Watch the video: Everyday life of a gold digger: Tyler found a massive nugget worth $100,000.
Tyler Mahoney has gold prospecting in his blood: The entire family of the 27-year-old from Western Australia is active in the gold digging industry – and has been for several generations.
At the age of 18, Tyler moved to Melbourne, tired of life in the gold rush town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. But after two years and multiple jobs, including modeling and event management, the Australian realized she missed gold mining and returned home.
“In Melbourne, I had a stable life with a stable job, and I realized it wasn’t the right life for me.”
She is now a fourth generation gold miner and works alongside her mother, father and brother.
“I really enjoy having the opportunity to pass on the knowledge of my family to the next generation”
But what does a day for a young gold digger look like?
“We’re looking at the geology, the mineralization and historical working areas, which requires a lot of research.”
Tyler knows how to find gold and how best to get it out of the ground.
She finds everything from gold nuggets to rare gold fetching up to $100,000. In the summer, the prospecting for gold begins at 5 a.m. And because of the hot temperatures, it usually only lasts until 1 p.m. On the other hand, you can work longer in winter, when the day starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. The most expensive piece of gold Tyler has ever found was a vein of gold in Eisenstein – worth $100,000.
“I love mining because there’s no stability. I could be making $0 tomorrow or next week, but then again, I could be a millionaire tomorrow. The opportunity to find a big chunk is really addictive – you get a constant dopamine rush.”
Tyler Mahoney has made gold digging her trademark and is now a household name in Australia. Those interested can read Tyler’s book about her gold digging experiences and also follow her prospecting on Instagram.