Aussie dad's remarkable $100,000 discovery next to historic site
Luke Phillips hasn't found anything like it in the seven years he's been a metal detectorist, but struck gold when searching Ballarat, Victoria.
After seven years of hunting for lost items with his metal detector, one Aussie dad has struck gold in a big way — unearthing a nugget worth up to $100,000.
Luke Phillips was using his metal detector in bushland in Ballarat when he came across an almost 150-year-old miner's hole dating back to the Victorian gold rush and got to work trying to figure out if there was anything of value inside it.
After a day of only finding tiny flecks of gold, he decided he might as well run his detector over a rotted, moss-covered log, which gave off a small and faint signal from his device near the mine.
"It wasn't until I rolled the log out of the way that I actually could hear the signal better," he told 9News. "A lot of the time, you dig down and down, very hopefully, and you end up coming up with an old rusty nail, a horseshoe or a lead bullet."
However, instead, he unearthed the 868 gram gold nugget.
"It was an exhilarating feeling — I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. That moment in time will be with me forever," Phillips said.
Large gold nugget will be 'life-changing' for family
Phillips has reportedly sold the nugget since finding it back in May, and despite the sale price being confidential, it could likely have been sold for a six-figure price as nuggets this size often sell for a premium.
Aussie woman's $2500 discovery hidden on outback floor - can you see it?
Lucky young Aussie's $20,000 find ‘on the ground’ during bush walk
Gold hunter gets lucky with 'rare' discovery in Aussie outback
The discovery and subsequent sale price has been "life-changing" for Phillips after he had to stop working full-time because of health issues several years ago, explaining the nugget will help out his family in a "big way".
"It's not something I'm going to retire on, of course, but it will pay some bills off and we can put a bit on the mortgage, or buy a car," he said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
