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NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters...

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Les! Come have a look at this.

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The Bushmen risk it all, mining the rock

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that holds up their roof.

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I think we can make it safe, Les. Yeah, and the  roof could fall in on us.

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It's not worth dying for a few bucks.

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Ugh!

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CARL: We're spending money faster than we're making it at the moment.

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The Poms get their first taste of real mining...

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MARY: I'm just a bit concerned that he's not looking after himself.

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..struggling to find their first piece of opal underground.

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Shattered. Absolutely shattered.

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It's more your mirror on the tree that I'm worried about.

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Pete Cooke nurses a busted shoulder...

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I'm frustrated as hell. I should be down there on the ground, shovelling sand.

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..forcing rookie Sam to take on more than he can handle.

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You've got to be really careful. What's this button do?

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You OK?

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ROD: Bondi has ended up being a pretty good claim.

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You know, we haven't dug a great deal of it.

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We've got good money,

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but we've had a bloody lot of things gone wrong.

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Blower's broken down.

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If the blower don't go, there's nothing we can do...

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Yeah. ..until we get it going.

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Yeah. I don't know what's the cause of the bloody problem.

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In outback New South Wales,

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the Bushmen's recent run of success is under threat

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from a broken-down rock extractor.

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The blower's so important

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because once you've got a pile of dirt on the ground,

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you can't move your digger forward any more.

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So, you've got to suck all that dirt out.

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So without the blower, it stops everything.

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We think it's this coupling.

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Till we get it off, we won't actually know.

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That's what it is. Yeah.

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This coupling goes on to the shaft that drives the fan,

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and all the inside in here is all flogged out.

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So, to get a new one of these, we'll have to send this away.

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Yeah. Oh, Jesus. That's, what,

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three or four weeks, probably? Yeah, probably.

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If it's not one damn thing, it's another.

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You ready? Yeah.

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BOTH: Oh!

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Yeah, that's money. That's money, mate.

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This season, The Bushmen have steadily closed in

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on their $60,000 target,

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hunting legendary black opal.

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Because we haven't found money for so long,

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I've, erm, racked some bills up.

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And now we've got a bit of money, we do have to spend it

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on the machinery. There's things that need fixing.

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Recent family news gives even more reason

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to find opal fast.

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Our youngest daughter, we've just found out

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that she's pregnant with our latest grandchild.

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Amanda wants to be there at the week of the birth

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so that she doesn't miss anything. Yeah.

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And if we just get a little tiny bit more money,

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we should be able to- No. We can do it.

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We're fine. We'll be doing it. Yeah, I know we can do it.

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At the moment, we haven't probably got enough money.

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I haven't told Amanda yet. She still thinks everything's rosy,

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but there's no other way to get there than finding more opal.

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Well, I've had a bit of an idea come to me, Les.

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Yeah? Now, I don't know

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whether you remember, Brian had that claim down there

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that you called it The Maze. Yeah.

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Well, he got over a million dollars out of that.

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And when he retired... ..he told me

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there was money still in the columns down there,

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that the columns are a bit dodgy taking it out

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cos the roof down there is not real good.

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How dangerous is this mine? We can go there and have a look.

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Oh, yeah.

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Eight kilometres from their Bondi mine lies The Maze,

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abandoned by a retired Lightning Ridge miner...

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No wonder he called this The Maze. There's drives down in every direction. Yeah.

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..a labyrinth of hundreds of metres of tunnels

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held up only by unstable columns of rock.

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This is where he told me, I'm pretty sure, Les,

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cos he said there's paint on the two columns.

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I'd really like to take these out.

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I reckon there's money in them. There might be, but I don't know.

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You can only take out a certain amount of dirt.

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You have to leave columns in there to hold the roof up.

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You can go pillar bashing, which is just that.

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You're gonna go in with a jackhammer and take the pillar out.

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Before you do that, you've gotta put props all the way around it

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so the roof has still got some support.

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We put a double row of props here,

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then one row of props, say, here.

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I think we can make it safe, Les. I really do.

