A local prospector struck gold in Victoria when his trusty gold detector led him to an incredible find – a massive 4.1kg nugget. Valued at over $250,000, this nugget, lovingly named ‘Friday’s Joy’, was unearthed on the outskirts of the renowned ‘Golden Triangle’ in Central Victoria, a region well-known for its exceptional quality of gold nuggets.
The anonymous prospector made an incredible discovery with his Minelab GPZ 7000 detector—a gold nugget that was shaped like a tennis ball. Initially mistaking it for rubbish or an old horseshoe, he began digging deeper and was amazed by what he found. At around 12 inches below the ground, he uncovered the top of something shining. As he continued to excavate and remove the clay, he was astonished by the size of the nugget. He couldn’t believe that nuggets of this magnitude were still out there waiting to be found.
For over ten years, the prospector ventured out with his close group of friends in search of gold, coins, and ancient artifacts. They had an agreement that if they ever struck gold, they would split the profits. After a major discovery, they celebrated with beers, but the prospector was unsure what to do with the valuable nugget initially. He compared it to catching a big fish without knowing what to do next. To keep it safe, he washed it, wrapped it in aluminum foil, and stored it in his oven on the first night. The nugget is now securely held in a bank vault, awaiting its auction.
The discovery has been named ‘Friday’s Joy’ in honor of the day it was unearthed. While known as Victoria’s Golden Triangle, the area could be better described as a golden pentagon, encompassed by Ballarat to the south, Wedderburn to the north, Tarnagulla to the east, and Ararat to the west. This region was once the epicenter of the Gold Rush in the 1850s, and though Western Australia eventually surpassed Victoria in gold production during the 1980s, the Golden Triangle still captivates gold enthusiasts. Just last year, a 3.5 kg nugget was found in this area, proving that the region continues to be a source of excitement for hopeful prospectors.
‘Friday’s Joy’ may not be the largest gold nugget ever discovered in Australia, with that title going to ‘The Welcome Stranger’ found in Victoria in 1869, weighing a whopping 72kg (2300 ounces). Currently, ‘Friday’s Joy’ is secured in a bank vault as a replica is being crafted.
Although the prospector who unearthed the nugget has no plans to give up his day job, he does intend to use his find to buy a van and tour around Australia. According to Dermot Henry from Museum Victoria, the goldfields in Victoria have seen more large nuggets than any other region in the world historically.
Today, the news of this recent discovery was shared by Minelab, a metal detector technology company based in South Australia.