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9
MUST WATCH
bad boys
CHARLEMAGNE
Charlemagne, or
‘Charles the Great’, was
King of the Franks from
768, King of the Lombards
from 774 and Holy Roman
Emperor from 800. During his 39-year
reign, he united much of Europe and
is often referred to historically as
the ‘Father of Europe’.
ADAMS SAYS:
“He created a common market and
a common currency. Through monasteries
and churches he brought widespread
education to Europe. He was a very
forceful, warring king. But he was also
the first person, effectively, since Rome,
to unite Europe. In the end the thing that
did defeat him was his sons bickering and
killing each other and splitting the empire.
And that went on to create the countries
of Europe we know today.”
Charlemagne’s remains lie in
Aachen Cathedral, Germany
When Aussie Gold Hunters returns for
its fourth outing, it’s with a new team
at the forefront of the action: long-time
pals and prospectors Mick Clark and
Neville Perry, aka the Victoria Diggers.
Having sunk a whopping $1 million
into their prospecting efforts in the
Victorian region known as ‘The Golden
Triangle’ – home to the largest-ever
gold nugget find in 1869 – the pair
has everything to gain (and lose).
“The reason Nev and I have been
successful is we don’t borrow money
to find gold; we wait until we’ve got it
and then we take the next step,” Clark
(pictured right, with Perry) tells Foxtel
magazine of what sets them apart from
their competition. “You need to be
financially viable, no question.”
Their season target set at
150 ounces – which equates
to $240,000 – the guys hit the
ground running. And, as Clark previews,
they have a very successful debut indeed.
“I’m confident that viewers will be
astounded by what we pull out of the
ground,” he shares. “That’s another
reason why we’re digging in Victoria
- the quality and size of the gold is
second to none. The purity is 99.75 out
of the ground – to put that into context,
Western Australia gold usually runs at
about 91 per cent.
“It’s a little bit of a gamble,” he adds.
“[But] I feel privileged to be digging this
gold out. It is such an amazing thing.”
Meet the newcomers set to shake up the goldfields
GOING FOR GOLD
$3.7
MILLION
520
ACRES
200
OUNCES
8.2
OUNCES
$20,000
AUSSIE GOLD HUNTERS (s4)
Stream* or watch from May 2, Thursdays
at 7.30pm on Discovery Channel [612]
part of the ENTERTAINMENT pack
The price fetched
by the world’s
largest alluvial
gold nugget,
the ‘Welcome
Stranger’- mined in 1869
just 10km from
where Clark and
Perry are digging - weighing 72kg!
The expanse of
land purchased by
Clark and Perry,
which will keep
them busy for
“about 15 years”.
“[It’s satisfying]
to know there are
some big pieces
waiting to be dug
up,” says Clark.The biggest
season target
this year, set by
the Dirt Dogs,
Vern Strange and
Jake Larsen.The largest haul
by a team in the
first episode of
season four
alone, worth
around $13,120.The excavator
repair bill that
threatens to
derail one team’s
season, eating up
their entire profit
from last year
and then some.FAST
5
Foxtel MAY 29