Gold prices soaring, Australia is experiencing a "new gold rush"! Even retired store employees and construction workers have joined in.

With the continuous surge in gold prices, Australia has sparked a new gold rush. In the remote gold mining area of Australia's long history, Vicki Plumridge jumped with excitement when she dug out a small piece of gold from the soil. The retired shop assistant was learning to use her new metal detector at the time, and suddenly, the detector made a "beep" noise next to a moss-covered building ruin. After Plumridge dug out the gold nugget from the shallow soil with a plastic shovel, the guide estimated its weight to be about 0.2 grams, worth about 40 Australian dollars (26.58 US dollars). "But for me, it's worth a million," the 63-year-old said, who had only bought her detector a few days ago, "My heart is singing with joy." Plumridge's story is becoming more and more common. Nowadays, many amateur enthusiasts are flocking to the "Golden Triangle" region in the central area of Victoria, covering an area of 9600 square kilometers, which is considered one of the most promising regions in the world to find natural gold nuggets. According to more than ten interviewed gold prospectors, record-breaking gold prices, the influence of social media, the success of the TV show "Aussie Gold Hunters," and the love for outdoor activities are all motivating people to join in. The detector Plumridge purchased is the Minelab Gold Monster 2000, costing 2999 Australian dollars. According to Leanne Kamp, co-owner of Lucky Strike Gold, a gold prospecting supplies store in Geelong, since the model was launched on October 20, it sold out nationwide within a few weeks. "The price point is very attractive. Our sales have increased significantly this year, partly due to the interest sparked by the gold price," said Kamp, who has been organizing gold prospecting tours since 2007. "We have many international customers. Some Germans are coming next week. Germans love gold. It seems the Swiss like it too. And some come from the United States," she added, explaining that with each new generation of detectors, the chances of finding gold nuggets in historical mining areas are increasing, which is why the release of a new model causes a frenzy. Birthplace of the world's largest gold nugget Amateur gold prospectors are flocking to towns like Ballarat from the 19th-century gold rush era, which laid the foundation of early wealth for Melbourne and helped Australia become one of the world's top three gold-producing countries. The region has produced some of the world's largest gold nuggets - the "Welcome Stranger" nugget discovered in the 1860s, weighing 72 kilograms; and the "Hand of Faith" discovered by a metal detector in 1980, weighing 27.2 kilograms, at the time the largest nugget found by a detector. According to data from the Victoria state government, in February 2023, an amateur prospector also found a 4.6-kilogram gold nugget in the region using a detector.