Parker Schnabel, the famous personality from Gold Rush, finds himself in a state of awe as he encounters a remarkable duplicate of the awe-inspiring “Welcome Stranger” – an extraordinary gold nugget weighing a whopping 72kg (158.7 lbs).
In the second episode of Season 4 of the compelling show Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail, we witness Schnabel venturing far from the familiar Klondike Gold Rush path, as he embarks on a thrilling expedition filled with fresh prospects and endeavors in the captivating Land Down Under.
In the opening scene, Schnabel and his companion Fred Lewis are greeted by Tyler Mahoney, a seasoned Australian prospector. Their arrival is accompanied by the dramatic unveiling of a sizeable, two-foot-long golden boulder resting comfortably in the back seat of Mahoney’s truck.
Curiously, Schnabel pondered aloud about Mahoney’s reason for suggesting a rendezvous in the secluded depths of the Australian Outback. However, he soon discovered that Moliagul, Victoria, held a significant historical importance. It was the exact spot where prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates made an astonishing find on February 5, 1869 – the renowned Welcome Stranger nugget. Buried merely 3cm (1.2 inches) beneath the ground’s surface, this colossal gold nugget was unearthed near a sturdy tree’s base.
According to folklore, the Welcome Stranger nugget was of such impressive dimensions that it had to be fragmented into three sections with the aid of an anvil in order to be accommodated on a bank scale. If we were to assess its value using contemporary gold prices, this prodigious nugget would be valued at a staggering $4.7 million.
The original Welcome Stranger nugget was melted down to create gold bars, however, there are currently two identical replicas in existence. One is currently in the possession of the Deason family, descendants of the original owners, while the second replica is on public display at the Old Treasury building in Melbourne. It can be assumed that the replica found in Mahoney’s truck belongs to the Deason family, as they are the rightful owners. In Moliagul, where the nugget was originally discovered, there is still an obelisk that was erected in 1897 to mark the exact spot. This obelisk serves as a historical landmark for the famous Welcome Stranger find. The episode titled “Welcome Stranger” of Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail first aired in March 2020 and was recently televised again on the Discovery Channel over the weekend.
