1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,960
NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters...

2
00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,880
Hit me with it.Well, we're busted-ass broke at the moment.

3
00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,960
The Bushmen call in a desperate favour to start a new mine...

4
00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,120
Keep that leg tucked in. I can see it from up here.

5
00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,200
We've got millimetres. ..and rescue their season.

6
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,840
I might go to four because of that big piece here.

7
00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,720
You got to sharpen your pencil a little bit more than that.

8
00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,200
MATT: Mate, we're gonna need a noodler for this.

9
00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,240
The Mooka Boys, with 15 tonnes of paydirt to process...

10
00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,800
You blew the tyre. Yeah. It can't handle the weight.

11
00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,200
..face catastrophic equipment failure.

12
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,400
Hey! Shut it down! Hey! Hey!Shut her off!

13
00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:39,360
I don't know why we do this some days, boys.

14
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,440
And the Digi Diggers... I hope there's no snakes down there.

15
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,480
..scavenge for parts eighteen metres underground

16
00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,840
to fix their busted hoist... Dead end.LISA: What do you mean?

17
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,520
..before striking their biggest find to date.

18
00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,560
Whoa! That is gorgeous.

19
00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,600
And their biggest sale ever.

20
00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,120
Would you go to 15,000 on that?

21
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:01,520
That's a big jump. $5,000. Yeah, it's a big jump.

22
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,600
What were you thinking?

23
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:07,760
# Money

24
00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,240
# And fancy clothes #

25
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:21,074



26
00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:31,600
ROD: Come here. Good morning.Good day, brother.

27
00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,080
How are you? How are you doing? Good. Yourself?Good to see you.

28
00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,480
Nino. How are you? You good? Good, mate.

29
00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,800
How you doing, buddy? Heya, boys. Heya, Les.

30
00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,440
This is the spot. You found your way in all right?

31
00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,400
Yeah. It's a very old field in here.

32
00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:46,920
And yeah, we got it, we found it.

33
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,600
That's the spot where we want to put the hole down.Right-o.

34
00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:56,040
But there's a little bit more to the story, mate.

35
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,160
Hit me with it.

36
00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,120
Well, we're busted-ass broke at the moment.

37
00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,920
We were reckoning that if you put this hole down,

38
00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,560
you keep everything that comes out of the bucket.

39
00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:11,920
And we don't pay you. You just keep what's in the bucket.

40
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,560
Like I said, we have drilled colour here.OK.

41
00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:16,800
You know the story. I can't guarantee

42
00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:18,720
you're gonna get stuff in your bucket.

43
00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,800
But there's a chance.

44
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,000
The Bushmen, Rod Manning, Ty Grass,

45
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,760
Les Walsh and rookie member Ben Moses

46
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:33,640
have hit rock bottom.

47
00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:36,800
ROD: Extremely hard ground.

48
00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,360
We got a pretty big season target this year,

49
00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,800
and we are not really on track to hit it.

50
00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,080
I reckon we start looking for another claim.

51
00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,120
She's finished.That's it, then.

52
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,680
We're nowhere near, and everything's gone wrong.

53
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,400
Ah.That's cracked.

54
00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:56,480
Ah, Jesus. Jammed a rock in it down there,

55
00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,600
and cracked these $18,000 heads.

56
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,360
$90,000 worth of machinery

57
00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:04,480
has failed to unearth opal

58
00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,800
in two mines, Slims and Conrod.

59
00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,440
GROSS: This wasn't in the brochure, was it?ROD: No.

60
00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,240
As we are at the moment, down in Conrod, we found nothing,

61
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,080
so we have run out of money.

62
00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,000
What happened, mate? Too wet?

63
00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,960
There's so much more pressure on me now.

64
00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,280
It used to just be me and Les. It was easy.

65
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,160
But now I've got Ty, Benny's on the drill.

66
00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,080
I've got to provide for those two,

67
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,240
plus try and get enough money for the old bloke to retire.

68
00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,560
At the end of the day, no matter what you do, you need to find money.

69
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,680
You can't live on fresh air.

70
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,080
The Bushmen's last hope is a claim they've just pegged

71
00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:46,360
on an abandoned 40-year-old field, Dead Dog Gully,

72
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,400
where Ben found crystal opal with the exploration drill.

73
00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,720
BEN: Oh, strewth, look at that. That's a beautiful bit of crystal.

74
00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,680
Absolutely stoked when I'd come across this little patch down here

75
00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,720
and consistently drilling up colour.

76
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,480
Such an unbelievable feeling.

77
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,000
So, the other mine, we got all the big machinery,

78
00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,400
and it costs a lot of money to run.

79
00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,320
But down there at Dead Dog, we can just set that hoist up,

80
00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,320
and we can mine with jackhammers.

81
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,680
The Bushmen want Homer to drill a fresh one-metre wide shaft.

82
00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:18,720
And if they hit a promising opal level,

83
00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,640
expand the shaft to start a new mine.

84
00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,680
LES: Putting all our hopes in that. See what it says.

85
00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,080
Whether it's gonna be big pieces or little pieces.

86
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,320
Well, I suppose any piece is better than none.

87
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:35,360
Now, like I said, we have drilled colour here.Right.

88
00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,280
It was crystal.Mm-hm.

89
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,080
So there is a chance.OK.

90
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,680
I know you love to have a gamble. Rod.

91
00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:46,440
Yeah.

92
00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,600
Look, I'll tell you what.

93
00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:56,920
Um... Yeah? Ah. Good on you, mate.

94
00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,400
Good on you.Right. No worries.Good stuff.

95
00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,520
Sounds good. Nino, you're not getting paid for this one.

96
00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,560
For him to do this deal for me, it's a pretty special thing.

97
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,320
I think he's got a good chance of finding some colour. I really do.

