Jonathon Campbell is your everyday bloke who now lives by the mantra that you have a better chance of finding a gold mine than winning gold lotto.
And that is exactly what this former aerial musterer and one-time FIFO mine worker did while aerial mustering in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
In 2016, Jonathon and his pilot Bruce had to fly off track to find a mob of stray cattle, spotting a hidden prospector’s camp in the process.
“Initially we thought someone was running from the police; we couldn’t think why else someone was out so far, even prospectors," he said.
They landed and could not find the prospector, so returned days later with friends and a metal detector.
“When I first got there I found an enormous amount of gold,” Jonathon said.
“The metal detector just started singing and it didn’t stop, meaning the gold was there in abundance.”
Jonathon took out a prospecting special licence and mapped his eight kilometre by one kilometre-wide deposit.
“One of the best days I would pick up anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 a day,” he said.
Jonathon has since sold his lease to Novo Resource Corp in return for cash, some shares and ongoing royalty payments.
Jonathon promised then the money would fund another longtime ambition and buy some Gelbvieh cows.
It was also by chance that Jonathon first spotted Gelbvieh bulls from the air while mustering in the Pilbara.
“These two golden coloured bulls were running with some Brahman cross cows, and the cows had some great calves on them,” he said.
“When we yarded them all, the bulls had the word Gelbvieh on their ear tag.
“Little did I know they were a breed of cattle, as I just though it was the name of the stud that bred them.”
Jonathon and his wife Zoe have since bought the 323 hectare property Riversleigh at Upper Pilton, near Toowoomba.
“We tried to keep an open mind on what sort of cattle to run, but I just kept coming back to Gelbvieh bulls and their calves spotted that day,” he said.
He has since invested in 23 stud Gelbvieh cows and calves, a stud bull, and an embryo from Canada’s number one cow, RWG Kitty’s Dream.
“Finding the gold has been life-changing for us all, and I reckon I have struck it twice from the air,” Jonathon said.
“I just don’t see the romance in gold, but I see money in cattle and agriculture.
“Now I can realise my dream and breed stud and commercial Gelbvieh here in Queensland,” he said.
Jonathon and wife Zoe will relocate to Upper Pilton in the next couple of years.