- A North Queensland prospector unearthed nugget in a field with metal detector
- The gigantic chunk of solid gold weighed 1.1763 kilograms and is worth $63,800
- Found 15cm below the ground, it was discovered using advanced technology
- The prospector found it after looking under a double rainbow he saw day before
- There could be more gold to be found in the same spot where nugget was buried
A lucky prospector has unearthed a gigantic gold nugget weighing in at 1.1763 kilograms and worth $63,800.
The nugget was found 15cm below ground in the Charters Towers area of North Queensland by a man using a Minelab GPX 5000 detector.
The life-changing find came after the prospector saw a double rainbow near his campy the day before and decided to search under the highest point of the arc.
A lucky prospector has unearthed a gigantic gold nugget (pictured) weighing in at 1.1763 kilograms and worth $63,800
‘I said to myself that’s where we’re going to find gold tomorrow but I never thought it would be so much,’ said the Queenslander, who asked not to be named.
Only moments before unearthing the enormous nugget the veteran prospector had found a nugget weighing nearly 100 grams – at that point his best find yet.
‘I would have been really happy with just that but after I’d calmed down, I went back to the same spot, restarted my detector and after just two or three swings I found the big one.’
Peter Cragg (pictured with the nugget), a dealer with Minelab Townsville, confirmed there could still be gold to be found in the same spot for those using the right technology
‘It’s fair to say I was emotionally overwhelmed at that time.’
Using advanced gold-finding technology, the prospector was about to call it a day when he got a good signal.
He dug the nugget out of the ground but had to wait until getting home to find out how much it weighed, as the scales he had with him only went up to 500 grams.
The overjoyed Queenslander named his find Arcus Nugget – Arcus means rainbow in Latin – and is tight-lipped on exactly where he found it.
‘It was beneath some vegetation so it was a bit of a challenge to get to, but now I’m thinking maybe those roots are keeping some other big nuggets safe ready to be found another time,’ he said.
The prospector is now in private negotiations to sell the nugget.
Peter Cragg, a dealer with Minelab Townsville, confirmed there could still be gold to be found in the same spot for those using the right technology.
‘It’s a fantastic story and goes to show that there are still big nuggets out there ready to be found if you have the right equipment and can spot the terrain,’ he said.
‘He found more than a kilo of gold in an area which has certainly had detectors go over it before. It makes you think what might still be out there!’
The nugget was found 15cm below ground in the Charters Towers area of North Queensland by a man using a Minelab GPX 5000 detector (pictured with the nugget)