Australian Amateur Miner Strikes Luck with 2.6kg Gold Nugget

An amateur miner in Australia discovered a rock containing 2.6kg of gold.

On the 28th (local time), according to local media including Australia's ABC, a man found a rock containing gold worth about 240,000 Australian dollars (approximately 208 million KRW) while mining with a low-cost metal detector in the so-called "Golden Triangle" area northwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

He visited Lucky Strike, a gold appraisal company in Geelong, Victoria, and said that the 4.6kg rock contained gold. Darren Kemp, the owner of the company, confirmed that the 4.6kg rock contained about 2.6kg of gold mixed inside.

Victoria developed thanks to the "Gold Rush" of many Europeans after large-scale gold mines were discovered in the 19th century. The gold mined in this area at that time amounted to about 80 million ounces (approximately 2,267 tons).

The Geological Survey of Victoria reports that about 75 million ounces (approximately 2,216 tons) of gold are still buried in the mid-northern goldfields. Therefore, amateur miners and tourists often carry metal detectors to search. In Victoria, one can obtain a gold mining exploration license for about 26 Australian dollars (approximately 22,600 KRW).

Gold nugget found in the Golden Triangle region of Victoria, Australia. / Photo by EPA Yonhap News

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