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We might take them out for money. And the -ing roof

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could fall in on us. Well, it could.

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Yeah. I'm not crazy about knocking the pillars out.

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That's not worth dying for a few bucks.

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If it falls in on top of you, you can't spend any of it.

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Put a plaque up top, "He was stupid and he's still here."

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So, you're in? Uh...

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500km to the south west...

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CARL: I'm just shovelling and shovelling and shovelling.

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The task at hand at the moment is to dig down another two or three feet

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before I can start to make any progress forwards

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towards the face to really chase the opal.

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It's a big task to be doing on your own

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with just a shovel at the moment.

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..school teacher Carl Grice and jewellery maker Mary McMillan

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have sold up their home and most of their belongings

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and travelled 3,000km to seek an opal fortune

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in the remote town of White Cliffs.

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Population, 148.

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There's no safety net for us. We haven't got a home waiting for us to come back to

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if all this fails. Everything we own is now in an RV.

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The last of the rookie miners' savings have gone

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towards $3,000 worth of equipment

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and a lease on a 120-year-old mine,

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hunting for crystal opal

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worth up to $5,000 a carat.

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My profession has been a teacher, so, really,

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most my adult life, I've been in the classroom

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rather than on the tools.

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Mary's in the workshop making jewellery.

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And the idea is that I find the opal and cut it and Mary sets it.

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Carls' been busy digging, digging, digging, digging.

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We've left a lot of kind of conventional living behind.

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I'm really pleased we've done that because we love this lifestyle.

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But obviously, I need to have opal to create jewellery.

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I'm working all the hours that I possibly can.

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I'm down there straight after I finish my breakfast,

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and I'm coming out when it's dark. This is really hard work

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cos with the sole tipper, I'm continually shovelling,

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the time it takes to tip and come down,

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I've shovelled two buckets, they go in, and I'm shovelling again,

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so, yeah, there's only breaks when you take them.

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With limited experience and equipment,

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the Poms have barely dented their $100,000 season target.

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I'm at a bit of a turning point at the moment

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because this drive here, which has already been begun,

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it's half full of all this backfill. So it's gonna take me at least a couple of weeks

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to get all this backfill out before I can continue it to get opal.

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But this here, I could start attacking this with a jackhammer,

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and straightaway, there's a chance there could be opal there.

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Funds are running low. We need to be finding opal and making a bit of money

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because there is no plan B for us at the moment.

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I was a bit apprehensive going down the mine for the first time,

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didn't really know what to expect.

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Welcome. Welcome to our mine. Ooh!

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This is cool.

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What I'd like to do is go through here and create our own drive.

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Yeah. What do you think? It's bloody exciting. Yeah.

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So I can see ash band.

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Ah, well spotted. Yeah.

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We've been told there's been a lot of opal found around ash bands.

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We're in the right place. We could be finding opal any moment.

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Wow.

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Ash bands are formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.

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The ash is rich in silica,

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the primary mineral that creates opal.

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Next step, jackhammer.

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This is virgin ground, no-one's ever been in here before.

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Ten minutes from now, we could have a million dollars. Who knows?

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All right, just watch your branches. Straighten up.

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Am I gonna get past that ladder? Yeah, the ladder's all right.

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It's more your mirror on the tree that I'm worried about.

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In Lightning Ridge, outback New South Wales,

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Pete Cook and apprentice, Sam Westra...

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Over that way, if you can.

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..are one arm down in the fight to rescue their season.

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I'm frustrated as hell. I don't like getting wounded.

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It slows the whole show down.

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It's uncomfortable, it's painful,

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and I'm not doing my bit.

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Pete has severe tendon damage in his shoulder

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after an epic effort to get

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their one-tonne digger into the Allawah claim.

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With me arm out of action, I can't go up and down these ladders.

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I'd rather be down there underground, showing him how to drive the digger.

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If you're not careful with it, it can be a bit unpredictable

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when you're working the levers.

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Now he's just got to try and figure it out himself.

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So those two are your legs. Right, yeah.

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They put the feet down. Yeah. And then, erm,

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that one's your roof ramp. Yeah.

