155 Years Ago, Two Miners Unearthed a Massive Gold Nugget the Size of an Infant and as Heavy as an Adult

By Smith Noah – JasonDeegan.com

During the fervent gold rush that swept across Australia in the mid-19th century, prospectors flocked to Victoria in hopes of striking it rich. Among these hopeful adventurers were two British miners from Cornwall, Deason and Oats, whose fortunes would change forever. While excavating in the region, they unearthed a gold nugget so massive it defied imagination.

Dubbed the “Welcome Stranger,” this nugget measured an impressive 61 centimeters in length and weighed a staggering 72 kilograms. To put this into perspective, the nugget was as large as a human infant and as heavy as an adult, making it the largest gold nugget ever discovered at the time. The sheer size of the nugget astonished the miners, who initially struggled to lift it with their pickaxes. It took a sturdy crowbar to extract the hefty prize from the earth.