TruthTheOnlyDefense
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Over the years many myths have been told about how the world’s biggest alluvial gold nugget, the Welcome Stranger, was found in 1869, in central Victoria.
One was that its finders, Cornish miners John Deason and Richard Oates, tripped on it while staggering home from the pub to their bush shacks at Moliagul, 60km west of Bendigo.
Or that their horse-drawn jig broke an axle by running over the whopper: it was 61cm long and its gold weight was 72 kilograms, akin to a small adult.
But the real story was almost as improbable. Deason, a seasoned goldfields digger, was picking at the base of a tree about 9am on February 5, 1869.
© Meredith O'Shea Historian John Tully, left, with a replica of the Welcome Stranger gold nugget, the crowbar that dug it up and descendants of co-finder John Deason: Suzie Deason, her father Arthur Deason, mother Stella and children Maisie and Henry.
His pick hit what he thought was a rock just a few centimetres from the surface, and the pick’s handle broke, but on closer inspection, Deason realised it was a large mass of gold.
Using a crowbar, Deason prised out the nugget, which was embedded in quartz.
The thrilling news of the “monster nugget” as The Argus newspaper called it, reverberated across the world.
The Age of February 11, 1869, said the nugget “beats anything ever found before in any part of the world ... great excitement exists all round Dunolly, and people are arriving from all parts to see the nugget”.
After breaking off pieces of gold for family and friends, the pair hid the nugget in a calico bag and took it the 20km to London Chartered Bank in Dunolly.
© State Library of Victoria A photo of the Welcome Stranger nuugget finders John Deason (holding crowbar) and Richard Oates (front right, holding tool), friends and family, with quartz standing in for the nugget. Thought to be taken in 1869, a few days after the discovery.
They were paid 9563 pounds. The nugget was melted down into gold bars. No photo of it was taken, however, replicas were made, based on sketches.
On February 5, the 150th anniversary of the lucky find will be celebrated at the historical marker, 2km south-west of Moliagul.
Local historian John Tully will give a talk, and there will be a re-enactment of a photo taken of Deason and Oates, friends and family (a chunk of quartz standing in for the nugget), a few days after the find.
At Dunolly Museum, there will be a display of a Welcome Stranger replica, a crowbar used to dig up the nugget, and the scales used to weigh it.
Australia Post is releasing a Welcome Stranger 150th anniversary stamp.
© AAP This replica of the record 72kg Welcome Stranger gold nugget found near Ballarat in Victoria is on show at the city's Gold Museum.
Museums Victoria head of sciences, Dermot Henry, said if it were found in 2019, the Welcome Stranger would be worth $4 million for its gold value alone.
But he believes it would be snapped up for its prestige at auction by a wealthy US exhibitor or collector for three times that – $12 million.
The 27kg Hand of Faith nugget, found in 1980 just 30cm below the surface using a metal detector near Kingower, 20km north of Moliagul, was reportedly sold for more than US$1 million ($1.4 million) and is now displayed at a Las Vegas casino.
© The Age library Article in The Age, February 11, 1869
Mr Henry said the Welcome Stranger anniversary was “a reminder that Victoria was founded on the wealth of gold” – and it’s by no means all gone.
“Every year a nugget of more than 100 ounces would come to my attention, that’s been found in Victoria. But there are lots we never hear about."
John Deason’s great-grandson, Arthur Deason, 81, who still farms sheep near the discovery site at Moliagul, said he is often asked whether he’s rich thanks to his lucky forebear.
He says he never saw the jewellery given to John Deason’s relatives. It might have been sold in the Depression.
Arthur says although John Deason bought a large tract of land to farm at Moliagul, he had to sell most of it, having lost money investing in Ballarat mining projects that failed.
“He went broke before he died,” Arthur says.
Arthur remembers that when he was a child the crowbar that dug up the nugget was used as part of the vegie garden fence. “Dad would say, ‘that dug up the Welcome Stranger’. It didn’t mean much to us when we were kids.”
Arthur says tourists and prospectors often ask him where he can find some gold. He says “if I knew I’d find it myself”.
He no longer allows prospectors to look for gold on his 560ha property, because they would not fill in holes they dug and would leave gates open.
But he said prospectors find gold in the area close to the surface ‘’all the time’’ – most of it never reported.
Arthur’s daughter Suzie Deason, 38, says prospecting in the area has boomed in recent years, thanks to more sensitive metal detectors.
But it can be a thankless hobby. “I know of a fellow who’s had his detector for five years and has just found his first little bits. It’s like any recreation, some people can ride motorbikes really well and other people fall off.”
Ms Deason says she’s proud to be among remaining descendants in the area.
As a park ranger in local forests, she's often recognised for her surname by prospectors and she tells the family story. “Can you show me where the gold is? is usually their first question. I say ‘I wish’,” she says.
She will address an informal prospectors’ gathering at Moliagul on February 2 at 4pm.
Ms Deason said the 150th was “huge” for the tiny community of about 40 people, whose 11 gold-rush pubs, town hall and shops have long closed.
Her children Henry, 3, and Maisie, 10 months, retain the Deason surname and she’ll tell them the story when they are older. “We’re proud of our history.
“It’s part of our heritage and we’re very proud to still be living in the district and to be involved in the celebrations.”
