In a surprise return to a previously discovered “honey hole” in the remote Outback, local gold prospectors Tyler and Reece have confirmed the patch is part of a shallow reef system—yielding over an ounce of gold in a single afternoon using their Minelab GPX 6000.
The duo, who initially stumbled across the $144,000 hot spot months ago, made a quick detour to the site while traveling through the region to buy gold in Leonora and Leinster. Despite having unfinished work at the honey hole, extreme heat and scheduling conflicts forced them to abandon it last time. This revisit, however, proved that gold still glitters in the red dirt.
“We were nervous someone might’ve found it, but when we got to the hilltop, no one had touched it,” said Tyler. “And within two minutes—boom—we had reef gold in hand.”
Reef Confirmed
Using the GPX 6000, known for its sensitivity to small, shallow nuggets, they identified numerous targets directly in and around their original chain lines—areas previously swept with a GPX 4500. The newer detector picked up dozens of missed signals.
“It’s a vacuum,” Tyler noted. “We walked maybe four meters and pulled five grams of gold—all right on the chain lines.”
Reece, usually camera-shy, worked alongside Tyler as they uncovered over 100 tiny nuggets in just a few hours—adding up to about one troy ounce, estimated to fetch around $3,000.
Work Left Undone
Despite the success, the duo had to retreat before sunset due to rough terrain and lack of camping gear. With unfamiliarity in the area and only vague directions (“Find the tire, turn at the flying crow”), night travel wasn’t worth the risk.
“Our goal wasn’t even to prospect—it was to buy gold,” Tyler said. “But being close, we figured we’d check on the hole. We didn’t plan to dig, but once we saw how much the 6000 was picking up, we just went hard for a few hours.”
They collected numerous material samples for further panning and exploration back home. The surrounding alluvial run, where they originally found multiple 10-20 gram nuggets months earlier, remains mostly unworked with the 6000—now a high priority for winter.
What’s Next?
Due to tenement restrictions on pending ground, they cannot bring in machinery or heavy equipment, and must rely solely on hand tools. While the honey hole doesn’t justify a full mining operation, it’s a solid source of repeatable gold extraction—a “piggy bank” they plan to revisit.
“We’ll go back when it cools off, cross-chain the whole thing, clear some more scrub, and probably check old patches we hit over the last 20 years,” said Tyler.
The trip, though short, paid for fuel, provided inventory for Tyler’s upcoming gold sale, and delivered valuable data on the reef and the efficiency of different detectors.
Quick Facts
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Location: Undisclosed site near Leonora, Western Australia
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Gold Recovered:
1 ounce ($3,000 AUD) -
Tools Used: GPX 4500 for depth; GPX 6000 for surface sensitivity
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Gold Type: Reef and alluvial nuggets
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Conditions: 32°C heat, remote terrain, minimal filming due to time pressure
