An honest Central Coast woman may get to keep a gold bar worth A$18,000 ($23,220) which she found and handed in to police.
The 24-year-old found the gold at Forresters Beach in early April and handed it to Wyong police.
Despite four months of inquiries, which included checking the bar's serial number with the Royal Australian Mint, the rightful owner still has not been found, and police say they may give the gold back to the woman who found it.
"It's a nice story - this 24-year-old woman was honest and she may get to keep the gold bar, which is worth quite a bit of money," said Chief Inspector Tim Winmill.
"If someone believes they are the owner, we encourage them to contact us."
Police say they are surprised their inquiries have not uncovered any information about the owner.
"I don't know how much gold bars [the mint] deal with, but I would have thought they'd have a transaction record for its purchase or a record for when it changed hands, but they didn't," Winmill said.
Police are withholding details about where the gold was found to help them determine its rightful owner.
- AAP