Gold ore nugget found by Robert Keler, near Mogo. Photo: Have A Go Prospecting, Facebook.
A hobby prospector has stumbled across a nugget of gold worth about $2700 on one of Australia’s old goldfields, proving there’s still much out there to be discovered.
The Facebook page ‘Have A Go Prospecting’ shared the find from Robert Keler, describing it as a “very nice piece”.
Mr Keler responded, saying he found it “sticking out of the ground” while bushwalking near the Jeremadra Creek in Mogo, and after testing, he found it contained 16.5 grams of gold. Gold is currently valued at about $169 per gram.
“Yes, that was a very good day,” he wrote.
“Came out for a couple of hours and walked away with a $3K specimen. Before everyone rushes to the creek … it wasn’t in the creek. Lots of work and luck and crawling through thick bush to get that piece.”
Mogo used to form part of what was called the ‘Araluen goldfields’, which extends all the way up to the Braidwood area further inland and to the north-west.
Gold was first discovered in the area in September 1851 by two Moruya men, Alexander Waddell and Harry Hicken, after they noticed that the local terrain was similar to the rich gold-bearing area around Ophir, near Bathurst.
Almost overnight, thousands of prospectors moved to the area – most arriving by ship at Broulee and then walking overland to the goldfields.
Many were richly rewarded, with records from Majors Creek suggesting the early prospectors were recovering an average of one ounce of gold per man per day. Within a year, it’s estimated more than 2.8 tonnes had been extracted – enough to give the area the reputation as one of the richest goldfields in the country.
A painting of the gold rush’s heyday in the Araluen valley. Photo: Araluen Valley History.
But it’s little wonder that gold was becoming hard to obtain by the 1930s, when the area essentially reverted to its current state – primarily grazing and farming land.
Geoscience Australia, which provides data and information on all of Australia’s mineral resources, including gold, says there remains a “number of occurrences” of gold turning up today – particularly near the old gold and silver mines at Moruya.
GA’s Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources suggests that there’s still a significant amount of gold to be uncovered on the South Coast and near Braidwood.
The map of Australia’s gold reserves, as of 2025. Photo: Geoscience Australia.
As of December 2023, Australia ranks number one in terms of primary known gold resources in the ground, with 21 per cent of the world’s share.
Geoscience Australia senior geoscientist Heather Colclough says it’s likely Mr Keler’s find was transported from elsewhere by the creek.
“Based on the image provided, that particular specimen looks to be alluvial, meaning transported by river,” she says.
“The rounded edges indicate that it has been eroded and transported by a river or creek away from its original source location.”
Demand for gold in the area is still high enough to sustain local Batemans Bay business, Detect-A-Den, which specialises in a variety of metal-detecting and prospecting tools.
Owner Heather (last name omitted by request) says they used to be based in Fyshwick, but moved to the South Coast about 10 years ago to be closer to the gold fields and beaches.
“We’re quite lucky here, with over 10 gold fields within a few hours of us,” she says.
“It’s not easy work, but gold is certainly out there to be found. Some have all the luck and find it on their on their first occasion, and for others it is a hard find, but generally, there is reward in the effort.”
Heather herself enjoys scanning local beaches for washed-up or lost metal items, but when she does go gold-hunting – or fossicking – it’s with a pan in the creeks and rivers.
“There’ll be days when I come home with nothing, but then there’ll be days when I come home with colour in the pans. It’s really just about being out in nature, and enjoying the process.”
Detect-A-Den can also weigh and test gold samples and provide cash in exchange.
As for where you can and can’t fossick for gold, it’s illegal in national parks, and you need a ‘fossicking licence’ from the NSW Government to search state forests. This costs $27.50 and is valid for 12 months. Private property is also obviously off-limits.
But for $2700, it could be a valuable side hustle.
