The giant gold nugget found by amateur prospector in Australia

An Australian man hit the jackpot when he found a 4.6 kg rock with gold worth US$160,000 (R$831,000).

The discovery was made using a simple and inexpensive metal detector.

The man, who does not want to be named, made the discovery in the Victoria gold mines – which was the heart of Australia’s 19th-century gold rush.

Darren Kamp, who evaluated and purchased the nugget, said it was the biggest he has seen in his 43-year career.

“I was shocked. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” he told the BBC.

Kamp hadn’t thought much of it when a man carrying a large backpack walked into his shop in Geelong, about an hour southwest of Melbourne. According to the merchant, normally people arrive with fool’s gold (pyrite) or other stones that only look like gold.

“But he pulled this stone out and, when he dropped it in my hand, he said, ‘Do you think it’s worth A$10,000?'” she says.

“I looked at him and said, ‘Try A$100,000’ (R$340,000).”

The man then proceeded to tell him that the stone in Kamp’s hand was only half of the find.

In all, the 4.6 kg rock contained about 2.6 kg of gold.

After evaluating, Kamp decided to close the deal and kept the nugget.

He says the lucky man is eager to spend the windfall on his family: “He told me his wife would be happy.”

While discoveries like this are rare, Australia is estimated to have the largest gold reserves in the world — and many of the largest gold nuggets have been found in this country.