An Australian family have discovered a gold nugget worth more than £20,000 while out for a walk last Sunday. The nugget, which weighs 624 grams, was discovered by accident when a young girl kicked what she thought was a rock and instead turned out to be a large lump of gold.

The anonymous family – father, two daughters, and Lucky the dog – were out for a walk on Mother’s Day when they made the find. Speaking to the local newspaper, the Bendigo Advertiser, the father 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.”

The discovery was made in an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Bendigo, Victoria – 93 miles north-east of Melbourne.

Bendigo, north-east of Melbourne. Image courtesy of Google Maps

The family took the gold nugget with them to a nearby IGA supermarket, where scales at the deli counter registered the nugget at 624 grams in weight. Experts have since confirmed the nugget is real gold and that the weight is also correct. Their minimum price estimation, based on the current £32.19 spot price for gold, is approximately £20,097.16, or $37,000 AUD. The gold nugget has the potential for a higher price given the discovery has generated strong news attention, as well as the potential rarity of the nugget.

The family, admittedly in hard times, plans to sell the nugget, with the father admitting that the gold has been playing on his mind and disrupting sleep with concerns over both its security and the financial gains to be had.

The plan now is to find a buyer, though whether through private sale or auction we do not know at present. One thing is for certain though – the family plans to go back and investigate the area further. “Usually when you find a nugget that big, there will be more gold around so hopefully that's the case” said the father.