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If it falls over, make sure you're not under it.

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The digger is now Sam and Pete's best bet

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for reaching their $50,000 target,

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hunting the most valuable of the rainbow gem:

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black opal.

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I'm in Lightning Ridge to find opal.

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I'm putting a lot of work in.

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We go to work eight to five every day.

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Don't have too much to show for it, that's for sure.

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To make ends meet,

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Sam has taken a second job at the local pub.

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Now I've got to work 16 hours a day, every day,

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and at the end the day, I could be earning more money doing something else.

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I'll have one of that. No worries.

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If we don't find opal at the end of this season,

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I'd be a bit, you know, questioning my choices in a way, I suppose.

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I've now got someone else to think about, too.

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My girlfriend, she supports me

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doing opal mining at this stage.

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But because I still work every night,

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it puts strains on our relationship.

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We only see each other half an hour for lunch, half an hour for dinner.

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And then, one day a week on a Saturday, that's it.

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Really putting a lot into opal mining,

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so, erm, hopefully, it can give something back.

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I suppose I'm a bit nervous about the digger.

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Erm, I've never used one before.

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They're just not real well-designed, and they're dangerous.

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I'm a bit concerned. I'd much rather be down there with him,

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showing him how to do it,

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but I can't be there to hold his hand.

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He'll just have to go down there and do it.

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It has been a long time coming to finally get set up digging dirt.

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It's the start of us being able to come out here and mine,

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you know, properly, conventionally, with a digger

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and a bit quicker and, yeah,

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hopefully pull out quite a bit of dirt.

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The more dirt you move, the bigger chance you've got of finding opal.

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But this digger's very precarious to move.

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If you fall back and grab a hold of the levers

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it can pin you up against the wall.

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Just gotta be really careful.

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You've got to be stable on your feet

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and make sure you've got a good floor.

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Cos, yeah, this whole thing could come back and just crush me.

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You OK?

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CARL: It's been continuous digging and carrying

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and lifting and jackhammering.

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It's getting to the point where we need some kind of breakthrough.

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Even a little bit of colour would just give me the energy,

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I think, to keep going.

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I'm probably pushing myself to my absolute limits right now.

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I haven't had a day off since we arrived here.

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But we are living our dream.

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The last piece of that dream is finding the opal.

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While Carl still dreams of finding their first opal underground,

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Mary's expertise as a jeweller is being wasted.

244
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,199
Carl's done a huge amount of digging, but we haven't found any trace of opal at all.

245
00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,759
We're just keeping our fingers crossed every day

246
00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,839
and really trying to stay positive.

247
00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,919
It's a very physical game, erm, hunting for opal,

248
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,679
and Carl is very much one to go in all guns blazing.

249
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,079
It's very easy to see how people can become obsessed with this.

250
00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,719
I'm probably part way there myself...

251
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,959
because literally, as soon as I jump out of bed in the morning,

252
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,439
I just want to be down here and digging.

253
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,039
I will dig until I physically can't any more.

254
00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,679
Shattered, absolutely shattered.

255
00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,159
Barely have enough energy to climb up the ladder.

256
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,159
We're spending money faster than we're making it at the moment.

257
00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:37,639
I think it's a case of all hands on deck right now,

258
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:39,959
so Mary's gonna come down and give me a hand.

259
00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:43,519
I'm not used to lifting a 15kg bucket.

260
00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,199
So, it's gonna be quite hard work going down there.

261
00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:50,879
I'll be going here with the jackhammer,

262
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,879
and all the loose stuff will fall down here.

263
00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,399
You start clearing some of that. Just mind this cable, darling.

264
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,679
Mary's job is to move the rubble to allow Carl access to the wall

265
00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:07,799
that shows signs of volcanic ash,

266
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,879
a silica-rich material that can form opal.

267
00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:13,759
It's bloody hard work. I don't know how Carl

268
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,039
has energy to do it for so long.

269
00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,199
I find it hard to stay enthusiastic

270
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,839
when you're just digging through dirt, dirt, dirt.

