An amateur Australian metal detectorist hit the jackpot when he discovered a 4.6kg rock containing gold worth £130,000.
The man does not want to be named but is said to have made the discovery in the goldfields of Victoria which was the heart of Australia’s 1800s gold rush.
The nugget was valued and bought by Darren Kamp, who said it was the biggest he had seen in his 43-year career.
Mr Kamp told the BBC: “I was just gobsmacked... It’s a once in a lifetime find.”
He says the man walked into his prospecting store about an hour south-west of Melbourne.
“But he pulled this rock out and as he dropped it into my hand he said, ‘Do you think there’s A$10,000 worth in it?’”
“I looked at him and said, ‘Try A$100,000’.”
Mr Kamp says the man told him the rock was actually just half the find and it turned out that all up, the 4.6kg rock contained 83 ounces - or about 2.6kg - of gold.
After having it valued, Mr Kamp bought it off him.
He says the lucky man is looking forward to spending the windfall on his family: “He said to me, ‘Oh the wife will be happy’.”
