Australia’s goldfields have delivered again—this time for Tyler Mahoney and her family, who have rediscovered a rich, forgotten patch deep in the remote Western Australian outback.
The seasoned gold prospector and TV personality, known for her work on Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail, has been back on home soil, chasing gold with her father and brother in the rugged mulga-covered hills of WA.
“It’s actually so beautiful out here,” Mahoney said. “The outback has this raw, untouched feel. This creek barely flows unless there’s a flood, but the land’s still hiding plenty of gold.”
The team stumbled upon a series of old “chop holes”—relics from the early VLF detector days—on the side of a hill marked by ancient diggings and quartz blows. Despite the historical activity, the area had been untouched for over two decades.
“We always say gold is the best indicator for gold,” Mahoney explained. “There were nuggets found here years ago, but no one’s been back. They only had old VF machines, and this ground is noisy with ironstone and hot rocks. We’ve got better tools now.”
Using a chaining method to cover the ground systematically, Mahoney and her brother “Ree” began pulling nuggets in a tight cluster along a strike line. Many of the finds were embedded in “poy bars”—ironstone-rich ridges that seem to trap gold.
“Every piece we’re pulling is coming from these poy bars. Dad doesn’t believe it, but we keep proving it right,” she laughed.
The excitement grew when they uncovered a reef structure containing fine gold encapsulated in ironstone. While the family spent the daylight hours detecting for nuggets, they dedicated their nights to slowly chipping away at the source.
“It’s definitely reef gold. Could be ounces or even kilos per ton, but we won’t know until we crush and process it. Dad reckons he’s never seen a reef this rich.”
But prospecting in the outback isn’t without its risks. With dense mulga and near-identical hills in every direction, it’s easy to lose one’s bearings. Mahoney admits she doesn’t carry a GPS or compass—just her phone and her bush knowledge.
“I probably should, but I’ve grown up out here. Dad’s like a human GPS. He taught me how to read the land—quartz blows, ridges, tree lines, even the sun.”
Despite the challenges, the Mahoneys remain determined to work the entire strike line, chasing the untouched gold that earlier prospectors may have missed.
“We’ve only got a week or so out here, so we’re doing it properly. We’re going to keep finding gold until the sun goes down.”
With a strong patch already in play and more ground to cover, Tyler Mahoney continues to prove she’s not just a TV prospector—she’s the real deal.
Tyler Mahoney’s adventures in the outback continue to highlight the enduring allure of Australia’s goldfields—and the gold still waiting to be found beneath the red dirt.
