Tell us about yourself?
I grew up in country Victoria having a very wild and free childhood, taking off on my push bike to swim at the local lake or to see mates. Growing up I had a number of jobs usually to do with farming or factory work, pretty much anything I could find being in a small town. At the age of 21 in 2008 I upgraded jobs significantly and joined the Australian Army as a Cavalryman, I knew it was going to be exciting and busy, but little did I know just how crazy the next 4 years would be! I was away from home a lot either for training or for deployments. The most notable would have to be a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. I was a driver of Armoured vehicles including the Bushmaster and the ASLAV. I was primarily driving the Bushmaster on the Afghanistan Deployment. I left the Army not long after returning home from Afghanistan and went on to become a real estate agent, business owner and prison guard before getting stuck into prospecting full time and filming it for social media.
What interested/attracted you to buy your first metal detector?
I’d always had a slight interest in gold, but it was nothing like the addiction I have now. It all started after I purchased my home on a few acres that’s set in a prime gold location. Prior to purchasing I had no idea about gold or the location I purchased in, I just liked the house and land it came with. The tipping point for me going out and purchasing my first detector was after a mate came over with his SDC2300 and found gold on my property. It was only small, but it definitely got me excited enough to spend $10,000 on a new detector!
When did you use your Coiltek coil fist & how did you find this experience?
I purchased the 14×9″ Goldhawk coil for my GPX6000 towards the start of 2024 and on my first trip out with it I found gold. The big shock for me was when I tried the 9″ round Goldhawk. On my first trip out, I found 2 grams of gold in a few hours at an area I had done pretty thoroughly in the past with a number of other coils and a nice deep .8 gram gold nugget. It was just perfect for this spot, given the size it was easy to get in between the shrubs and open up more ground in that area.
How has metal detecting benefitted your lifestyle?
I have struggled with my mental health since Afghanistan and leaving the Army. I felt I’d lost my purpose and nothing made me feel like I was achieving anything in life anymore. I’d lost interest in everything I used to enjoy until I started prospecting. Prospecting has benefited my life and mental health greatly; it is the whole process that makes me feel fulfilled and like I have achieved something. it’s a great feeling when you find gold after all the lead up required including research, exploration, camping, swinging the machine and finally that moment of elation when you find gold is the best feeling. It’s not always an easy process and it can take a while to find it but when you do it’s such a great feeling.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start metal detecting?
If you are thinking about giving metal detecting a go my advice would be buy the best detector your budget can allow, having the most high-tech detector will make finding gold easier. Do your research this can look like studying maps, historic newspaper articles, look for similarities of ground types, topography, creeks, hills, reefs and workings in areas where gold has been found historically and try areas that seem similar but may have not been worked by the old timers. The big one though is don’t give up and persistence pays off, just keep swinging and the gold will come.
What has been your most significant experience or find to date?
My most significant find to date is a 5.4-ounce gold nugget that happened not so long ago and it was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever had! The best thing is that I filmed it, and the video will there on my YouTube channel for me to look back on whenever I like.
Who or what inspired you to start detecting?
My mate inspired me to buy a detector and get into prospecting after he found gold on my property.