The prospector, whose name is not being revealed for privacy reasons, discovered his find in an area of Austrailia known as the "Golden Triangle," near the town of Ballarat, Reuters reported.An unidentified amateur gold prospector made the find of a lifetime in Ballarat, Australia, when his trusty metal detector discovered an enormous nugget of gold 60 centimeters below the surface. Evaluated at the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop, the nugget weighed 12 pounds and is estimated to be worth more than $300,000. While the prospector votes to keep his identity anonymous, Ballarat Exchange owner Cordell Kent spoke with reporters on the find. According to Kent, the gold nugget was discovered 20 miles from downtown Ballarat thanks to the prospector's advanced Minelab GPX-5000 metal detector.
The identity of the prospector and exact location of the find remain secret, but the Courier wrote that the man took the mega-nugget to the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop to confirm his incredible fortune. Shop owner Cordell Kent said the nugget was unearthed nearly two feet below the land surface. Melted down, the "nugget" would be worth about $300,000, but its rarity multiplies its value, Kent said