98
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,000
And if he does hit a bit of colour in the shaft,

99
00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,600
that means we're going to be on it when we get there.

100
00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,080
So that will be a real good outcome for all of us.

101
00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,120
Homer Remaili, originally from Lebanon,

102
00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,200
has been drilling mine shafts for 20 years.

103
00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,400
Here we go.

104
00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,080
It's a Coldwell drill. It's a 30-years-old rig.

105
00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,680
The Coldwell drill uses an attachment

106
00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,480
with an array of tungsten-tip teeth to bore out a shaft,

107
00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:44,920
and a bucket with a one tonne capacity

108
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,720
capturing the dirt to assess it for opal.

109
00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,680
If you're lucky, it can turn a million bucks

110
00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:53,960
coming up on the bucket.

111
00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,160
TY: Benny's drilled up colour with a nine-inch drill.

112
00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,440
This drill's a 42 inch, so we've got more of a chance of finding it.

113
00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,120
We're on level.We got the level.

114
00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,840
Yeah, we need to check that.Yeah.

115
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,600
We just hit the level. about fix, six inch of it.

116
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,840
It could be colour on top of the heap or -

117
00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,520
Les has found a bit of colour.

118
00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:24,920
Whoa!LES: Colour.

119
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:30,240
Look at that, Rod. Oh, Les, you little ripper.Beautiful.

120
00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,080
We're pretty excited about this.

121
00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:33,960
It's about time we had a bit of luck,

122
00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,600
so maybe there's more down there waiting for us, boys.

123
00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:53,920
Moving a bit of the overburden so we can have a good look

124
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:55,960
at what's actually here in the ground.

125
00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:02,840
We seem to be pulling up a lot of the old mud, too,

126
00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,720
so I think we might be missing a lot of stuff.

127
00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,480
COZZA: Bit of colour down in here.

128
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,080
Really?Yeah.

129
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,000
Leif, wanna come over and check it out?

130
00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,160
We might have a bit of colour down in here.You've got something?

131
00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,120
Couple of chips here in the mud.

132
00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,360
Only come up a little.Oh, yeah.

133
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,840
It was just sitting on the top of this mud pocket.

134
00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,840
Yeah, right. Let's have a scratch here.

135
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,800
Is it good colour? Ah, nice.Yeah, man.

136
00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,120
The Mooka Boys, Matt Kathagen, brother Cozza,

137
00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,800
and team leader Leif Tanzer,

138
00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,000
are working Horse Paddock.

139
00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,120
Oh!

140
00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,040
A dangerous 400 metre wide opal field

141
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,800
featuring a tangled mix of virgin and mined out ground

142
00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:52,560
still riddled with opal.

143
00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:54,320
Opal mining's all good and fun.

144
00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,120
But at the end of the day, we've got to feed our families.

145
00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,680
Cozza, Leif already got families that we have to feed.

146
00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,760
And this year, I'm about to start my own.

147
00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,240
So all three of us have got the same challenges now.

148
00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:11,200
Yeah, mining opal is tough to try and provide for the family.

149
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,040
But, you know, we make do. We get by.

150
00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,520
We all hang in there for those bigger wins.

151
00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,880
We've set our target for 150.

152
00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,760
Leif's father, Paul, was a full-time miner.

153
00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,000
He was quite successful at what he did.

154
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,280
I know Leif definitely feels the pressure

155
00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,680
to be able to do the same in his life as well.

156
00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:37,760
Paul's last words to Leif were, "Make sure you finish everything

157
00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,720
that we've got open". It's been hanging on Leif's head.

158
00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:46,160
It's not just a bloody career choice or, you know, an activity.

159
00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,240
It's a lifestyle. We make into a lifestyle, what we're doing.

160
00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,040
There is actually colour, yeah? I know.Yeah, man.

161
00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:57,960
That's not bad at all. We'll have to go

162
00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:59,920
look through what you just dumped there.

163
00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,160
Bloody small. Bloody hell.

164
00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,440
I just dumped that last bucket across here.

165
00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,520
Look at that. There's a little bit here.

166
00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,200
Oh.Here's a chip.

167
00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,320
There we go. There's heaps here.

168
00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,160
Leif, come and have a look at this. We got colour,

169
00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,520
but it's all just flaky, trace seams.

170
00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,800
Tiny little ones in there. They're hard to see.

171
00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,040
It's all covered in the mud.Yeah.

172
00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,760
That's what we're finding here. Look at that.That's good.

173
00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,640
This is gonna take us a freakin' long time, man.

174
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,160
I don't know, boys. No way we're getting through

175
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,680
this whole floor this season like this.

176
00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,560
Mate, we're going to need a noodler for this.

177
00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,000
Can we get the noodler down here? It's set up as a stationary plant.

178
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,560
That was not rough enough to get it to where it is.

179
00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:44,560
Starting to realise it's such a big job.

180
00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:48,280
A noodler is really the tool we need for this job now.

181
00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,520
Our noodler is across the other side of the field and can't be moved.

182
00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,040
At 14 metres long and weighing 14 tonnes,

183
00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:00,320
the Mooka Boys' noodler can process 50 tonnes of dirt an hour,

184
00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,960
under black light, which causes the opal to fluoresce,

185
00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:06,920
if they can find a way to transport the payload.

186
00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,080
We got to try and come up with a solution

187
00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:12,880
to try and get this dirt over there

188
00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:15,640
and give our best chance of getting every piece of colour

189
00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:17,840
out of this ground because we really need it.

190
00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:19,640
All right.

191
00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,880
We've got a couple of old busted trucks around.

192
00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,440
Our friends have told us we can loan if we get it up and running.

193
00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,000
You're the diesel mechanic, Leif. What do you reckon?