271
00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,559
There's no sign of anything. Hard rock there.

272
00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,799
Carl's keeping me going at the moment.

273
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,439
He's just like a tunnelling mole.

274
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,599
He just can't stop.

275
00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,999
Hey, Mary, look at this. What is that?

276
00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,719
It looks like a really, really thin fault line.

277
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,999
Can you see? It's coming down. You can see it. Yes, quite clear.

278
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,959
This is exactly what we want. This is a vertical fault line.

279
00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:51,879
Cos if this goes all the way to the surface... Yeah.

280
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,599
..that's the crack that the water can come through.

281
00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,759
As it goes through the sand, it picks up the silica... Yeah.

282
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,719
..and then, if it hits something like this level... Yeah.

283
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,079
..which is harder, it can pool out, and over millions of years,

284
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,039
the water disappears, leaves the silica, which is opal.

285
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,199
So, this is a really good sign. Oh, wow.

286
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,359
And it's the first one I've seen since we've come down here.

287
00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,759
Oh, that's well exciting. OK, get on with it, then. Come on.

288
00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,559
Carl hasn't found any fault line

289
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,039
since he's been digging all this seven meters.

290
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,519
Erm, so, it's a really exciting find for us

291
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,959
because where there's fault lines, potentially, there could be opal.

292
00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,679
Oh, , Mary. What? Look at this.

293
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,239
What is it? Does that look like colour?

294
00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:56,399
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

295
00:16:57,840 --> 00:16:59,999
Oh, my God, look.

296
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:02,879
What?  What?

297
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,719
It's green. Look at that colour! Wow, I'm speechless.

298
00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:10,159
And there's more, Mary. There's a bit of green there as well, to the left.

299
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:13,199
Oh, my God.

300
00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,479
Wow, Carl. We found our first opal! I know.

301
00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,399
Proper, proper, you know, underground.

302
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,879
I know. I can't believe it.

303
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:23,959
I'm not sure what to do now. Is there any more?

304
00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,399
I was literally just about to plant my jackhammer

305
00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,479
and something green just winked at me just at the last second.

306
00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,559
It'd be cool to clean these up and see what they look like.

307
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:34,799
I couldn't quite believe it when Carl was like, "Mary, what's that?@

308
00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,879
You know, "I think there's something here."

309
00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:38,959
I just thought, you know, this is crazy.

310
00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,999
I've been smashing at that wall and shifting dirt for weeks,

311
00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:47,319
so to have something wink at you out of that was just fantastic.

312
00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,639
Let's go. OK.

313
00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,479
I think there's money in these columns...

314
00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,279
..and I think if we prop it the right way, it'll be safe enough.

315
00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,519
In the labyrinth of the Maze mine,

316
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,039
Rod's trying to convince partner Les

317
00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,679
to dig out the columns of rock that hold up the roof.

318
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,599
Just say we took these two out... Yeah, if you took them all away,

319
00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,679
what have you got here? A football field?

320
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:24,199
Yeah, I know, but... Well, OK.

321
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,199
Look, we've got a good haul out of the last one.

322
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,079
Why not sit it out for a while? Nah, stuff that.

323
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:32,679
The way I figure it out, we're about...

324
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,719
..80 percent safe.

325
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,079
I reckon it's good odds.

326
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,359
If I don't come down and help, you'll do it on your own, won't you?

327
00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,239
Yeah, and I'll get all the money on me own too.

328
00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,319
So, you're in?

329
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,399
Good on you, Mate. Well done.

330
00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:52,279
OK, we're doing it. You beauty.

331
00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:54,439
Rod's promise to wife Amanda,

332
00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,599
to visit their pregnant daughter 700km away,

333
00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,999
relies on him finding opal to pay for the trip.

334
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,639
She'll be devastated if I have to go home and tell her that we're not going.

335
00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,559
And I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna make it happen.

336
00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:09,999
OK, drop 'em.

337
00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,199
Righto, here it comes.

338
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,159
Rod, he knows the consequences if things go wrong.

