An amateur Australian prospector who hadn’t had much luck searching for gold has struck it rich, unearthing a nugget heavier than a newborn baby and worth more than $300,000.

The anonymous prospector discovered the 5.5 kg nugget near the country town of Ballarat and in an area known as the “Golden Triangle” due to its rich veins which sparked a gold rush in the 1850s.

The find came to light on Wednesday when the man walked into the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop and told owner Cordell Kent: “Mate, I found a good one”. He then revealed the nugget, adding that he had weighed it on the bathroom scales at home…

The Y-shaped nugget, 22 centimeters long and 14 centimeters wide, was found by the prospector using an Australian-made gold detector.

“The intrinsic gold value is about $301,100, but because it’s a natural raw specimen and they’re extremely rare it’s got a value far in excess of that,” Kent said…

Kent said the find was likely to create a new, mini gold rush. “It’s given a lot of prospectors great hope that there still are great pieces out there,” said Kent.

Let’s go!