Our gold pourer is a mermaid

As a public face of The Perth Mint, Madeleine Petty relishes the chance to tell our stories. 

Madeleine has been a tour guide and gold pourer since mid-2023, a role which allows her to combine her fascination with history with a love of theatre and performing. 

Almost 80,000 visitors join our gold tour each year to learn about the Mint and the Western Australian gold industry. 

“For me, the tour is all about telling a story, and we have a wonderful story to tell.”

“As guides, we all put our own personal touch on the tour. I like to condense the information to make it as clear and concise as possible, especially when many of our visitors have English as a second language,” she says. 

Performing has always been part of Madeleine’s life, coming from a background of theatre and ballet training. 

Away from the Mint, she is happiest in the water, and does underwater modelling including amazing performances as a mermaid at AQWA (Aquarium of WA) and for private events. She keeps a strong presence on social media to promote her performances with more than 300,000 followers on TikTok. 

“The underwater modelling looks effortless and graceful, but it is potentially dangerous,” Madeleine says. 

“I’m a rescue diver as well so I am hyper aware of safety. This is vital when you’re under water but equally important when you’re doing something like the gold pour dealing with molten gold at 1,200 degrees.” 

Madeleine remembers visiting the Mint as a child with her grandfather and was immediately captivated by the history of the place. 

“I was born in the UK and have had holidays to Europe where there is that built history all around you. In Perth, we haven’t kept so many historical places, so The Perth Mint really stands out,” she says. 

“It’s exciting to work in a place where history is celebrated, and I can play to my strengths.”