Independent, made in Melbourne

Mine Bitcoin at home in Australia. The honest beginner's guide.

A home miner is a small, efficient computer that helps secure Bitcoin and, in return, earns a sliver of the rewards. It's a great way to learn how Bitcoin works and a fun hobby. At Australian power prices it usually costs more to run than it earns, so treat it as a hobby, not an income.

What should I buy? Work out my costs

No paid rankings. Prices checked across 16 stores on 3 Nov 2026.

The basics

What home mining is, and what it really costs

Miners race to guess the answer to a maths puzzle. Roughly every ten minutes one wins, adds the next block to Bitcoin's ledger and collects the reward (about 3.142 BTC lately). Your miner can join a pool, which shares rewards by work done, or go solo for the whole block on the rare occasion it wins.

Running cost

A Bitaxe Gamma draws about 18 W, around $44 a year on the Victorian default rate (28.2c/kWh). Bigger miners cost much more.

Pooled earnings

In a pool that Gamma would earn about $20 a year at today's figures, so it runs at a loss of about $24 a year before the purchase price.

Solo odds

Solo, the same Gamma has roughly a 1 in 16,800 chance a year of a whole block. It has happened (see below), but it's a lottery ticket, not a plan.

Figures from mempool.space network data on 3 Nov 2026, 2% pool fee. Solar, a cheaper tariff or heat you'd use anyway change the picture: is it worth it? Rather not have a miner at home? Buy a miner or rent hashrate?

What should I buy?

Three good ways to start

Pick by what matters to you. Each links to the full write-up and every tracked price.

Lowest-cost startBitaxe GammaA palm-sized open-source miner that draws about as much as a phone charger. The classic first miner. 1.2 TH/s · ~18 W · ~$44/yr to run (VIC) From $139 in Australia

More hashrateNerdQaxe++Four chips on one open-source board: about four Gammas of hashrate, still desk-friendly. 4.8 TH/s · ~71 W · ~$175/yr to run (VIC) From $399 in Australia

Polished applianceCanaan Avalon Nano 3SA finished, enclosed heater-miner from Canaan, set up from a phone app. Less tinkering, more warmth. 6.0 TH/s · ~140 W · ~$346/yr to run (VIC) From $569 in Australia

Quick comparison

Lowest tracked in-stock price (Australian store where available, incl GST), electricity draw, and running cost for a year of 24/7 operation at the Victorian default rate of 28.2c/kWh. Prices checked 3 Nov 2026, 1:00 am AEDT. Why open source matters.

Miner	Lowest tracked price	Draw	Running cost / yr	Source ?
Bitaxe Gamma 601/602 (BM1370)	$139	18 W	$44	Open source
Bitaxe Gamma Duo 650	$177 import	26 W	$64	Open source
Bitaxe GT 801 (Gamma Turbo)	$229	43 W	$106	Open source
NerdQaxe++ (Rev 5 / 6 / 6.1, air-cooled)	$399	71 W	$175	Open source
Canaan Avalon Nano 3S	$569	140 W	$346	Partly open
Lucky Miner LV08	$429	120 W	$296	Closed source
Canaan Avalon Q	$2,950	1,674 W	$4,135	Closed source

Buying guideEvery beginner miner explained: noise, heat, setup and what's in the box.Read the guide CalculatorYour running cost, solar, payback and odds, at your own tariff.Work out my costs Price trackerTracked prices from 16 stores, local and imported.Compare prices Pools and setupWhere to point your miner, with step-by-step settings.Choose a pool

3.14 BTC

≈ $348,842 at today's price

It does happen · July 2026

A little Bitaxe won a whole block

Block 957,382 (block timestamp 10 July 2026 at 1:30 pm Melbourne time) was mined through Public Pool's solo service, a 3.1382 BTC reward. News reports say a single Bitaxe Gamma found it. At today's difficulty a Gamma's odds are roughly 1 in 16,800 a year: a lottery, not a plan.

Source: CoinDesk, 14 Jul 2026. The block and payout address are on-chain; the hardware comes from news reports and can't be verified on-chain. All recent solo blocks.