A Look at the Largest Gold Nugget in History

The largest gold nugget ever found was discovered in Australia in 1869. Known as the "Welcome Stranger," the nugget weighed in at a staggering 2316 troy ounces, or 158.78 pounds. Its discovery marked a turning point in the Australian gold rush, which had already been underway for more than a decade.

The nugget was found by two miners, John Deason and Richard Oates, in the small town of Moliagul, Victoria. They were working their claim when they stumbled upon the nugget just a few inches below the surface. At first, they didn't realize the significance of their find, but as word spread, people from all over the region came to see the enormous nugget.

It took the two men several hours to dig the nugget out of the ground. When they finally managed to extract it, they had to break it into three pieces in order to transport it to the nearest bank. They were paid a total of £9,000 for the nugget, which was a fortune at the time.

The Welcome Stranger remains the largest gold nugget ever found to this day, and it's unlikely that another one of its size will ever be discovered. It's currently on display at the Melbourne Museum in Victoria, Australia, where visitors can see it up close and learn about its fascinating history.

The discovery of the Welcome Stranger had a significant impact on the Australian gold rush. It led to a renewed interest in gold mining and helped to spur economic growth in the region. Even today, more than 150 years later, the legacy of this massive nugget lives on.

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