I have spent the last 8 years detecting in Castlemaine and I had concluded that there was no big gold left. I kept going back with hope that I had missed some ground and that I would find something.

In the last 8 years detecting in the best alluvial areas in Victoria I have found over 50 nuggets in total but nothing over a gram. One day I decided I would try a new spot. I had low expectations, but I was ready for an adventure.

I started swinging and I had not had any luck. But I was persistent and kept at it… 20 mins later I got a wobbly signal. My first thought was should I even bother it is probably just a bit of rubbish.

I started digging and the signal was still faint. I was 5 inches down and the signal became a lot stronger and my ambition was high. I kept digging and I was at around 10 inches down and the detector was screaming at me. I was trying not to get too excited, but the adrenaline was high.

I was down 15 inches and I decided to fire up the Minelab 4500 with my faithful 17×11 Elite coil. I ran over the hole and realised it is out. I am looking throughout the mound of clay that I dug out and I am praying that it is gold not rubbing.

After an intense search, I finally had the target on my scoop. I cleaned the dirt off it and there it was, a beautiful yellow metal that I will forever cherish.