TYLER’S GOING FOR GOLD
ThisAussiegemleavesnostoneunturned!
From modelling in Melbourne to digging up nuggets in the Outback, Tyler Mahoney is one interesting 21-year-old. The jewellery designer and her parents feature together in the new season of AussieGoldHunters, which follows those who brave the harsh WEARE elements of the Lucky Country FAMILY! to search for the glorious shiny rock – a passion Tyler’s folks have passed on to her. Woman’s Day gets the dirt from the blonde beauty herself.
What’s it like working in the Outback?
When we filmed one day, it was 45 degrees, boiling hot and with flies everywhere. I thought to myself, “Why am I doing this? Why am I not sitting at a bar in Melbourne, sipping a vodka soda right now?” There’s definitely extreme weather out here, but we also get the flipside, that it’s so beautiful and so relaxing.
How long have you been designing jewellery?
Five years now, but only seriously and selling it for two years. Mum and Dad owned a gold-buying business and a jewellery shop in Kalgoorlie. I worked there for years, helping Mum design her pieces. I’ve always collected gemstones from out in the bush and I started selling to my friends. From there, I created an Instagram, then made a website and things just kept going.
What are people’s first impressions of you?
It’s always funny when I tell people I’m a gold prospector because they don’t really believe me. Everyone thinks of prospectors as old men who’ve been doing it for years! Obviously, I have bleached blonde hair, and I wear a lot of make-up and jewellery all the time, so it’s hard for people to get their heads around the fact that I go out there in the wild and find gold.
How do you feel about the series?
I was really excited to show gold prospecting in a different light. It doesn’t have to be a career for old men who live out in the bush. I feel like I’m more relatable, I’m young and I live in the city. I hope people will enjoy seeing that.