THOUSANDS of prospectors are going for gold in Central Victoria's 'golden circle'.
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The discovery of two large gold nuggets in February has sparked talk of a 21st century gold rush, and news has travelled fast.
Dunolly Caravan Park owner Barry Bolwell said inquiries had been flooding in since the discovery of a 2kg nugget near Maryborough and a 1.5kg nugget near Dunolly, in February.
"The park is full of gold prospectors," he said.
Mr Bolwell, who enjoys the odd spot of gold fossicking, said prospectors found gold near Dunolly on a daily basis.
However, he said people who found large gold nuggets usually kept the discovery under wraps.
Dennis and Edie Grainger, from Eudunda in South Australia, are staying at the park for five weeks.
They have been "chasing gold" around Australia for the past two years. "We live in hope," Mr Grainger said.
The couple has no doubt there is gold to be found in the Dunolly area. "Finding gold is 90 per cent luck and 10 per cent perseverance," Mr Grainger said.
While they have not yet had the opportunity to cry "Eureka," they are not perturbed.
"Since we got here we've found four nuggets," Mr Grainger said.
He said he enjoyed fossicking and conceded he would probably never find a nugget of any substantial worth.
Phil and Heather Hudler were fossicking near Dunolly this week after spending the long weekend at Talbot.
The couple, from Anglesea, said there was a vast amount of gold to be found in the area.
"We're just scratching the surface," Mr Hudler said.
They are members of the Victorian Seekers Club, which held a weekend camp in Talbot to fossick for gold.
Mr Hudler said club members had enjoyed a successful weekend, with one member discovering a 21 gram gold nugget.
Mr Hudler said a 21st century gold rush could be on the cards, with state-of-the-art metal detectors finding gold at deeper levels than ever before.
The Coiltek Gold Centre has been inundated with inquiries from people keen to capitalise on the latest gold discoveries.
Manager Tony Mills said the centre had experienced one of its busiest times over the long weekend, as prospectors rushed to the area.
"We've been flat out," he said.
On display at the centre is the 2kg gold nugget found by South Australian man Len Brennan.
Mr Brennan, who was keen to keep the exact location of his discovery a secret, said he found it "between Maryborough and St Arnaud". "He's been offered $52,000 for it," Mr Mills said.
Substantial nuggets have been discovered in the area on a regular basis, according to Mr Mills.
"The last big one found was 42 ounces, which was found before Christmas and a 158 ounce nugget was found about 12 months ago," he said.
Talbot has also seen an increase in the number of gold prospectors visiting the town in recent months.
Courthouse Hotel/Motel owner Kyle Stewart said people from all over Australia were flocking to the town.
"There is a little bit of hype because of the finds," he said.