Welcome Nugget
Encyclopedia
The Welcome Nugget was the name given to a large gold nugget
, weighing 2,217 troy ounces 16 pennyweight
. (71.3kg), that was discovered by a group of twenty-two Cornish miners
at the Red Hill Mining Company site at Bakery Hill
(near the present intersection of Mair and Humffray Street) in Ballarat, Victoria
, on June 9, 1858. It was located in the roof of a tunnel 55 metres (180 feet) underground. Roughly shaped like a horse's head, it measured around 49 cm (18 in) long by 15 cm (6 in) wide and 15 cm (6 in) high, and had a roughly indented surface. It was assayed by William Birkmyre of the Port Philip Gold Company and given its name by finder Richard Jeffrey. Eclipsed by the discovery of the larger Welcome Stranger
eleven years later in 1869, it remains the second largest gold nugget ever found.
The finders had been among the first to introduce steam-driven machinery into the field at Ballarat and had looked first at nearby Creswick
with no luck. Their luck changed at Bakery Hill, however, and several smaller nuggets weighing from 12 to 45 troy ounces had been uncovered before they found the Welcome.
Sold for 10,500 pounds sterling, it found a home in Melbourne
until being sold again on March 18, 1859. It weighed only 2,195 troy ounces (68.272 kg) and fetched 9,325 pounds sterling at its resale. From there it was conveyed to Sydney and exhibited there before being transported and exhibited in the Crystal Palace
in London. The Royal Mint
bought it in November 1859 and minted gold sovereigns out of it.
Models of the Welcome Nugget were made and distributed to the Geological and Mining Museum in the Rocks in Sydney, and the Museum of Victoria, as well as the Powerhouse Museum
, who purchased their model in 1885. Models are also a feature of two displays in Ballarat, the Pioneer Miners (Gold) Monument on the corner of Sturt and Albert Streets in Ballarat Central
(1951) and at The Gold Museum opposite Sovereign Hill
at Golden Point
.
Gold nugget
A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold. Watercourses often concentrate and grow the nuggets. Nuggets are recovered by placer mining, but they are also found in residual deposits where the gold-bearing veins or lodes are weathered...
, weighing 2,217 troy ounces 16 pennyweight
Pennyweight
A pennyweight is a unit of mass that is equal to 24 grains, 1/20 of a troy ounce, 1/240 of a troy pound, approximately 0.054857 avoirdupois ounce and exactly 1.55517384 grams....
. (71.3kg), that was discovered by a group of twenty-two Cornish miners
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
at the Red Hill Mining Company site at Bakery Hill
Bakery Hill, Victoria
Bakery Hill is an inner city suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It is the smallest suburb in the city of Ballarat in terms of both area and population, which at the 2006 census was just 191 people....
(near the present intersection of Mair and Humffray Street) in Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
, on June 9, 1858. It was located in the roof of a tunnel 55 metres (180 feet) underground. Roughly shaped like a horse's head, it measured around 49 cm (18 in) long by 15 cm (6 in) wide and 15 cm (6 in) high, and had a roughly indented surface. It was assayed by William Birkmyre of the Port Philip Gold Company and given its name by finder Richard Jeffrey. Eclipsed by the discovery of the larger Welcome Stranger
Welcome Stranger
The "Welcome Stranger" is the name given to the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found, which had a calculated refined weight of 2,283 oz 6 dwts 9 gr...
eleven years later in 1869, it remains the second largest gold nugget ever found.
The finders had been among the first to introduce steam-driven machinery into the field at Ballarat and had looked first at nearby Creswick
Creswick, Victoria
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Creswick had a population of 2,485...
with no luck. Their luck changed at Bakery Hill, however, and several smaller nuggets weighing from 12 to 45 troy ounces had been uncovered before they found the Welcome.
Sold for 10,500 pounds sterling, it found a home in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
until being sold again on March 18, 1859. It weighed only 2,195 troy ounces (68.272 kg) and fetched 9,325 pounds sterling at its resale. From there it was conveyed to Sydney and exhibited there before being transported and exhibited in the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
in London. The Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
bought it in November 1859 and minted gold sovereigns out of it.
Models of the Welcome Nugget were made and distributed to the Geological and Mining Museum in the Rocks in Sydney, and the Museum of Victoria, as well as the Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
, who purchased their model in 1885. Models are also a feature of two displays in Ballarat, the Pioneer Miners (Gold) Monument on the corner of Sturt and Albert Streets in Ballarat Central
Ballarat Central
Ballarat Central is a defined locality surrounded by suburban Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It is the second oldest area in Ballarat . It was formerly known as Ballaarat West. The population of Ballarat Central at the 2006 census was 5,645, making it the third most populous in the urban area...
(1951) and at The Gold Museum opposite Sovereign Hill
Sovereign Hill
Sovereign Hill is an open air museum in Golden Point, a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Sovereign Hill depicts Ballarat's first ten years after the discovery of gold there in 1851. It was officially opened on 29 November 1970 and has become a nationally acclaimed tourist attraction...
at Golden Point
Golden Point, Victoria
Golden Point is a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia located south east of the CBD. It is one of the few original suburbs of Ballarat that was established during the Victorian gold rush days. At the 2006 census, Golden Point had a population of 2,147...
.