194
00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,280
I can try, eh? The motor looks like it's there.

195
00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,240
Doesn't look it's been pilfered. Can we get that jump pack?

196
00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:38,640
Jump pack? Yeah, I'll get the jump pack, man.

197
00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,240
The jump pack connects to the truck's battery

198
00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:44,720
and delivers 650 amps to the starter motor

199
00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:46,920
to kick-start the engine.

200
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,320
All right, here we go.Go.

201
00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,520
Hey!Whoa! What was that?

202
00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,200
They've melted the terminal. What the heck?

203
00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,360
LISA: Well, Josiah, what do you reckon?

204
00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,400
Is it gonna be today? JOSIAH: Yeah, mate.

205
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,360
See how this level here's gotta taper. It's heading down.

206
00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,600
It's tracking deeper. So we're chasing this level downwards.

207
00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,840
All this dirt in front, we gotta get through it to get to the opal.

208
00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:26,080
So, yeah, a lot of blood, sweat and tears in that direction.

209
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,200
All right, Josiah, 50 metres. There we go.

210
00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,360
Rookie miners Lisa van Heijningen and Josiah Kotzur

211
00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:40,120
are halfway through their first season,

212
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:44,480
working 8.5 metres below ground with a minimal setup,

213
00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,600
two jackhammers and a 40-year-old hoist.

214
00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:51,360
This is our hoist, a very crucial part of our daily activities.

215
00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,160
It takes up all the soil and dumps it on the top side,

216
00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,360
and that allows us to keep driving forward.

217
00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:00,680
We're another bucket closer, Lisa,

218
00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,560
to fame and fortune, riches and treasures.

219
00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:13,840
Oh, what's that?What is it?

220
00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,800
Bearing just fell out. Off the bucket?

221
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:18,640
The bucket is just...

222
00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,240
It's come off the rails and got stuck.

223
00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,040
I don't know how that happened.

224
00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,520
The Digi Diggers are a new breed of opal miner,

225
00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,360
with ambitious plans to go green.

226
00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,360
We're at bush. We just can't plug into 240 volt.

227
00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,760
We're in Outback Australia. There's no power around.

228
00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,640
We survive off the sun's power.

229
00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,440
The setup costs to date are $100,000,

230
00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,960
but their ultimate goal is to sell opal in the metaverse,

231
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,000
using a virtual marketplace.

232
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:55,560
We're advancing. We've got our bus, there's a tree.

233
00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,800
We're rebuilding the whole mine in the metaverse,

234
00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,280
and we want this digital shop

235
00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,400
where everyone, over the whole world, can buy our opals.

236
00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:09,760
But for that, we need to find opals because it's gonna cost us a lot.

237
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,000
Oh.Whoo!

238
00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,920
Our season target is $60,000.

239
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,920
So we're on our way.

240
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,280
Living off opal's risky business, you know. We've got no plan B.

241
00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,400
So we've just got to find opal to bring our dreams to fruition.

242
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:33,040
It's a bearing. It's come off the bucket on the hoist.

243
00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,720
It just got stuck. Every time we're close,

244
00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,600
it's just problems with this hoist. Hoist.

245
00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:41,960
Every time.Don't know what it's doing. Always keeps breaking.

246
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,200
All right, let's go see. Maybe we can fix it.

247
00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,440
I don't even know where I'm gonna get this from.

248
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,600
To get spare parts out here in the Outback,

249
00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:56,000
it can take weeks or even months. We're in the middle of nowhere

250
00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,440
so you can't just walk to the hardware store.

251
00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,280
"Oh, yeah, I need this part. I need that part".

252
00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,160
OK, I'm gonna slowly bring it up.

253
00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,600
OK, slide under.

254
00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,120
Yeah. That's the one that fell off.

255
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,240
We can't really put it back on, huh?

256
00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,120
Yeah, well, it's sheared off.

257
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,160
This here is what keeps the bucket on the back of the rail.

258
00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,640
Yeah.Without it, no digging.

259
00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:39,400
We've just sunk so much money into our whole operation this year.

260
00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,320
It looks like we might get a bit of a reward from our money.

261
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,520
And this bucket here, this is gonna have some in it.

262
00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:49,320
On the long-abandoned Dead Dog Gully opal field,

263
00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:52,080
the dead-broke Bushmen have done a deal

264
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,240
with drill operator Homer.

265
00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:59,240
He won't charge for the new shaft, ordinarily worth $1,000.

266
00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,960
But any opal found will be his.

267
00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,280
HOMER: OK, guys, have a good look.

268
00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,200
There should be more there.

269
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,560
Oh, snap and duck. Look at that!

270
00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:16,640
LES: Beautiful.That's nice, eh?

271
00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:18,880
Beautiful. Oh, look at that.

272
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,040
How do you keep finding this stuff, Les?

273
00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,640
Years of experience, Les, isn't it? That's it.

274
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,280
Lovely.Hey, Nino's has got some, too. Look.

275
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,320
Oh, well done.

276
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,080
Well done. All around. It's everywhere.

277
00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:39,040
3,000 bucks in here already, so I'm very happy.

278
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,720
I mean, look at this. Nice, antique, colourful stones.

279
00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,840
As good as it was for him to drill that hole for me,

280
00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,160
he actually made way more than he would have

281
00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,440
had I paid him to do it, like one of them bittersweets, I suppose,

282
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,320
because if I'm ever stuck in the future,

283
00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,520
I think he'll do that deal again.

284
00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,840
But then again, you think of it the other way,

285
00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,280
like I've probably given away $4,000.

286
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,200
All right, yell out and stop me when you want.

287
00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,320
TY: Well, this is the hoist. It's got a diesel engine in there.

288
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:15,000
So we're going to set this hoist up down the hole we just drilled.

289
00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,200
Whoa!

