Luke Phillips, a metal detectorist, came across an amazing find while he was out in the bush in Ballarat, Australia.
He was able to uncover a miner’s hole that had been around for over 150 years.
According to Phillips, the miner who found the hole had dug it from a depth of around four to five feet.
He had discarded the dirt next to it. After detecting small gold pieces near the hole, he used his detector to find a weak signal.
He was initially not able to hear the signal properly until he rolled the log.
Although he was fairly confident that he had found gold, he was still not sure if the signal was really gold. He said that usually, when metal detecting, an alarm will occur because of an old lead bullet, a rusty nail, or a horseshoe.
After going through the pile of discarded dirt left by the original miner, Phillips knew that he had found something gold.
After going through the area’s various features, including the tailings, Phillips realized that he had found gold.
He then told his father-in-law Andrew, who was next to him, that it was gold.
After over an hour of digging, Phillips was able to pull out a large gold nugget, which was the size of his fist.
He said that the area was virgin ground, and nobody had ever dug it up before.
The experience was an unforgettable one. Phillips, who has since sold the nugget, said that it would always hold a special place in his heart.
It measured almost 28 ounces, and 21 ounces were gold. The price of the nugget is still not known.
Large gold nugget prices are usually higher due to their rarity. According to Phillips, his incredible find came after a tough year.
In January, he was threatened with a hefty fine and a jail sentence after he was accused of disturbing an archeological site.
The incident occurred due to a rule in the Heritage act, which states that archaeological sites that are at least 75-years-old are considered to be archaeological sites. Prior to the start of the year, Phillips regularly shared his videos on his YouTube and social networking platforms, which had over 30,000 followers, to argue that he was not doing anything wrong.
Despite getting the necessary permits from the landowners, Heritage Victoria officials still pursued Phillips for three months. After they decided not to pursue the case, he decided to focus on his YouTube channel and his gold prospecting.
It has quickly paid off for Phillips, who had been unemployed for several years due to his health issues. He said that finding the gold nugget was a life-changing experience. He added that it would allow his family to put some money toward their mortgage and car. He also hopes that his newfound wealth will inspire others to give up their traditional careers and try metal detecting.
It taught him the importance of persistence. Although other metal detectorists had been picking over the crown land where he found the nugget, most of them had chosen to stay near the areas that were easily accessible. According to Phillips, the area was well-detected, but nobody had bothered to relocate the log.
A fossilicker was in the news last year after he discovered a large chunk of rock that contained over $240,000 worth of gold. It was located in the Golden Triangle, which included areas such as Wedderburn, Bendigo, and Ballarat.