1.
CU Gold nugget being held in hand near Rushworth, Victoria, Australia. (2 SHOTS)
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2.
CU Russell Sanderson inspects gold nugget. (3 SHOTS)
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3.
CU Sanderson replying to question.
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4.
GV & LV PAN OF Area in which gold found. (2 SHOTS)
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5.
CU Disused mine shaft.
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CANEVA: "The largest of the nuggets was unearthed last Tuesday, and weighed more than fifty-four ounces, and it alone has been valued at thirty-five thousand dollars. Mr. Sanderson, who couldn't believe his luck, returned to the goldfield at the weekend where he discovered the remaining specimens. Only six months ago he gave up his pick and pan, and bought a metal detector, which, he says, has made all his dreams come true."



CANEVA: "Is this the biggest find you've ever had?"



SANDERSON: "Yeah, the biggest by far. Over ten, twelve years of prospecting, I've found approximately a quarter of an ounce. So, it goes to show you."



CANEVA: "It's in country such as this that the gold has been found. Many locals believe prospectors have hit upon a vein richer than ever before. And, for Rushworth and the surrounding areas, the boom could mean a return to life reminiscent of the early gold rush days."





Initials JS/



TELERECORDING
REPORTER: LENA CANEVA

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: An Australian street cleaner, who's been gold prospecting with almost no luck for more than a decade, has come across nuggets worth more than one hundred thousand Australian dollars. Mr Russell Sanderson located them with a metal detector in an old goldfield at Rushworth in the state of Victoria. Experts believe he could have tapped a seam with more than a million dollars worth of gold in it. His find, which is sure to accelerate an already-growing pastime among amateurs, is the latest in a series in the outback and the sites of nineteenth century goldfields. Lena Caneva of the Australian Broadcasting Commission reports.