290
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,480
Right-o. That looks pretty good. Reckon your bucket's gonna fit?

291
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,680
It's not too big, that bucket?No. Needs to get that way any more?

292
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,760
I don't think so.All right.

293
00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,440
Misses by about that much.

294
00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:35,680
The 200 kilo hoist is vital for removing the mine dirt

295
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,720
out of the nine-metre deep, one-metre wide shaft.

296
00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,160
Not a real lot of air down there, Benny.Yep.

297
00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,280
If you start to struggle, come straight up.

298
00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,960
Yeah, no worries. Start digging. Dig out some colour.

299
00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,720
All right.

300
00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,080
What's the air feel like, Ben? Good, mate.

301
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,320
Ben needs to create an alcove in the side of the shaft,

302
00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:02,000
where he can sit, to allow the hoist bucket to travel up and down.

303
00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,760
What Benny's doing down there, he's digging the little hole

304
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:09,120
into the wall to get into, and at the same time, he's digging colour.

305
00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,160
And he'll bring the colour up when he comes up out of the hole.

306
00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:13,920
How's it going there, Benny?

307
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,720
I've got this bucket pretty much full now.

308
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,000
I think we've got just about enough room.

309
00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,680
And we can get this bucket going up and down.Right-o.

310
00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,920
Don't stick your big boof head out to have a look what's happening.

311
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,800
No, I won't until I see that bucket come back down past me, mate.

312
00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,000
We've got millimetres. Just keep that leg tucked in.

313
00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,280
I can see it from up here. Here we go.

314
00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,400
Do not get out once the bucket comes past ya.

315
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:41,480
Don't worry. I bloody won't.

316
00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:49,240
LEIF: Uh, put it on there again.

317
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,120
Yeah.What's the battery charge at? Read it out.

318
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:55,480
It's 100.MATT: There we go.

319
00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,400
We might have just fried it, eh?

320
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,360
Might have to pull it out the sink spin.

321
00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:08,640
The Mooka Boys are desperately trying to jumpstart

322
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,520
a 50-year-old truck, which hasn't run for ten years.

323
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,640
Just try again quickly. Let's see.

324
00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:19,200
She turns over, boys!

325
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,600
Right.

326
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:24,720
You beauty!

327
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,440
Oh, man.Yeah!

328
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,880
The 15-tonne dump truck is vital to transport mine dirt

329
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,600
from the Horse Paddock claim to their opal processing plant

330
00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,680
two kilometres away.

331
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,280
About to back the truck out to the digger for the first load.

332
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:49,240
Bit of exciting times.

333
00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,640
I hope we can get a few loads up and get that noodler fired up.

334
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,920
See if we got some opal in the ground here.

335
00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,760
First time we've had the truck out, and we're getting it loaded.

336
00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,040
So that's definitely excellent.

337
00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,640
Whoo! First load done!

338
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,640
First load in the truck!

339
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,800
First load, man. Ready to go.

340
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:21,680
Ah, first load. I'm so happy.

341
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,280
Blew the tyre. Shredded the tyre out.

342
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,200
I don't think it can handle the weight.

343
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,440
It's blown that other side out. These two here got cracks in 'em,

344
00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:47,320
so they're about to blow out as well.

345
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,360
Yes, it's definitely not good.

346
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,840
Hopefully we can get this load up to the noodler

347
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,080
and run it through it and find some money.

348
00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,840
Tyres, once they sit out in the Outback sun here,

349
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,720
for year after year, they really dry out, start cracking.

350
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,240
Now that we put weight on those tyres,

351
00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,840
a couple of them have just blown out instantly.

352
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,080
Slow and steady wins the race. Yeah.

353
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:16,520
JOSIAH: Here, we have to rely on innovation,

354
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,800
and we have to find answers in the most craziest, abstract places.

355
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,720
That can be the rubbish dump, that can be old equipment

356
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,480
down an old mine shaft.

357
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,480
A sheared bearing on their 40-year-old hoist

358
00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:32,480
has brought the Digi Diggers' operation to a grinding halt.

359
00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,520
LISA: Brad is an old friend of us. He has, um,

360
00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:38,640
some bearings for us that we can use.

361
00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:43,440
The only thing is that they are in his old mine shaft,

362
00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,160
and he hasn't been down there for I don't know how long,

363
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,680
so he doesn't really know what's the go.

364
00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,720
Whoa.Looks a bit wobbly from here.

365
00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:55,920
That is really sketchy.

366
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,400
There's no way of going down the hole.

367
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:02,160
But there's no bucket on the hoist, so it must be down there.

368
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:03,920
All right, there's more holes.

369
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,040
I can see three holes from here.

370
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:09,600
The solution is to abseil in.

371
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,760
I've got some experience, Lisa's had some experience before.

372
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,080
The idea is to go down the second shaft

373
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,040
and find a way to the shaft that the ladder's in.

374
00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,760
Cool. You've checked everything? Checked it.

375
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,440
Hope there's no snakes down there.

376
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,600
So, yeah, just be careful on your way down.

377
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:29,880
It's about a 60-foot shaft,

378
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,480
so hopefully it connects to the other one,

379
00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,200
because we need to get there to get the bearings.

380
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,680
All good, Josiah?All good.

381
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:40,440
All right.

382
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,360
How are you doing?We made it. Yeah, good work. We're down.

383
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,960
Oh, that's so cool.

384
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,000
So, that's the direction that we need to go in.

385
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,560
It looks like there's a wall just before the shaft. Like, what?

386
00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:06,800
Oh. No, it's a dead end.

387
00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,480
Dead end. What do you mean, dead end?

388
00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,800
This way. I'll have a look over here.

389
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:13,560
That's backfilled.

390
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:16,840
That's backfilled.

391
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:18,600
All right, this way.

