‘Yearn for treasure’: Aussie hopeful turns to gold DIY solution to buy his dream car
Though drivers turn to their regular job to fund their dream car, this young Aussie has instead relied on a golden idea, literally.
We’ve all been there. Working late-night hours on end and waiting to see the money in your bank account grow while your appetite for a car outweighs the financial flow.
And while most young drivers turn to part-time jobs in hospitality and retail, for example, one Aussie is turning to a gold solution to fund the purchase of his dream car, literally.
Tasmanian content creator Rob Parsons has taken to social media to share his journey of panning for gold to buy a new Toyota LandCruiser that’s worth approximately $80,000 before on-road costs.
Though gold is a valuable asset for any owner, the journey to getting a new car is mathematically challenging and not as clear-cut as Drive found out in October 2025.
But not for Parsons. The Aussie explorer started the project in mid-June 2026, with Parsons sharing the chronicles of his journey so far, which mainly includes travelling to various areas along unnamed rivers and jumping into the water to dig for gold along the riverbanks.
The unique journey from panning for the luxury metal has attracted thousands of followers and views, with some social media users loving the idea.
In his first video posted to his personal Instagram, a US content creator who goes by ammeb on the platform said, “Give me my ADHD medication and move aside, I yearn for treasure”.
Another user cheekily commented, “Do you really want to trade a stable asset for something that loses value every month?”.
Parsons has made significant progress in his three-week-long journey, inspiring others along the way.
On his day-six update, an Instagram user – who accrued more than 50,000 likes – commented, “nah that’s it, I’m gonna search for gold too”.
Another commenter tried to rally behind the content creator when they wrote, “Day 6 of reminding all of you that you’ll break a toe and potentially drown if you attempt to prospect for gold in your local pond. Plus, we have no idea what we’re doing. When do we start?”.
While it may seem like a long shot given the extraneous task ahead, the Australian content creator has made significant progress towards the purchase price.
In his latest Instagram video posted on 13 July 2026, Parsons claims he’s found $39,946 worth of gold so far, with the Aussie creator needing $40,054 to achieve his goal.
The Tasmanian native’s journey couldn’t have come at a better time, given Toyota Australia has recently re-opened order books for LandCruisers after it launched a new emissions-compliant variant – with AdBlue diesel tank – of the popular model in July 2026.
