SHANE Walker has been picking up gold nuggets around Inglewood since he was a child.
Grandmother Eva Hodgins taught him that there was gold on the ground after rain and would later teach him how to pan for the precious mineral.
He found his first nugget at the Morning Star dam as a student in Grade Six at Inglewood Primary School.
Today Shane is leading visitors to the region on gold detecting tours.
And helping him is partner Jackie who wears an engagement ring made from Shane’s first Morning Star find.
On Saturday, Shane will marry Jackie before the couple resume their regular Gold Nugget Hunter tours. 
Shane and Jackie last month were among four Loddon tourism operators to complete a tourism digital training program co-ordinated by Bendigo Regional Tourism.
“The tourist market is slowly improving after COVID,” Shane said. “The people we take out are being introduced to prospecting and detecting ... they are people in awe of the bush.”
The size of their groups is never more than four and many quickly become hooked on gold.
“I was brought up prospecting for gold and it has become 

second nature. You learn about the gold, the soil ... you are really g