More than 10 years ago, around 1,400 Western Australian Miner's Right documents were issued in a year. Now, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, that has increased nearly threefold.
The data from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety shows more Australians are braving the remote WA outback in search of gold.
Marika DaSilva and her husband Nigel have been travelling the country in their campervan since the pandemic began in 2019.
Unlike many other holiday makers the DaSilvas are not just on holiday, they are working hard looking for nuggets of gold.
"People don't realise that you got to be out there early, you've got to dig in the dust and flies, and go to places that are pretty remote and pretty ugly," Mr DaSilva said.
President of the Amalgamated Prospects and Leaseholders Association (APLA), and an avid gold prospector himself, James Allison said the rise in Miner's Right certification had also seen a 20 per cent increase in his association's membership.
"And in the last two years, because of COVID and not travelling … everybody followed the West Australian 'Wander out Yonder' [campaign]," he said.
Mr Allison believed the Kimberley in WA's north was a hotspot thanks to areas of untouched potential.
"Gold was first found around Old Halls Creek … but there's other areas around Derby, up into the Broome area, and over Turkey Creek," he said.
"It's places like that, around where gold was found in the early days, with new technology — as far as metal detectors — gold is still being found now."
Ms DaSilva said the couple was looking forward to prospecting in the Kimberley this year after finding more than 150 grams of gold in the area last year.
Armed with a $10,000 metal detector, the DaSilvas plan to scour the remote areas in the state's north.
"Most of the gold is quite shallow. Occasionally we'll find bigger nuggets which would probably be 60 centimetres deep, but they're much harder to find now," Mr DaSilva said.
The couple said their detector picked up a lot of metal junk from the original 19th century prospectors, who used to bury their litter in the ground.
"We're quite excited when we find that rubbish, because that means it's an old gold area," Mr DaSilva said.
"Sometimes you'll get coins, rings or buttons, lots of buttons, and little shoe nails."
It only costs around $30 to get a Miner's Right in WA, and APLA President Mr Allison said it was "an Australian tradition".
"It's a way of life," he said.
He warned new and old prospectors to plan their trips before they left.
"A lot of that ground is held by traditional owners under native title, and you need to seek their permission first before you go on to that," Mr Allison said.
Meanwhile, Marika and Nigel urged other retirees to grab a metal detector and try their hand at searching for gold.
"It's such good exercise … as you're walking all day and fitness is good, your heart is good," Ms DaSilva said.
"You get excitement instead of sitting and watching TV, so go off and try it."
