63 and free

An $84.3 million gold coin.

We did two very cool things on March 11th, 2023. First was a visit to the Perth Mint, which has been refining and selling gold since 1899. The building itself is gorgeous, having taken three years to build. It used limestone quarried from nearby Cottasloe and Rottnest island.

The Perth Mint. This statue is in front. 👉

The Perth Mint went through quite a few distinct, and fascinating phases in its history, as detailed in the link below (it’s worth a quick read):

https://www.perthmint.com/about/the-perth-mint-story/

BUT, the most amazing thing was the world’s largest gold coin. Weighing in at 1012 kg (32,536.6 Troy ounces), just the gold was worth Cdn$84.3 million when we looked at it. Who knows what it is truly worth?! Call Sotheby’s. 😂

The first time it was displayed was in New York in 2018 to mark the launch of Australia’s first gold exchange traded fund.

A gold pouring demonstration. You are looking at in excess of Cdn$600k worth of gold here…

This same bit of gold has been melted and recast hundreds of times.

The second largest nugget still in existence. 👉

In the afternoon we went on a Segway tour (we ALWAYS look for these, as those who have visited us in Florida can attest).

The Swan River from the walk by the CBD.

Lots of lovely sights along the river, but…the most unsettling thing was a sign warning against going in the water. Evidently the algae is dangerous to humans (brought about by a century+ of pollution). 🤢

The waterfront is lovely though.