392
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:24,600
That's where we just came from. Oh, man, this is a maze.

393
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:26,480
And a sketchy maze.

394
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,640
This is no way. This is no way. Which way did we come?

395
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,480
I think this one.

396
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,160
This looks pretty sketchy.

397
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:37,920
Lift this.

398
00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,440
Looks sketchy.

399
00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,880
No, no, let's go back.

400
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:48,640
We have to go back.

401
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,000
ROD: Stay in your hole.

402
00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:56,560
NARRATOR: In Grawin, New South Wales,

403
00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,760
the Bushmen are attempting to clear the first load of dirt

404
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,120
from the bottom of a freshly dug nine-metre shaft.

405
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,680
Right-o, Benny. It's coming back to you, mate.

406
00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,280
Stay in your hole. I'm not moving down here.

407
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,040
Don't worry about that.

408
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,680
Just stay in your hole.

409
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,480
I'm glad it's Ben down there and not me.

410
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,000
He's doing all the hard yards, so...

411
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,760
Gone past ya?It's past me.

412
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:29,960
Good stuff. Right-o, mate, you're safe.

413
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,880
Stretch your legs out.

414
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,480
Ah. It's fun, mate.

415
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,280
You can see him digging the seam

416
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,480
and picking places out, so that's colour.

417
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:46,080
The good news is, it is turning. It's not just blue and green now.

418
00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:49,120
So a little bit of red showing up now, boys.Yeah.

419
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,280
What have you got there, bud? Oh, mate, she's gone dark.

420
00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:54,680
The colour bar's just hitting off the black.

421
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:57,160
He sounds too excited. I got to go and have a look.

422
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,560
Oh, geez, Rod. I'm liking the look of this.Yeah?Yeah, I like it.

423
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,640
Whoa!

424
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,480
Nice. Hey, Les.Yeah.

425
00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,720
It's starting to get a bit exciting down here.

426
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,920
Is it getting thicker?

427
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,880
Hey, Les.Yeah.

428
00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:17,200
It's big and it's cheesy. Good.

429
00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:19,120
Whoa!

430
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,680
Oh, Benny.  Benny.

431
00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,640
You ought to be able to see this bit from up there too, boys.

432
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,720
TY: We can see it. Right-o. I'll pull the bucket up.

433
00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,480
You can turn that genny off, Les.

434
00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,760
Look at that red there, Les, eh? That's gemmy, isn't it?

435
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,520
Pigeon blood red, that.

436
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,520
Yeah, that's got a good flashing in that one.

437
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,480
About time we got a bit of luck.

438
00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,000
Look at that. Ooh, that's a very nice piece.

439
00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,560
I think we got a saleable parcel here, boys.

440
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:53,400
The Bushmen have seam opal, blue green, with flashes of yellow,

441
00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:55,840
and rare, highly sought after red.

442
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,960
It's in the rough, and weighs 95 grams.

443
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,400
Go and see Herman? Yeah.Make some money.

444
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,680
At the moment in town, there are a few buyers kicking around.

445
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,160
Most of the motels have got a buyer in them.

446
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,160
But for this sort of material, one of our local buyers,

447
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,520
Herman the German, I think he'd like this material.

448
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,440
He's a bit of a legend out here. He's been here a long time.

449
00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,840
Over 50 years, to my knowledge,

450
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,880
he's had this shop for an awful long time,

451
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:24,640
and he's been an underground miner,

452
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,240
so he's always been real fair with us.

453
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,560
He knows how hard it is, you know.

454
00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,640
Right-o, mate, we'll go and see Herman.Yep.

455
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,920
Six is our absolute cut-off, OK?

456
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,600
So don't let him talk you into anything less.

457
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,640
How you doin', Herman?Hello, folks.

458
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,720
Good to see you...How are you? ..on a cold morning like this.

459
00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,640
You're tough. What can I do for you?

460
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:53,840
We got a little bit of material we want to offer you, Herman.

461
00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:56,200
Straight out of the ground this morning, Herman.

462
00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:03,760
OK. This piece here, now, that's not bad.

463
00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,440
Give me a rough idea. What's the lowest you'll take?

464
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,320
Well, Herman, you've always looked after us,

465
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,640
so I would charge anyone else 15,000 for this,

466
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,000
but for you - I love optimism when I see it.

467
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,720
Well, for you...Yeah?

468
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:21,480
..we'd take eight grand.

469
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:23,360
Only cos you're a good bloke.

470
00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,760
Well, you see, through my mind,

471
00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:31,640
what I would look at here is round about 3,000, 3,500.

472
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,760
I might go to four because of that big piece here.

473
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,320
I think you've got to sharpen your pencil a bit more than that, mate.

474
00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,720
MATT: Yeah, we made it. Most of the tyres are still on.

475
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,800
Truck just made it. The Mooka Boys have finally hauled

476
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,040
15 tonnes of opal-bearing dirt

477
00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:57,920
to their 40-year-old processing plant.

478
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,840
We'll try and fire up the noodler. First time this season.

479
00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,400
And it can be a bit temperamental straightaway,

480
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,160
so let's see how it goes.

481
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,480
Yeah, the generator's running.

482
00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:13,080
That's our power plant for this whole machine. That's a good start.

483
00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:16,080
Hopefully, all these belts and motors are gonna roll for us,

484
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,160
and we might be all right.

485
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,200
Tank is working. I'll try the belts out.

486
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:27,520
Long conveyor.COZZA: Yep.

487
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,280
It's your feed belt.

488
00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:32,720
I'll run the feed bit. All right.OK.

489
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,560
Feed belt's on.

490
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,120
It's not spinning.LEIF: Hold up.

491
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,480
I think it's jammed on here again.

492
00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:47,400
Looks like it's starting to turn it, but something's jammed in there.

