people a day, at least." Despite the obvious demand, the pair said running a gold tourism business involved more than just teaching people how to find the shiny stuff. "They have to be cut out for it, because you're dealing with so many people," Greg Watson said. "Anyone coming into it needs to really have a serious look at it. "You need to have full insurance. You need to be accredited in some way." Vicky Smith went on her first tour with the Watsons in 2023 and said she enjoyed the isolation and open landscape more than the idea of finding gold. So when the Watsons needed an assistant she traded in her child protection job for a six-month stint in the red dirt. "It's lovely to be out here," she said. "This is just a completely different world." Despite an almost lifelong commitment to combing through the scrub in WA's gold country, MacGregor and his detector - affectionately dubbed the "Wailing Wand" - are yet to hit the jackpot. "It's a very rare thing to come by - you've got to put in the time," he said. Chris MacGregor has been prospecting on and off for more than 40 years after picking up his first piece of gold at the age of 11. Photo: ABC Goldfields: Katrina Tap MacGregor said finding gold was only part of the joy of prospecting. He said he would keep sleeping in his swag under the stars for as long as he was able. "Don't do it for the gold - come for everything else that's out there," MacGregor said. "If you get some gold, it's a bonus." Allison said tourists hoping to strike it lucky were welcome in the region, but stressed that safety should be the number one priority. "We've seen many, many cases over the years of prospectors getting lost and perishing, and they're found within 50 metres of their vehicle," he said. Last year the bodies of a father and son were found after they went missing while prospecting in the Murchison region. The body of Vietnam veteran William Wadsworth was also found last year, months after he went missing while prospecting near Norseman. Allison said water, food, shelter and a personal locator beacon were indispensable for prospectors, who should also let people know of their plans. "It doesn't matter if you're over-prepared," he said. "You should be always looking at the 'what if'." - ABC
