Melanie Wood (pictured), from Perth, quit her office job to work at a gold mine
A ‘city girl’ has revealed how she went from ‘living paycheck to paycheck’ to earning a six-figure salary after she quit the rat race to work at a gold mine.
Melanie Wood, from Perth, was working as an administration assistant for a strata management company when she made the career switch at the age of 45.
‘I just felt stuck, I craved adventure and wanted to do something way out of my comfort zone,’ Melanie, now aged 47, told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I was only just getting by at my office job in the city, living paycheck to paycheck.’
When she was offered a mining role in the Western Australian goldfields, a 10-hour drive from her home, she decided to turn her back on her nine-to-five job for gruelling 10-hour shifts working in scorching temperatures of up to 49C.
‘I quit my job to move 900km away to a remote town called Leonora to find gold – something I knew nothing about. Everyone thought I was crazy to leave my comfortable life and secure job to move to the middle of nowhere,’ she said.
When she was offered a mining role at the Western Australian goldfields, a 10-hour drive from her home, she decided to turn her back on her nine-to-five job for a gruelling 10-hour shift working in scorching temperatures of up to 49C
While it’s physically hard work, Melanie said it’s ‘rewarding’ when she finds gold
The ‘city girl’ was working an administration assistant for a strata management company when she made the career switch at the age of 45
On her first day of work, Melanie said she was told she ‘wouldn’t last a day out here’ because she was working in a predominately male industry.
‘People were saying “it’s a man’s world” but it just made me more determined to push through and succeed,’ she said.
Just one week after she moved, she found herself having ‘nowhere to live’ because the mine site was forced to shut indefinitely due to a Covid-19 lockdown.
‘Instead of going home with my tail between my legs I decided to stay, live off my savings and learn everything I could about gold mining,’ Melanie said.
‘I slept in a swag as the job on the mine site I originally came up for was also my accommodation – but they shut down production. I slept outside under a wooden pergola for the first few months and showered under a hose.’
Melanie said she quit her job to 10 hours away to a remote town called Leonora to find gold
On her first day of work, Melanie said she was told she ‘wouldn’t last a day out here’ because she was working in such a predominately male industry
For the first few months, she slept in a swag outside under a wooden pergola (pictured)
Melanie said she struggled with the heat at first – but she wanted to prove everyone she could work just as hard as men.
‘It was a bit overwhelming at first. Summers here are brutal with temperatures reaching 49 degrees and the millions of flies added to the equation,’ she said.
‘My team works 10 hours a day and it’s physically hard work, but when you see gold at the end of a shift it’s so rewarding.
‘The first time I went metal detecting and found a nugget, I was hooked. Digging up a piece of gold that has been in the ground for millions of years is an incredible feeling.’
Her job involves digging up pieces of gold that have been in the ground for millions of years
Melanie said she struggled with the heat at first – but she wanted to prove everyone she could work just as hard as men
Fast forward 16 months, Melanie said she’s ‘loving’ her life working as a gold miner with her typical day starting at 6.30am and finishing by 4.30pm
Fast forward 16 months, Melanie said she’s ‘loving’ her life with her typical day starting at 6.30am and finishing by 4.30pm.
‘I’m on a six-figure income, my quality of life is so much better and I don’t miss driving in peak hour traffic every day,’ she said.
‘I love the freedom out here, the animals and the sunsets are just amazing, every day is different and I’m still learning so much.
‘I have learnt to drive a loader, operate an excavator, pan for gold, and run a processing plant.’
Melanie said she met her British partner Alex who has been gold mining for years after moving to Western Australia from Cornwall.
‘He has taught me all there is to know about gold and gold mining,’ she said.
She now runs her own small mine site where she has taken on various roles – including welding, servicing equipment and operating the processing plant to recover gold
By sharing her extraordinary story, Melanie said she wanted to ‘show off this beautiful part of the world’ and see more women move into the mining industry
Melanie now runs her own small mine site where she has taken on various ‘male dominated’ roles including welding, driving a loader, operating an excavator, servicing equipment and operating the processing plant to recover gold.
‘I plan to hire more women up here as I build my business and my goal is to purchase more leases to mine,’ Melanie said.
A mining lease gives the holder the exclusive right to mine for minerals over a specific area of land.
By sharing her extraordinary story, Melanie – who calls herself a ‘gold digger’ on Instagram where she documents her gold discoveries – said she wants to ‘show off this beautiful part of the world’ and see more women move into the mining industry.
‘I would love to see more woman working up here, they bring a different dynamic and I believe the stereotypical miner being a masculine role is in the past. If I can learn how to do it I feel anyone can, anything is possible,’ she said.
‘My advice to anyone is to not give up at the first hurdle, learn as much as you can and don’t be scared to try something new.’