493
00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,240
That's how we get all the dirt out.

494
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,520
Without that hopper belt, it's not gonna work at all.

495
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,000
What's going on, boys? I don't know how it doesn't move.

496
00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:03,160
Oi! Shut it down! Hey! Hey!Shut her off.

497
00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:05,840
Shut it off, bro.

498
00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:10,400
Motor keeps going on and off. It's  hot.

499
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,560
Running hot? Something wrong with the motor.

500
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,120
You can't touch it.Yeah. It's smelling something.

501
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:20,160
That's not good.Yeah, man. Oh, damn.

502
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,440
man.

503
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,240
It's unreal, eh?

504
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,760
Without that belt, we can't get no dirt up in it.

505
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,720
Always something broken.

506
00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,880
I don't know why we do this some days, boys.

507
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,800
Just always freaking fixing .

508
00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,080
No good, boys.What else can we do?

509
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,280
The best thing we can do is just tip it out.

510
00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:46,160
Look for it with black lights. We believe something's in there.

511
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,440
There was opal all over the place.

512
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,600
Spread it out with the loader. We only need a couple of ounces

513
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,080
to get some money up so we can get the  fixed.Yeah.

514
00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,440
We have to wait for it to get dark, yeah?

515
00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,200
It's all we can do for now.

516
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:03,680
Just got to make do with what we got.

517
00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:06,520
So we got a loader, we got some black lights.

518
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,920
Spread this load out, and hopefully we can find something the old way.

519
00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:15,920
Quick, Matty. That sun's nearly gone, mate.

520
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,640
Theory is, the opal is gonna sit on top of these little humps,

521
00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:21,640
and we're going to find it all.

522
00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,440
I'm just hoping and praying that there is enough in there

523
00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:26,200
so we can keep going.

524
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:35,000
LISA: I don't even know any more if we came from left or right, so...

525
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:41,080
Lost in an abandoned mine, Lisa and Josiah are scavenging

526
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,840
for a wheel bearing to fix their hoist,

527
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,160
the only means of getting dirt to the surface.

528
00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,840
JOSIAH: It looks like someone's... You see equipment?

529
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,280
Yes. And lights.Oh, my God! Yes.

530
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,760
We must have taken the longest way around.

531
00:29:57,480 --> 00:29:59,160
Yep. There it is.

532
00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,760
There's a ladder.And?

533
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,480
There's bearings on there. Yes.

534
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,640
They're good.We only need one, really, but we'll take two.

535
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,040
Bloody bearings.

536
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,120
Oh, well, we've got it. Bloody opal mining.

537
00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,520
Let's fix this thing.

538
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:25,160
So, yes, this is going to help us get back to work and find some opal.

539
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,440
That fits?

540
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,720
Yep. That'll be it. Nice. We're on it again.

541
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,760
Josiah and I, we've invested everything we have in this project.

542
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:42,240
We need opal to set everything up.

543
00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,560
But once we've got everything working on solar,

544
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,120
we've got a huge competitive advantage.

545
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,520
Because the fuel right now, the prices are crazy.

546
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:52,600
So we take it out the whole section.

547
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,360
Some colour here.

548
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,080
Very good.Yow!

549
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:16,040
Wow, Josiah.

550
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:18,400
Josiah! Look at this.

551
00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,320
Oh ! Whoa!

552
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,760
Looks like it goes all the way, and there's more in the wall even.

553
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,840
Look at that. Wow. Blue, green.

554
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:30,800
Wow.Let's drop it down.

555
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,920
Yep. Both hands.

556
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,520
OK. Just wait. Slowly, slowly, slowly.

557
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,880
Look at that. It's like a heart. Turn it around.

558
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,040
All right.

559
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,680
Oh, it's like a heart.

560
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:52,080
A broken heart.It's a broken heart.

561
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,440
OK. I'll have this piece. You have that piece.

562
00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:58,760
Oh, that's funny. We found an opalised broken heart

563
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,640
thirty foot underground.

564
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,240
It's got everything. Red, green. The whole rainbow is there.

565
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:06,000
Well, there's still colour there.

566
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:10,360
This is the moment we get our whole yearly target in one day.

567
00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,160
Yeah.Yeah.

568
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:15,400
Just gonna pull it. It's there.

569
00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,800
Whoa! Look at that!

570
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:24,680
Look at that.Holy !

571
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,800
That there is gorgeous.

572
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,000
What a big hunk of crystal. Look at it.

573
00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:32,960
And there might be more.

574
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:37,320
Whoa! Look at that.

575
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,800
Holy !

576
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,760
Just a little awestruck by this, you know.

577
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:50,320
We're in a bit of a shock, what we're seeing right now.

578
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,520
So...

579
00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:54,560
Look at that. This is gorgeous.

580
00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,040
Tear.

581
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,040
You're the one that's supposed to cry, Lisa.

582
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,920
I'll tell you what, we just got this in a bell out.

583
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,040
So we've only just started this mine, right?

584
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,880
OK.And we need some operating capital.

585
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,680
If you bump it up a little bit - Can I just make an observation, Les?

586
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,920
He's now going to get me to go up in price

587
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,560
with the promise that when he gets some of the good stuff,

588
00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,840
he'll bill the good stuff in here as well.Oh, we will.

589
00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:44,160
Watch him operate like that. He's good at it. Yeah.

590
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:48,040
That's exactly right, Herman. You saved me a lot of talking.

591
00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:52,480
That's exactly what we'll do.

592
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:57,440
Well, you see, I'm building my hopes on this stone here.

593
00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,800
Yeah, it's a good stone. Yeah. Not bad.

594
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:05,680
Bump it up to 6,500, and I think we'd be happy with that.

