Victorian man discovers 2.6kg gold nugget with budget metal detector

The 4.6kg rock contained 2.6kg of gold. Image/ Screenshot / Nine

An amateur prospector has struck gold – to the tune of $240,000 (NZ$257,500).

The man, who did not wish to be named, was armed with his budget metal detector when he discovered the 4.6kg rock in Victoria’s “Golden Triangle”, an area stretching between Ballarat, Bendigo and up to St Arnaud.

Curious as to whether the rock was worth anything, he took it to Lucky Strike Gold in Geelong for evaluation.

Gold trader Darren Kamp soon discovered the rock contained a staggering 2.6kg of gold.

“He said, ‘oh do you think there’s $10,000 worth in it?’, and as soon as it hit my hand I looked at him and said ‘try a $100,000′,” Kamp told Nine News.

The man then told Kamp that he had actually only brought in half the rock, leaving the other half “at home”.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime find,” he said.

Victoria’s ‘Golden Triangle’

This area in North Central Victoria stretches between Ballarat, Bendigo and St Arnaud, encompassing small towns between such as Daylesford, Maryborough and Castlemaine.

During the prosperous gold rush of the 1850s, these towns inherited beautiful buildings — many now repurposed as museums, galleries and cafes.

Golden nuggets from this region were famous for their quantity, size and purity, most of which was alluvial (found in streams or river beds).

Though the recent discovery of the 4.6kg rock is impressive indeed, it pales in comparison to the Welcome Stranger — a 72kg gold nugget found in 1869 near Moliagul.

Today, such a nugget could fetch approximately $6.8m.