A local prospector in Victoria struck gold, quite literally, when his trusty gold detector unearthed an impressive 4.1kg nugget. Valued at over $250,000, the nugget has been dubbed ‘Friday’s Joy’. The discovery took place in Central Victoria’s ‘Golden Triangle’, a renowned location known for its high-quality gold finds.
The miner, who preferred not to disclose his identity, had discovered a gold nugget shaped like a tennis ball the day before. He had come back with his trusty Minelab GPZ 7000 metal detector in hopes of finding more treasures. “At first, I thought it was just junk, maybe an old horseshoe,” he recalled. “But about a foot beneath the surface, I noticed something peeking out. As I carefully unearthed it, I was absolutely stunned. I couldn’t believe my luck.” He added, “I was completely shocked because I didn’t think there were still nuggets of this size waiting to be found.”
For over ten years, the prospector and his friends have been on the hunt for gold, coins, and other treasures. They made a pact to split any valuable findings they come across. Once they stumbled upon a massive nugget, they celebrated with beers, not sure what to do with their discovery at first. The prospector likened it to catching a big fish without a plan on how to deal with it. After cleaning it and temporarily storing it in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil, the nugget is now safely kept in a bank vault, awaiting its auction.
The discovery has been named ‘Friday’s Delight’ as a nod to the day it was uncovered. The renowned Golden Triangle in Victoria, known for its gold nuggets, is often referred to as a golden pentagon due to its shape. This area is surrounded by Ballarat to the south, Wedderburn to the north, Tarnagulla to the east, and Ararat to the west. During the Gold Rush in the 1850s, this region was bustling with activity, and even though Western Australia has surpassed Victoria in gold production since the 1980s, the Golden Triangle continues to attract eager prospectors hoping to strike it rich. Just last year, a hefty 3.5 kg nugget was unearthed, proving that the region still holds treasures waiting to be discovered.
‘Friday’s Joy’ may not be the largest gold nugget ever discovered in Australia, with that title held by ‘The Welcome Stranger’ found in Victoria in 1869. However, weighing in at 72kg (2300 ounces), ‘The Welcome Stranger’ holds that record. Currently, ‘Friday’s Joy’ is safely stored in a bank vault as a replica is being created.
The lucky prospector who found ‘Friday’s Joy’ has no plans to quit their day job, but instead wants to use the earnings to buy a van and travel across Australia.
According to Dermot Henry, the acting head of sciences at Museum Victoria, the Victorian goldfields have a rich history of producing large nuggets, with more big nuggets found there than in any other goldfield worldwide.