595
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,480
Well -As I said, Herman, we've only just started,

596
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,320
and it's showing such good potential.

597
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:15,000
Oh, is it ever. So when we get the better stuff...

598
00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,040
We get anything, I'll give you first look.

599
00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,280
If you don't mind. As a favour. Not a problem.

600
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,680
But I'm happy enough with this deal.

601
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,560
6,500.Good on you, mate.

602
00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:25,760
What happened to the 15?

603
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,080
I'll take that down the road, but for you, 6,500,

604
00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:31,840
because you're such a good bloke to us.

605
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:33,600
That's all good.

606
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,120
There we go.Good stuff, Herman. Thank you very much, mate.

607
00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:41,200
Thanks, Herman. Right-o, mate. We'll catch you a bit later.

608
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,640
OK. Thank you.

609
00:34:43,720 --> 00:34:46,520
That went pretty good. Yeah, I was happy with that.

610
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:48,280
Boys will be getting a cut.

611
00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:53,480
TY: How'd it go? You see Herman? We saw Herman.

612
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:55,800
BEN: Did you bring beer? We brought beer.

613
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,520
So you know that means. You got a sale, did ya?Heck yeah.

614
00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:01,760
6,500.Beautiful.

615
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,680
Well done, mate. Well done.

616
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:07,160
That's bloody good.Good stuff, Les. Yeah, it's a good start, isn't it?

617
00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:09,920
Watch out!

618
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,000
Just a good way to end things, you know?

619
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,200
Found a bit of colour, made a sale. Have a beer and a barbe.

620
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,520
Fellas, job well done.

621
00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:19,280
Excellent, actually.

622
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:23,040
This 6,500, we've got it, it's really gonna help out.

623
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,000
We've got money for diesel, we got money

624
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:26,760
to continue on with this mine.

625
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,880
So yeah, things are looking pretty bloody good.

626
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:31,640
Dead Dog Gully, eh?

627
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:37,840
COZZA: Yeah, clock's ticking now.

628
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,760
Getting to the end of the season, and we haven't had a win.

629
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,520
So not looking too sharp for the Mooka Boys.

630
00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:45,520
Without their processing plant,

631
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,760
the Mooka Boys are resorting to black lighting by hand.

632
00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:52,280
MATTA: There's gotta be something in here from everything we found before.

633
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:55,240
They're searching a 20 centimetre thick layer of dirt

634
00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:57,840
in which they found traces of opal.

635
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,320
The opal glows up under UV light. So it's what we do.

636
00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:04,520
We run over it with UV light and look for anything that glows.

637
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,760
Just like a white shirt in a disco room.

638
00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:10,680
All right. What have we got here?

639
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:12,560
Very important that we find something.

640
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:15,880
All our eggs are in this basket. We only got one load up here.

641
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:17,640
There's a piece right there, eh?

642
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,320
Oh, yeah, it seems. Whoo!

643
00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,720
Yeah, man. Greens, reds.

644
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,320
Yeah, look at that. I can see them from here.

645
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:31,160
That's a big, bloody stone kind of opal.

646
00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:33,280
Mate.Oh, man.

647
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,960
There's opal all over it. That's unreal.

648
00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,400
That's beautiful.Brilliant colour.

649
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:41,640
I mean, that's only thin, but God, it's all adding up.

650
00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:44,720
Let's keep going, eh? We only need a couple of stones.

651
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:46,920
All right. Keep looking.

652
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,840
Oh, boys.

653
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:50,880
Give me some light.

654
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:56,880
Far out!

655
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,160
Is that honey matrix?

656
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:03,120
Check that out, man. Look at this one.Far out.

657
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,000
We got reds, blues, greens. That's nice stuff, too.

658
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:11,280
Check that out! Yeah, that's our money right here.

659
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,200
Holy . We got our money.

660
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:16,640
Oh, that's excellent.

661
00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,600
The Mooka Boys have honey matrix opal,

662
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,880
named for its orange hue.

663
00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:26,320
It's scattered with vibrant flakes of green, red and blue.

664
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,200
They also have angel stone, pale sandstone boulders

665
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,120
with deep, colourful veins of seam opal.

666
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:36,960
Yeah, get 'em on the scale, see what we've got.

667
00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:41,560
We're gonna need some bigger scales by the time we finish this floor.

668
00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:45,960
There's some nice reds and greens coming out of that. Big flashes.

669
00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:52,960
All right. And that is just a touch over 20 ounces.

670
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:54,800
Gangster. Right-o.

671
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,680
What's that, at 500 bucks an ounce?

672
00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,280
Ten grand, boys. That's not bad for the week, eh?

673
00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,000
For all the  we had. That's all right. Not bad.

674
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:05,440
Yeah, well, we still got these speccy stones, too.

675
00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:07,480
I think we'll get 600 bucks for that lot.

676
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,840
Yeah.That's enough to do the tyres, get the noodler running, man.

677
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:14,200
We should be able to find a motor for that, too, eh?Hm.Not bad.

678
00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:17,920
Yeah, so, just all up, you know,

679
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,520
we're evaluating at about just over 11 grand.

680
00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:24,240
That's more than enough for us to get a bit of a payday each,

681
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,320
and get tyres for the trucks and fuel.

682
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:28,400
We can get the show on the road.

683
00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:30,880
We're hoping, this year, we can have that big win

684
00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,200
to make sure that our families and our partners

685
00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,640
continue to support us, uh, in our dreams as well.

686
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:40,240
Good week, boys. Another struggle, another win.

687
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:44,120
It definitely wasn't an easy week, but there was success at the end.

688
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,760
Yeah. Beauty.Cheers.Cheers.

689
00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:59,200
Well, let's just go through all of this.Yeah.

690
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,720
The buyers coming into town are high-end jewellers.

