“Oh wow, the wife’s going to be thrilled with that,” exclaimed the lucky prospector.

An Australian man using a low-cost metal detector discovered a massive gold nugget worth $160,000.

The unidentified man made the life-changing discovery in the southern state of Victoria, where the world’s largest gold nugget was unearthed in 1869.

When the rock was detected, he was using a Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector, a low-cost device that costs around $900. The mysterious man then produced a 143-ounce nugget containing 83-ounces of gold.

He took half of the score to Darren Kamp of Lucky Strike Gold to see what it was worth. And Kamp told 9News Australia that the “once-in-a-lifetime find” had taken him by surprise.

“‘Do you believe there’s $10,000 worth?’ he asked. ‘Try $100,000,’ I said as soon as it hit my hand “Kamp spoke to 9News Australia. “And he said, ‘Oh wow, the wife is going to be pleased.’”

The prospector then informed Kamp that he still had half of the nugget stashed away.

His nugget was discovered in Victoria’s “Golden Triangle,” which runs through Ballarat, Bendigo, and Saint Arnaud.

This area has a long mining history and was key to Australia’s gold rush in the 1800s. Two miners discovered the world’s largest gold nugget in 1869, around 40 miles west of Bendigo. The 154-pound nugget, dubbed the “Welcome Stranger,” was 24 inches broad and buried just beneath the dirt.

And the timing is ideal for the Australian miner, who has recently met a friendly stranger of his own. Several investors are hurrying to secure gold due to the continued banking troubles on Wall Street. In the last month, several gold stocks have surged by roughly 8%.