The rare find comes more than 170 years after the country’s gold rush
A gold nugget weighing four kilograms and valued at US$160,000 (831,000 Brazilian reais) was found by an amateur prospector in the gold mines of Victoriain Australia. To locate it, the prospector used only an $800 (R$4,108) metal detector. Shortly after the discovery, the prospector took the nugget to a prospecting shop and sold it to appraiser Darren Camp, who has 43 years of experience in the gold trade. He was even impressed by the size of the massif. The evaluator classified the case as “Lucky Strike,” in Portuguese, “a stroke of luck.” The discovery comes more than 170 years after the country’s gold rush. This is because the cities of Ballarat and Bendigo attracted thousands of people in the 1850’s after the ores. To date, the largest nuggets in the world are found on Australian soil. According to the Geological Survey of Victoria, there could be up to 75 million undiscovered gold bars in the north of the Australian state. “If exploration is successful, mining could bring a boom to the region,” it said in a statement. However, to explore in the area, you need a permit from the Victorian government. The country has issued new license areas for mineral exploration in the central and northern region, through a bidding process. Mining has been carried out since 2021 in four large areas of potential land, which range from 327 to 512 square kilometres.
* With information from the Estadão content.
