news, local-news, bendigo, gold nugget, gold, find, $35000

A Bendigo family has found a 20-ounce gold nugget, thought to be worth more than $35,000. The father-of-two, who did not want to be named, said he was walking in the outskirts of the city with his daughters and their dog Lucky when they stumbled upon the gold. "It was Mother's Day morning and we decided to go for a walk," he said. "Mum actually stayed at home so me, my two daughters and Lucky were just walking along. "I actually walked right past it but my daughter pretty much kicked it as she was walking. She then goes - dad, is this gold? I said, I think it might be." Read more: Kerang man digs up $135,000 gold nugget The father said experts have assessed the nugget. They confirmed it was gold. "We couldn't find anywhere to properly weigh it," the father said. "We ended up taking it to the IGA and weighing it up there at the supermarket. "They weren't too happy that we were weighing it at the deli there." The nugget weighed in at 624 grams or 20 ounces. The family has been told it could be worth more than $35,000. "To sell it as a nugget whole, it's probably worth a little bit more than that," he said. "We've come on some tough times so it's really good because we've been struggling financially. It couldn't be better timing really." The father said they were planning to sell the nugget, although he had hoped to hold onto it for longer. "Just having it at home, I've been like where do we store it? I haven't been sleeping very well and we think it's best just to sell it." The father said the family does have plans to return to the site where they found the nugget. "I have done a little bit of prospecting in the past," he said. "I've dug a couple of holes and never found anything but it's not something I usually do. "It was just a really random find but we will be going back. "Usually when you find a nugget that big, there will be more gold around so hopefully that's the case." Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.

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