Welcome Stranger Monument – Moliagul

In February 1869, gold miner John Deason discovered a nugget near the roots of a tree, just 3cm beneath the soil. With the help of fellow miner Richard Oates, he uncovered the largest recorded alluvial gold nugget – known as the Welcome Stranger. The 61cm x 31cm nugget was taken to Dunolly to be measured on the bank’s scales, however at 69kg the gold needed to be broken on an anvil to actually fit on the scales.

Today, the Moliagul Historic Reserve is a picturesque picnic spot with a walking track showcasing points of interest from the gold rush era and a granite obelisk marking the spot of the incredible discovery.

The site has a picnic table, an undercover picnic area, wood-fired BBQ and a large stone obelisk marking the site. There are no toilet facilities at the site.

The surface from the car park to the monument is course quartz gravel. The surface is hard packed.