Back at Southern Cross in mid-1892, Bayley encountered a prospector he had met previously in Queensland, William Ford, who had also heard of gold being found to the east. In June, the two men set out from Southern Cross with five horses to find it. Soon after reaching an area known as Fly Flat (the future site of Coolgardie), Bayley and Ford found a nugget, and within a few days had picked up about of gold. After more rich alluvial gold was found, the two men were compelled to return to Southern Cross for supplies. On returning to the field a quartz outcrop with gold in it was found, which became the famous "Bayley's Reward" mine. The two men returned to Southern Cross with of gold, worth £2,200 (or more than A$300,000 in 2015), which they showed to the warden, Finnerty, on 17 September 1892. A reward lease of was granted to them, and on 20 September 1892 the Coolgardie field was declared open.