Gold nuggets
Nuggets are large masses of gold found in soil and stream beds, known broadly as alluvial deposits. While nuggets have been found on many goldfields around the world, those from Victoria were particularly large and abundant. From the time of the first goldrushes in the early 1850s, the discovery of a large nugget generated such excitement that news spread far and wide. Thousands of people from around the world migrated to Victoria, dreaming of making their fortunes on goldfields dripping, so they hoped, with nuggets.
No one knows how many nuggets were found. During the late 1800s, the Mines Department compiled an official list of discoveries and also made models of some of the large nuggets. By the time the reporting system ceased in about 1910, 1300 nuggets over 20 ounces had been recorded. However, almost certainly many more nuggets were found than were recorded, as many discoverers avoided publicity for fear of being robbed. None of the large nuggets found during the goldrushes survived, as all were quickly melted down. Today, fossickers with metal detectors still find large nuggets – those that the original diggers missed – on the Victorian goldfields.
Some very famous gold nuggets are:
The Welcome Stranger, 72kg
The Welcome, 71.3kg
The Hand of Faith, 27kg
The Welcome Stranger is the largest nugget found in Australia. This nugget is the largest known to date in Victoria and was found on the 5th of February 1869, approximately 15 kilometres to the northwest of Dunolly, near a mining town called Moliagul. The finder, John Deason, and a companion Richard Oates located the nugget 3 centimetres below the surface within the roots of a stringybark tree. The nugget weighed 2316 troy ounces* (about 72 kg) and at the time of discovery was the largest known gold nugget in the world, measuring 60 by 45 by 19 centimetres. The site of discovery is marked by a stone monument.
No one knows how many nuggets were found. During the late 1800s, the Mines Department compiled an official list of discoveries and also made models of some of the large nuggets. By the time the reporting system ceased in about 1910, 1300 nuggets over 20 ounces had been recorded. However, almost certainly many more nuggets were found than were recorded, as many discoverers avoided publicity for fear of being robbed. None of the large nuggets found during the goldrushes survived, as all were quickly melted down. Today, fossickers with metal detectors still find large nuggets – those that the original diggers missed – on the Victorian goldfields.
Some very famous gold nuggets are:
The Welcome Stranger, 72kg
The Welcome, 71.3kg
The Hand of Faith, 27kg
The Welcome Stranger is the largest nugget found in Australia. This nugget is the largest known to date in Victoria and was found on the 5th of February 1869, approximately 15 kilometres to the northwest of Dunolly, near a mining town called Moliagul. The finder, John Deason, and a companion Richard Oates located the nugget 3 centimetres below the surface within the roots of a stringybark tree. The nugget weighed 2316 troy ounces* (about 72 kg) and at the time of discovery was the largest known gold nugget in the world, measuring 60 by 45 by 19 centimetres. The site of discovery is marked by a stone monument.