Leigh McGrath’s metal detector hums away as he rifles through the bush in search of gold.
“It’s addictive once you find that bit of gold,” he said.
“Gold fever, it’s deadset real.”
Leigh McGrath runs gold prospecting tours. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
The 54-year-old has turned his love for fossicking into a job running prospecting tours in central Queensland’s gold heartland, Clermont.
And with the price of gold skyrocketing, Mr McGrath said interest in searching for nuggets had also increased.
Leigh McGrath says there is plenty of gold if you know where to look. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Gold has almost doubled in value in the past five years from $US1,279 an ounce in January 2019 to a more than $US2,500 this week.
Leigh McGrath holds a small nugget in his palm. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Mackay Isaac Tourism development officer Brianna Baggow said there were about 2,500 long-term prospectors visiting Clermont annually.
“Compare that to Clermont’s residential population — it’s about the same,” she said.
“It’s almost double the town during that peak season.”
Ms Baggow said, on average, tourists stayed for about five months.
The town of Clermont attracts gold fossickers. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
The small town’s golden history began in 1861 when alluvial gold was first discovered in the area.
Mr McGrath said the recent surge in visitors was a boon for the Clermont community.
“[And] it’s not just Clermont, it’s the towns on the way — it’s your fuel, it’s your food, it’s your accommodation … it helps everyone,” he said.
Gold hunters ‘over the moon’ with finds
Judy Irwin uses her metal detector in Clermont. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Brisbane resident Judy Irwin set off in her caravan at the end of April for her second prospecting trip in the town.
Although her first expedition didn’t retrieve the loot she was after, this year’s story has been different.
“The first couple of weeks out here I did pretty well, [I’m] delighted,” Ms Irwin said.
“I’ve smiled, I’ve cried — it’s just that feeling, you can’t explain it.”
Judy Irwin has found several nuggets of gold during her trip to the town. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
Mal Riley moved to Clermont two years ago and prospects for one day every week.
The largest piece he had found so far was 126 grams.
Mal Riley’s large gold find.
“I was over the moon … just a dirty great chunk … I couldn’t believe it at the time because I’ve never held a nugget that big,” he said.
‘Learn how to read the ground’
Mr McGrath — whose Jack Russell is aptly named Nugget — said it could be difficult for first timers to strike it rich.
He advised people to do some research before heading out and “learn how to read the ground”.
Leigh McGrath’s dog Nugget comes with him on his gold expeditions. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
For example, he said up-ended trees could be a good place to look, because gold could be found under the roots.
“You can’t just spend $10,000 on a machine and walk in the bush,” Mr McGrath said.
“The gold doesn’t come to the machine, you’ve got to go to the gold.”
Mr McGrath said some tourism operators put gold in the ground for people to find, but he preferred leaving it to nature.
Gold prospectors Allan Holdsworth and Mal Riley on the hunt for the precious metal. (ABC News: Jasmine Hines)
In June, a new 507-hectare fossicking area opened in the Blair Athol State Forest near Clermont, bringing the total number of General Prospecting Areas (GPAs) in the region to 12.
All fossickers must hold a valid licence, which can be purchased on the Queensland government’s website.
