I’m a real-life gold digger – I love the thrill of the chase in 40C & found one nugget that fetched a jaw-dropping price

BEING a good gold digger is typically not a favourable reputation to have – unless you’re a real-life prospector. Luckily for Tyler Mahoney, she’s a dab hand at detecting treasures while mining in the town of Kalgoorlie in Australia. instgarm/@tyler_m_mahoneyTyler Mahoney, 25, followed in her family’s footsteps to become a prospector[/caption] instgarm/@tyler_m_mahoneyHer family once found a gold nugget worth over £50,000[/caption] instgarm/@tyler_m_mahoneyThe professional gold digger says she is addicted to the thrill of the chase[/caption] instgarm/@tyler_m_mahoneyShe wants more women to join the mining industry – but admitted the grind isn’t as glamorous as the reward[/caption] The 25-year-old admits she is addicted to the thrill of noticing a golden nugget – even when she’s working in up to 40C heat. The gruelling 10-hour shifts in scorching temperatures do little to dampen Tyler’s spirit, as she knows she could stumble across a small fortune any second. But she confessed the kick comes at the cost of financial insecurity, saying: “It’s either baked beans or lobster in the gold world. “I think I love chasing the highs of finding gold, and that lure of finding a big nugget always keeps me coming back,” Tyler told 7News. “It’s like a carrot being dangled in front of you every day at work – tomorrow could always be the day you could find that million-dollar nugget. “Every time you do find gold, it’s like a little dopamine hit and I think that is a big part of gold fever.” The fourth-generation prospector followed in her family’s footsteps after growing up in a secluded mining town. She has “buried for gold ever since she can remember” and now works full-time hunting for treasures on land leased by her parents. The mining lease grants the holder exclusive rights to mine for minerals over a specific area of the grounds. Joining the family trade has paid off for Tyler, as she explained her mum once found a nugget that fetched a jaw-dropping price. The 311.8g treasure, found just outside her hometown, was worth a whopping £51, 320. Tyler recalled: “My mum found that just close to Kalgoorlie on some of our tenements and it’s a great piece.” The gold digger explained she loves being her own boss in the male-dominated industry and wants more women to consider mining as a career. The prospector claims a lot of people find it hard to believe her extraordinary job. “A look of confusion wipes over their faces normally,” Tyler said. “I definitely do not look like the normal prospector but I love sharing my job and breaking those stereotypes.” Yet she also warned the grind isn’t as glamorous as the reward – as she has to work in all seasons for exhaustingly long hours. Tyler added: “We work in all kinds of conditions. Prospecting the outback of Western Australia brings really hot and dry summers which make working quite difficult. “I have also prospected all around the world including the hot humid jungle, the high altitude of the Andes and the freezing cold and dark Alaska. “If gold was in the easiest of places, everyone would be finding it.” She recently returned back Down Under after taking a brief hiatus to work as a mine manager in Alaska. However, her heart firmly belongs in Australia – hunting for nuggets of gold in her hometown while championing her heritage. Tyler added: “My parents have taken us out on prospecting trips to hunt for buried gold ever since I can remember. “I also love the outback and being in the bush, being so remote with no one around you for hundreds of miles.” instgarm/@tyler_m_mahoneyThe Aussie said she works 10-hour shifts in the scorching heat to hunt for gold[/caption] She has worked as a prospector in varying climates across the worldinstgarm/@tyler_m_mahoney Tyler said she gets ‘a little dopamine hit’ everytime she finds a treasureinstgarm/@tyler_m_mahoney