339
00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:23,719
The only way to be safe down there when you're doing that

340
00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:25,839
is to prop it properly.

341
00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:31,399
A reasonable size lump of timber could be eight foot long.

342
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,959
Cap it top and bottom, drive wedges in

343
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,519
so it's tight up against the roof.

344
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,799
Here, give us another one.

345
00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:40,999
You put enough of them in,

346
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,479
it'll be good enough then to take the pillars out.

347
00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,519
It should hold the roof.

348
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,199
So we'll be able to start jackhammering, eh?

349
00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,679
Orange sandstone, and that's as hard as the hobs of hell.

350
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,159
A little jackhammer won't bust through it.

351
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,679
You need something 60, 70lb.

352
00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,439
After being hanging on to it for a bloody hour or two in there...

353
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,039
..it gets heavy, and you wish you'd never seen one.

354
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,999
Ah! Jesus, Les.

355
00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,439
I don't know how long I can do that. That's so bloody hard.

356
00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:28,519
I've got colour up here.

357
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,159
Have a look at this. It's nice colour.

358
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,239
But Jesus Christ, this is so hard, mate.

359
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,039
I don't think I'm gonna be able to take all this out.

360
00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:38,679
And I bloody know you're not gonna be able to do it.

361
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,519
OK? What's this button do?

362
00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,919
Oi!

363
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,879
Of course you're nervous when you're operating new machinery.

364
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:06,279
Obviously, probably jumped into things a bit quick.

365
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,639
I've heard of a lot of blokes getting pinned up against walls.

366
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,759
We heard of another bloke, I think he broke his arm.

367
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,639
For rookie Sam, Pete's shoulder injury means

368
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,319
he's operating the dangerous digger alone

369
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,399
for the very first time.

370
00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,559
I'd really like to see some money come out of Allawah.

371
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,439
That'd just be great.

372
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,599
You do think about it sometimes.

373
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,679
I'm just sitting still,

374
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,759
and everyone is sort of moving forward with their lives.

375
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,239
To ensure the one-tonne digger doesn't topple over,

376
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:51,359
Sam needs to secure it to the roof with a hydraulic post called a ram.

377
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,399
The roof here isn't really well-defined.

378
00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,559
It can just be too soft, and when you go to work it, it can move.

379
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,639
And when it moves,

380
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,399
it'll rain down clods of sandstone and oval dirt on you.

381
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,319
I was a little bit nervous.

382
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,759
There's bound to be rocks coming down.

383
00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,279
Just gotta make sure you wear your hard hat and stay out of the way.

384
00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:25,479
Once I've got going, once I've worked out what lever did what,

385
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,599
we dug some dirt.

386
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,959
With that digger I could knock down in one swipe,

387
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,599
and that was taking me an hour with the jackhammer.

388
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,719
Pete, I'm sending the first bucket up!

389
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:40,799
Yep.

390
00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,079
Oh, he's getting the hang of it now.

391
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,679
He'll start pulling a few buckets of dirt and hope we'll get a truckload.

392
00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:01,719
Just so I can remember how many buckets go in, keeping track on how it's going.

393
00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,719
But with Sam due at his second job at the pub,

394
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,799
this shift must be cut short.

395
00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:10,879
Oh, I got to get to work.

396
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,639
So, that's the last hoist bucket for the day.

397
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,159
The digger is bit of a thing to move.

398
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,519
It will take a bit to get used to.

399
00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,599
But that's all right.

400
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,999
We got some dirt out today, and we'll go up and call it a day.

401
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,679
All right, mate, so there's a bit of a load in. Yeah.

402
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,399
Good old Allawah dirt, mate, you dug yourself. That's it. Yeah.

403
00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:39,319
If there is anything in it, it'll make all the hard work worth it.

404
00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,639
There's colour there. There's very nice colours just there.

405
00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,399
And it runs around to here,

406
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,959
but it's bloody hard stuff and it is hard to get out.

407
00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,239
In a desperate effort for quick cash, the Bushmen are undertaking

408
00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,359
a highly dangerous mining technique known as pillar bashing.

