Going for gold
The terrain is tougher than ever in a new season of Aussie Gold Hunters, but it’s no deterrent for the series’ intrepid prospectors, writes Lauren Mitchell
It might seem like a 19thcentury pursuit, but the hunt for gold nuggets in the Australian Outback is still well and truly on in this successful local docuseries.
Now in its seventh season, Aussie Gold Hunters follows teams of modern-day gold prospectors on a mission to strike it rich.
For the first time in history, Australia is the biggest gold producer in the world – with enormous hauls and record prices fuelling competition around the globe and driving a 21st-century gold rush. Not to mention the rather flash technology the teams put to use – there’s not a pan in sight.
From the rivers of Far North Queensland to WA’s Dampier Archipelago and down to central Victoria’s lucrative landscapes, the professional teams featured in the show endure extreme weather conditions, backbreaking physical work and the constant risk posed by wildlife.
This season, prospecting team Jacqui Buzetti and Andrew Leahy’s search for gold takes them to the tropical wilderness of North Queensland and its historic Palmer River goldfields.
The territory is famed for the record amounts of gold discovered there, and for being home to not only the largest reptile on the planet, the saltwater crocodile, but also the world’s most toxic snake, the Western Taipan.
“Everything’s more extreme up here,” Buzetti says.
“We’ve got crocodiles, wild pigs, snakes – this is definitely the most dangerous place I’ve ever travelled to prospecting.”
“It’s a pretty dangerous part of the world, Far North Queensland, we’ve got a few animals and reptiles we’ve gotta keep out eye out for,” adds Leahy.
However, it’s not just the brutal conditions that make this a particularly difficult season for the prospectors. In Victoria’s 254-hectare ‘Big Licence’, brothers-in-law Brent Shannon and Ethan West are weighing up whether to sell their lucrative licence and entire operation to buy the legendary Catto’s Paddock – the site where ‘The Precious’, one of the biggest nuggets over to be uncovered, was found in 1871. Weighing 1621 ounces, it is worth $4 million in today’s currency.
While West has mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay, Shannon is more inclined towards risking it all for a chance at making it into the history books.
“The holy grail is to find a thousand-ounce-plus nugget,” says Shannon.
“You know, that is the pinnacle that I want to reach. Whether that’s achievable or not, I don’t know. But you’ve got to set your bar high and my bar is to find the world’s largest nugget.”
Aussie Gold Hunters, Thursday, 7.30pm, Foxtel Discovery and streaming, Foxtel On Demand
Jacqui Buzetti: “Everything’s more extreme up here. We’ve got crocodiles, wild pigs, snakes – this is definitely the most dangerous place I’ve ever travelled to prospecting.”