WESTERN AUSTRALIA — Renowned gold prospector and television personality Tyler Mahoney recently shared a classic bush yarn that’s equal parts chaos, comedy, and classic outback resilience.
While working a remote gold patch deep in the bush with her father — fellow prospector and bush legend Leigh Mahoney — Tyler and her partner Ree were given the green light to leave early for a netball game, while Leigh opted to stay behind to finish off a promising gold patch.
Anyone who knows Leigh Mahoney knows he’s got a sixth sense for direction.
“You could take him somewhere once, blindfold him, and 30 years later he’d still walk straight back to it,” Tyler laughed. “But I didn’t inherit that.”
The location was so remote it was seven hours from the nearest town — a speck on the map — and had no phone reception. Tyler had never left that site without her dad’s guidance. But Leigh, always confident, offered to “get her to a road.”
“I thought he meant a haul road,” she said. “Instead, he pulls up to this old bush track that looked like a wagon trail from the 1800s. I deadset thought he was joking.”
Then came the quote that’s since become bush folklore:
“Get lost. Hit KOD. If you get lost here, I’m not going to be able to help you anyway.”
With no choice, Tyler and Ree hit the trail, relying on satellite images and instinct. Eventually, they found an old haul road and followed it as best they could. But just when they thought they were in the clear, the fuel gauge hit zero.
Fortunately, they were back in phone range, and help arrived — either from mum or brother Jake, depending on who you ask.
“We made it out,” Tyler said, “but I’ll never forget that ‘road’ Dad dropped us on. Or that quote. Classic bush dad moment.”
When You Prospect with the Mahoneys, Expect the Unexpected
From remote goldfields to hit TV shows, Tyler Mahoney is no stranger to the extremes of outback life — but even for her, this trip stood out.
