A man has made a shock $100,000 discovery while searching for gold in Victoria.
Luke Phillips, who runs the Dig It Detecting YouTube channel, was looking for gold in Ballarat back in May when he hit the jackpot.
Mr Phillips picked up a faint signal with his metal detector under a tree log after finding a few small pieces of gold nearby.
After more than an hour of digging, he pulled out a massive gold nugget, leaving he and his friend stunned.
“What a f***ing clump mate,” his friend said as he lifted a fist-sized nugget out of the hole.
“Oh my god,” Mr Phillips laughed before giving his mate a high five.
“Feel the weight, what’s that? 10 ounces, that’s a $100,000 nugget.”
![An Aussie has found a $100k gold nugget in Ballarat. Picture: Youtube.](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/c80970d774f5da2b455ac2ebc1a6211fc8199d01.jpg)
![An Aussie has found a $100k gold nugget in Ballarat. Picture: Youtube.](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/16947e5fc641d8b84b47848def49faa616637f42.jpg)
“That’s a Prado,” his friend replied, still in shock.
“Mate, of all the adventures we’ve had, this tops it,” Mr Phillips replied, before they both agreed they could pack up for the day.
They then cleaned the nugget off in a puddle, with Mr Phillips still stunned.
“Holy smokes, I just can’t get over it, Andrew,” he said.
“Nothing will ever probably beat the excitement of finding this big guy right here, not unless I find a bigger one.”
The nugget weighed a staggering 21 ounces of gold, with an extra seven or so ounces being quartz, according to 9News.
![An Aussie has found a $100k gold nugget in Ballarat. Picture: Youtube.](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ebee7fda541687f1f13ed26bb5502a1bc8bdf59a.jpg)
The nugget could be worth about $80,000 based on the current price of gold, though it could have sold for more given its size.
Father-of-two Mr Phillips told 9News the nugget would help his family “in a big way” after he was forced to stop full-time work due to health issues.
“I’m not a rich man, so to me, it is life changing,” he said.
“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.”