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...ar12-million-today/ar-BBSKr3R?ocid=spartanntp
One was that its finders, Cornish miners John Deason and Richard Oates, tripped on it while staggering home from the pub to their bush shacks at Moliagul, 60km west of Bendigo.
Or that their horse-drawn jig broke an axle by running over the whopper: it was 61cm long and its gold weight was 72 kilograms, akin to a small adult.
But the real story was almost as improbable. Deason, a seasoned goldfields digger, was picking at the base of a tree about 9am on February 5, 1869.
© Meredith O'Shea Historian John Tully, left, with a replica of the Welcome Stranger gold nugget, the crowbar that dug it up and descendants of co-finder John Deason: Suzie Deason, her father Arthur Deason, mother Stella and children Maisie and Henry.
His pick hit what he thought was a rock just a few centimetres from the surface, and the pick’s handle broke, but on closer inspection, Deason realised it was a large mass of gold.
Using a crowbar, Deason prised out the nugget, which was embedded in quartz.
The thrilling news of the “monster nugget” as The Argus newspaper called it, reverberated across the world.
The Age of February 11, 1869, said the nugget “beats anything ever found before in any part of the world ... great excitement exists all round Dunolly, and people are arriving from all parts to see the nugget”.
After breaking off pieces of gold for family and friends, the pair hid the nugget in a calico bag and took it the 20km to London Chartered Bank in Dunolly.
© State Library of Victoria A photo of the Welcome Stranger nuugget finders John Deason (holding crowbar) and Richard Oates (front right, holding tool), friends and family, with quartz standing in for the nugget. Thought to be taken in 1869, a few days after the discovery.
They were paid 9563 pounds. The nugget was melted down into gold bars. No photo of it was taken, however, replicas were made, based on sketches.
On February 5, the 150th anniversary of the lucky find will be celebrated at the historical marker, 2km south-west of Moliagul.
Local historian John Tully will give a talk, and there will be a re-enactment of a photo taken of Deason and Oates, friends and family (a chunk of quartz standing in for the nugget), a few days after the find.
At Dunolly Museum, there will be a display of a Welcome Stranger replica, a crowbar used to dig up the nugget, and the scales used to weigh it.
Australia Post is releasing a Welcome Stranger 150th anniversary stamp.
© AAP This replica of the record 72kg Welcome Stranger gold nugget found near Ballarat in Victoria is on show at the city's Gold Museum.
Museums Victoria head of sciences, Dermot Henry, said if it were found in 2019, the Welcome Stranger would be worth $4 million for its gold value alone.
But he believes it would be snapped up for its prestige at auction by a wealthy US exhibitor or collector for three times that – $12 million.
The 27kg Hand of Faith nugget, found in 1980 just 30cm below the surface using a metal detector near Kingower, 20km north of Moliagul, was reportedly sold for more than US$1 million ($1.4 million) and is now displayed at a Las Vegas casino.
© The Age library Article in The Age, February 11, 1869
Mr Henry said the Welcome Stranger anniversary was “a reminder that Victoria was founded on the wealth of gold” – and it’s by no means all gone.
“Every year a nugget of more than 100 ounces would come to my attention, that’s been found in Victoria. But there are lots we never hear about."
John Deason’s great-grandson, Arthur Deason, 81, who still farms sheep near the discovery site at Moliagul, said he is often asked whether he’s rich thanks to his lucky forebear.
He says he never saw the jewellery given to John Deason’s relatives. It might have been sold in the Depression.
Arthur says although John Deason bought a large tract of land to farm at Moliagul, he had to sell most of it, having lost money investing in Ballarat mining projects that failed.
“He went broke before he died,” Arthur says.
Arthur remembers that when he was a child the crowbar that dug up the nugget was used as part of the vegie garden fence. “Dad would say, ‘that dug up the Welcome Stranger’. It didn’t mean much to us when we were kids.”
Arthur says tourists and prospectors often ask him where he can find some gold. He says “if I knew I’d find it myself”.
He no longer allows prospectors to look for gold on his 560ha property, because they would not fill in holes they dug and would leave gates open.
But he said prospectors find gold in the area close to the surface ‘’all the time’’ – most of it never reported.
Arthur’s daughter Suzie Deason, 38, says prospecting in the area has boomed in recent years, thanks to more sensitive metal detectors.
But it can be a thankless hobby. “I know of a fellow who’s had his detector for five years and has just found his first little bits. It’s like any recreation, some people can ride motorbikes really well and other people fall off.”
Ms Deason says she’s proud to be among remaining descendants in the area.
As a park ranger in local forests, she's often recognised for her surname by prospectors and she tells the family story. “Can you show me where the gold is? is usually their first question. I say ‘I wish’,” she says.
She will address an informal prospectors’ gathering at Moliagul on February 2 at 4pm.
Ms Deason said the 150th was “huge” for the tiny community of about 40 people, whose 11 gold-rush pubs, town hall and shops have long closed.
Her children Henry, 3, and Maisie, 10 months, retain the Deason surname and she’ll tell them the story when they are older. “We’re proud of our history.
“It’s part of our heritage and we’re very proud to still be living in the district and to be involved in the celebrations.”
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...ar12-million-today/ar-BBSKr3R?ocid=spartanntp
