In the southeastern corner of Australia lies the Golden Triangle region of the state of Victoria, which is known for its rich history of gold mining. One of the historic mine shafts in this region is German Gully, a 1.9-kilometer stretch of land that was once part of the epicenter of the great Gold Rush. Today, it is the property of the Victoria Diggers.
Neville Perry, a 52-year-old detectorist, and Mick Clark, a specialist machine operator, are on the hunt for the huge nuggets that this area is famous for. They have just one week left in season four of their mining operations, and they still need nearly 15 ounces of gold to reach their target.
Excited by the history of the area, the duo is digging in their last 50 meters of licensed ground when they discover something huge. They hear a signal on their detector and start digging. The nugget is tightly packed, and they have to be careful not to damage it. Eventually, they unearth a 20-ounce nugget worth at least $40,000.
Charlie Scully, a wealthy collector of gold nuggets, visits the site and acknowledges that the region and area are known for big nuggets. In the great Victorian gold rush over 160 years ago, thousands of shafts were sunk, sometimes only a meter apart. The old miners could have been within millimeters of a monster nugget, but without modern detectors, they would never have known.
The duo continues to dig and eventually hits virgin ground, where they are excited to find another huge nugget. The anticipation is intense as they uncover the nugget, which turns out to be even bigger than the first one. It weighs three kilos and is worth over $200,000.
The old timer who dug the hole missed the nugget by only two feet. Neville and Mick feel privileged to have uncovered such a treasure and are ecstatic about the huge discovery. They believe they are making history and are thrilled to have found the biggest piece of gold in the area. The feeling of joy and excitement is beyond compare.