691
00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:05,560
They've created jewellery for the wealthiest families in Australia.

692
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,000
We are suspecting that they're gonna want crystal,

693
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:10,160
and high quality crystal at that.

694
00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:12,640
This is our king stone. It's just an amazing piece.

695
00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:15,160
It's just full crystal. You can see it with the sun.

696
00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:17,160
It's just shining straight through it.

697
00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:20,240
It's just an amazing piece of art.

698
00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:25,320
Driving from Brisbane, almost 1,000 kilometres away,

699
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:30,640
buyers Kevin, Matthew and Adrian are high-end jewellers

700
00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:34,320
with a focus on bespoke, one-of-a kind designs.

701
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,440
ADRIAN: I've been cutting for nearly 13 years now,

702
00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:41,680
and I've, sort of, made opals my specialty.

703
00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:43,840
We do use the stones as inspiration.

704
00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,000
So that's a big part of what we do, we find a stone first

705
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:49,240
and let the stone speak for itself.

706
00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:52,040
This looks promising. I can't wait to see what they have.

707
00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,040
That's mad.School bus.Older sofas.

708
00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,560
Hello. Welcome. Matthew. Good to meet you.

709
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,320
How's it going?Hi. Kevin.Lisa. Pleased to meet you.

710
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,520
Pleased to meet you. How was the ride? Good?

711
00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:06,840
Good. Yeah.A bit long, but... Yeah...we made it.

712
00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:12,880
All right. So I'm going to reveal Yowah's heart.

713
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:14,760
Oh.This looks good, man.

714
00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,240
Whoa.Whoa. Look at that. It's an actual heart.

715
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:24,080
That's...Whoa.It's good.Yeah.

716
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,320
But that's not all.

717
00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,600
That isn't all? Some lovely colour in there.

718
00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:31,960
Sweet. Look at that. Oh.

719
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,040
Oh. Look at that. There we go.

720
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,920
There's some colour. That is a beautiful colour.

721
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,880
So this is called the Ibiza collection.

722
00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:45,440
The Digi Diggers have crystal opal, featuring rich blues,

723
00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:47,720
with green and purple highlights.

724
00:40:47,800 --> 00:40:50,760
It's in the rough and weighs 160 grams.

725
00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:52,520
That's stunning.

726
00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,760
What are you roughly thinking, asking for these?

727
00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:00,840
Our master stone...MATTHEW: Yeah.

728
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:03,960
We're asking 30. We reckon that's worth it.

729
00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,600
And for the rest, as a whole, we'll ask 20.

730
00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:09,720
Yeah.I love the finds.

731
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,080
If it's all right with you guys, we might have a team meeting.

732
00:41:13,160 --> 00:41:16,440
Yeah. That's fair. And discuss some options.

733
00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:18,680
OK. All right.

734
00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:23,520
JOSIAH: Oh, my God. That's intense.

735
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,360
We have never had this much opal to sell before.

736
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:30,480
We've never spoken and negotiated at these higher levels.

737
00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:32,840
It's very nerve-racking.

738
00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,680
Yeah, I've sold stuff before. It's always an adventure.

739
00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,480
You never know what's gonna happen or how they'll react.

740
00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:43,360
And, um, yeah, it's, uh, intense.

741
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,040
That's definitely the plan.

742
00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,200
How's it going?Good.

743
00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:52,960
How are you guys going? Doing well.

744
00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:54,720
We've had a bit of a chat.

745
00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:57,440
We like the colour and everything in the heart of Yowah,

746
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,080
but probably gonna be a little bit too much of a risk for us cutting.

747
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,120
Uh, we are really interested in the king stone there.

748
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,160
As an individual piece at the moment,

749
00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:12,520
it's probably a bit more than what we wanted to spend for it.

750
00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:15,200
Give that a bit of a pass for the moment.

751
00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:18,600
The rest of the parcel though, we are quite interested in.

752
00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,720
You were wanting 20,000 for the parcel.

753
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:26,520
Would you go anywhere closer to 15,000 on that parcel?

754
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,760
That's a big jump. $5,000. Yeah, it is.

755
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,400
Anywhere closer to that? What were you thinking?

756
00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:37,760
I reckon we can definitely be a bit flexible.

757
00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:44,400
I would say we could definitely jump from 20 to 17.

758
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,160
Seventeen?

759
00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:54,120
Yeah, no worries. Yeah, we can work with 17.

760
00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:57,840
Yeah, no worries. Sweet.Deal.

761
00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:01,960
To be honest, we actually really wanted the king piece.

762
00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:04,800
Um, but it's just way too outside our budget.

763
00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:07,840
It's not gonna work for today, but it's really nice piece.

764
00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:11,760
We want to put it in the metaverse in a collection of Lisa and myself.

765
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,240
So we'd like to entrust this to you guys,

766
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,600
and you guys can make some jewellery out of it.

767
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:18,880
That'd be cool, yeah. Definitely keen. Thanks.

768
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:21,760
Yeah, well, give us a hug. Come on.

769
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:24,920
The king stone is very precious, but I really like their work.

770
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:27,480
So I think a collaboration was in order,

771
00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:30,560
one that would allow them to work on this particular stone,

772
00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,560
and then prepare it for a metaverse-based sale.

773
00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,560
Moving forward, we see each other collaborating

774
00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:38,320
with the jewellers from Brisbane.

775
00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:41,280
They are making great stuff, and I can't wait to see

776
00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:45,160
the jewellery they'll make with Ibiza collection. It'll be insane.

777
00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:49,200
That was amazing. What a day. What a life.

778
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:52,560
What a life.What a life. Cheers to that.

779
00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:11,440
# Money #

780
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:13,520
Subtitles by Deluxe

780
00:44:14,305 --> 00:45:14,696
Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE
www.osdb.link/lm