Many wonder how the Hand of Faith gold nugget got its name. Many think the nugget was named due to its shape and this is partly true, it does resemble a hand, however, the set of circumstances leading to its discovery is the real reason behind the name. Before they found the Hand of Faith, Kevin, […]

Six months after the discovery, the Hand of Faith sold to Golden Nugget Casino Las Vegas for 1 million dollars. The Gold Nugget Chief Executive, Mr. Steve Wynn took possession of the nugget in a small office at Sydney’s Mascot airport under tight security.  He was tickled pink. He couldn’t stop beaming when he saw […]

Kevin and his family were living on the poverty line and no closer to a sale three months after the nugget was unveiled. The family remained anonymous, as they waited for the government to grant an export licence for the sale of the Hand of Faith to a genuine overseas buyer. Time was moving on […]

After the unveiling by the Premier of Victoria, the Hand of Faith was placed on the market for sale. Kevin and Bep were offered several bogus deals for the nugget before genuine overseas buyers started showing interest. We would have liked our gold nugget to remain in Australia, it is part of Australia’s heritage, and […]

After traveling for almost two years, an amazing set of circumstances and coincidences led Kevin and Bep Hillier to the day the Hand of Faith was discovered on the Goldfields of Central Victoria. On September 26, 1980, out of work and recovering from a back operation, Kevin decided to head out with his new detector and […]

Before the Hand of Faith nugget was found, Kevin and Bep Hillier were living and travelling around Australia in a renovated bus they called ‘Gus’. Towing their 67 HR Holden on the back, they left Western Australia during the summer of 1978 with their four children, Kim, Natalie, Brendon and Lance. Their sense of adventure […]