February 5, 1869: Welcome Stranger! Largest Gold Nugget Found

On February 5, 1869, prospectors Richard Oates and John Deason of Australia found the incredibly large alluvial gold nugget known as “Welcome Stranger,” a rock weighing almost 300 pounds!

For sourcing for that article, please refer to the “Historical Evidence” section of the article on our main site on which this video is based.

Author: Major Dan

Editor and Narrator: Dr. Zar

Video edited using Movie Maker.

Video footage recorded by Dr. Zar on a Sony Handycam HDR-CX440.

Animation made by Dr. Zar using PowerPoint and recorded via Screencast-O-Matic.

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Thank you for watching this video!

[bernadettelanders]

My Great grandfathers name is on the oblique, Mr Henry Foster, Minister of Mines. He was a member of parliament during federation here in Victoria. His daughter Georgina was my Grandmother. I have Photos of Henry with his long beard.. It’s nice to have his name along with the founders of the gold which has been there for many years and will be still there when my young grandchildren are old enough to view it as part of their family history.

[BusyMomma]

Thanks! A great little "nugget" that my kids enjoyed watching. 😊

[deannachatman]

that's huge! what an amazing moment that must have been.

[reaganmorse]

It would be so crazy to find a nugget that big and only an inch under the ground!

[josephmarchese]

That's crazy could you imagine finding a gold nugget that big these days.

[ryanwhitaker]

If only I had stumbled upon "Welcome Stranger, " or any gold for that matter. Paying for college would be a breeze.

[caser]

Wow it was only 1.2 inches under the ground, crazy!!

[augiewarner]

It would be so cool to find gold like that! Nowadays it is much more rare to find some unclaimed

[johnspera]

looking good! always wanted to visit there; never did. BTW: nugget?!!! at that size?! LOL

[katelynwokojance]

I was always interested in the Gold Rush. Coming across gold would save me a lot of worrying.

[andrewcarozza]

I've used a metal detector a few times, but never found anything worth money.

[anthonyeaglowski]

It’s insane that they had to break it up to weigh it. Shame about that one man’s fortune.

[juliacochran]

My brother has a metal detector, it's really cool.

[johnkilmartin]

The only things I have found when using a metal detector are what I was supposed to find i.e. in one case land mines and in the other survey pins. If you want to find interesting things dig around the roots of a large tree.

[tessasmithkintz]

No I have never used a metal detcetor. But I would like to try one time.

[harleynunez]

I have never used a metal detector but I would love to travel to the beach and see what I could find with it!

[wyattwright]

Being a miner would have been very tough. Nothing is guaranteed.

[isabellakistler]

I can't even imagine finding that! It must have beens much an exciting moment

[rkt]

I live in Australia but this guy is hilarious one day you will report me finding biggest nugget of all time 😃

[pickettywitchoriginal]

I love these little nuggets of information ... see what did there huh did ye (the old ones are the best right)!? 😉
Thanks guys, interesting.my EX had a metal detector and all he found (in a riverbed 🙄) was iron ore rock and lager bottle lids.
“trust me I’m a doctor”