In North Queensland, a passionate prospector struck gold by discovering a stunning 38-ounce gold nugget with a value exceeding AU$50,000. This remarkable find was made possible thanks to the use of a Minelab GPX 5000 detector. And to top it off, just before finding this life-changing nugget, he also stumbled upon a three-ounce nugget worth around AU$4,000.
“When I stumbled upon the first nugget, I was beyond excited because it was the largest one I had ever found,” shared the individual from Queensland who prefers to remain unnamed. “Just finding that alone would have made my day, but after collecting myself, I decided to continue at the same spot. Lo and behold, after just a few swings, I uncovered an even bigger nugget.”
“I was completely overwhelmed with emotions at that moment,” they recalled. Weighing over a kilogram (1,176g), the nugget was buried 15cms (six inches) below the surface and was detected with the help of the advanced gold-finding technology in the Minelab GPX 5000 detector.
“It’s truly unbelievable. I had been searching that area for quite some time that day and was about to call it quits. But I decided to give it another shot for fifteen more minutes. With just five minutes left, I picked up a promising signal – not too loud, but I had a feeling it was gold. So, I started digging.”
“At first, I had no idea of the size of the nugget since the scales I had on me only went up to 500 grams. It wasn’t until later when I got home that I learned I had surpassed the kilo mark.”
“It was nestled beneath some vegetation, making it a bit challenging to extract. Now, I can’t help but wonder if those roots are concealing more large nuggets, waiting to be discovered another time.”
The excited explorer has affectionately named his recent discovery the Arcus Nugget due to the influence of nature on its unearthing. Arcus, deriving from Latin meaning rainbow, was inspired by his sighting of a rare double rainbow on his way back to camp the day prior. Disregarding the old belief that gold lies at the end of rainbows, he pinpointed the exact spot beneath the highest point of the rainbow and declared that was where he would search the following day.
As he reflects on the moment, he recalls saying to himself that they would find gold there the next day, but he never imagined it would be as abundant as it turned out to be. Currently, he is in negotiations for a private sale of the nugget.
This avid nature lover was bitten by the prospecting bug around a decade ago during one of his early trips, where he stumbled upon his first piece of gold. Although finding the Arcus Nugget undoubtedly stands out as his most significant moment in the field, he has also had several successful ventures with his trusty GPX 5000. Previous expeditions into the wilderness have yielded hauls of four and two ounces, each discovery bringing its own level of excitement. For him, each find holds a sense of wonder and amazement, with the trip where he found two ounces leaving him in awe at the time.
Peter Cragg, a dealer for Minelab in Townsville, was astounded by the discovery of the nugget. He was impressed by the find, emphasizing that there are still sizable nuggets waiting to be unearthed with the right equipment and a keen eye for terrain. The area where the nugget was found had been previously searched with metal detectors, making the discovery even more remarkable. Cragg speculated on the possibility of other treasures waiting to be found.
The Minelab GPX 5000 detector is a popular choice among serious gold hunters, boasting advanced features like Multi Period Sensing (MPS), Dual Voltage Technology (DVT), and Smart Electronic Timing Alignment (SETA). With eight timings to choose from, each optimized for different conditions, the GPX 5000 can handle challenging ground while maintaining superior depth and sensitivity to gold.
