Authors: Kelsey Wilkie Australian Daily Mail and Bianca Bongato Australian Daily Mail

Published: September 10, 2018 05:09 EDT | Updated: September 10, 2018 06:04 EDT

Workers at the Beta Hunt mine in Perth have unearthed gold worth 15 million U.S. dollars-but they have not received a penny.

According to The West, the "discovery once in a lifetime" will be auctioned soon, and Beta Hunt may receive a considerable premium from gold collectors.  

This discovery is likely to save the nickel mine operating in Kanbarda, Western Australia, which is being sold, but the miners will not be so lucky.

Miner Henry Dole (pictured) almost fell when he discovered this in the days of "business as usual"

Workers at the Beta Hunt mine in Kambalda, 630 kilometers east of Perth, discovered gold specimens worth 15 million U.S. dollars

Mark Selby, CEO of RNC in Toronto, said: "We will enter a sales process to raise funds for exploration, find these areas we know, and hope to retain some equity." 

"But this discovery shows that Beta Hunt has the potential to become a very big gold mine in the future," he added. 

Gold was found in a 3m wide and 3m deep area about 500m above the ground.

According to ABC reports, Kambalda has been fighting for survival, and low nickel prices have forced four large mines to close in just three years.

Henry Dole, a miner, almost fell when he discovered this in the days of "business as usual."  

"Everything was covered in dust, and when I watered the soil, as you can see, there was gold everywhere," he said.

 For Beta Hunt-a low-cost gold and nickel mine operating in Kanbarda, Western Australia-this is a good sign because RNC Minerals initially sold the mine

The town discovery based on the nickel mining industry was described as "incredibly unique"

He said that they have been "looking down at the barrel", but the recent discovery has boosted morale.

Senior geologist Zaf Thanos called it a "once in a lifetime" discovery.

"You may never see such a thing in your life," he said.

It took only four days to bring the gold specimen to the surface. The largest piece weighs 90 kilograms and requires three people to lift it.

Larger parts, some weighing about 60 kg, will be auctioned. They can get $2.6 million.

On-site security measures have been strengthened, and armed guards have been added to the team to assist in transporting the debris to the vault.

The Western Australian town of Kanbarda where the discovery was made has been fighting for survival. Low nickel prices have forced four large mines to close within three years.

Beta Hunt was put on the market by its Canadian owner RNC a few months ago and is currently in the final stages of sale.

Mr. Shelby said the site was listed for sale because they were unable to raise enough funds for exploration and drilling. 

He told The Western Australian that they will continue the sales process to raise funds for further exploration.

"This is usually an exciting time. Considering that it is a difficult process for us in the mine, making this discovery will only strengthen our knowledge that this mine has potential."

After the gold is discovered, RNC no longer has exclusive discussions with preferred bidders. 

The following comments are unreviewed.

The views expressed in the above content are the views of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We no longer accept comments on this article.

Published by United Press Limited

Part of "Daily Mail", "Sunday Mail" and Metro Media Group