409
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,159
If you run out of luck pillar bashing, that's it.

410
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,399
They're gonna put a cross on top of the hole.

411
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:17,719
They're digging for opal in stone columns, holding up the ceiling.

412
00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,919
Above them, 15m of solid rock.

413
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,399
You've got to keep your bloody wits about you.

414
00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:25,599
If you are not careful and go stupid, well...

415
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,759
you'll probably will be buried down there and stay down there.

416
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:30,839
To carve through the sandstone,

417
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,839
they use jackhammers weighing 30kg apiece.

418
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,919
These jackhammers are too heavy for us to lift up.

419
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,879
It'll just bust us trying to hold the bloody things up.

420
00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:44,359
I could probably make something up

421
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:48,239
to sit the jackhammer on, to hold it up there to take the weight.

422
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,199
Well, that might be a good idea. Would you have stuff at your place?

423
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:55,799
Oh, yeah, I'll be able to find something to do. Silly question.

424
00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,119
Well, we will have something lying around here.

425
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,879
It's a matter of the finding the right piece, isn't it?

426
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,399
In Les' scrapyard backyard,

427
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:09,759
the Bushmen hope to find parts to create a prop for the jackhammers.

428
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,279
It needs to be strong enough to hold the weight,

429
00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:16,439
but also adjustable to accommodate different digging heights.

430
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,359
Let's see if I can find one of them old Ford jacks.

431
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,399
I got one around here somewhere I've seen the other day.

432
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,479
Here they are. Oh, yeah.

433
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,159
She works, Les. That's a good idea. Yes.

434
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,599
There's only one of these here. What else are you gonna use?

435
00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:37,679
I reckon...

436
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,839
I'll try a Hills Hoist clothesline stem.

437
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:43,959
Yeah, we can make that work.

438
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,079
Lot of those bits and pieces lying around the place.

439
00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:51,999
People say it's only rubbish but rubbish comes handy at times.

440
00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:54,999
Cool, cool.

441
00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,359
Les is good value, you know? He's always got an idea or two

442
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,919
on how to dodge things up.

443
00:26:02,120 --> 00:26:04,839
Let's see if this works, Les. Look at that.

444
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:11,759
Hey, that's bloody fantastic, Les.

445
00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,399
All right. That works.

446
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,479
It's taken all the weight off my shoulders. It's not easy.

447
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,039
You're not carrying the bloody weight.

448
00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:34,599
Oh, it's good. Yeah, no, it's real good. This works well.

449
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,279
But the more dirt they remove from the column,

450
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:41,199
the more weight has to be taken up by their timber props.

451
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:50,999
This is while I was jackhammering, and I was getting a fair bit of movement up there.

452
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,079
It's starting to get a bit of weight on it.

453
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,719
We got 50ft of bloody dirt on this roof.

454
00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,039
The more dirt we take out, the less support there is.

455
00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,639
So, the roof will start to sag.

456
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,599
If it starts to sag, it'll crack and that's when they come down.

457
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,679
So you just gotta keep an eye on it.

458
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,359
Just see where it's just on the edge, it's starting to flare.

459
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,359
I have developed a very hairline crack up here.

460
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,519
Even a rock that big comes down straight on the head,

461
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,159
it's got a chance of killing you, breaking your neck.

462
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:38,759
SAM: If I'm finding opal, I'm moving forward.

463
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,599
I'm saving for a house, I'm setting myself up for life.

464
00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:44,679
But if we're not finding anything,

465
00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,839
well, then, I'm just sitting stagnant.

466
00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:52,679
Money, money money. See if there's any gems.

467
00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:55,799
In Lightning Ridge, 20-year-old Sam

468
00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,959
desperately needs his load of freshly-dug sandstone

469
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,759
to deliver opal.

470
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,439
Nothing yet, mate. No.

471
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:09,319
Oh, here's one. Ooh, that's got to be a colour in it, too.

472
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,759
Look at that. We can see a bit of green. Yeah.

473
00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,799
It's a bit of orange. Look at this one, mate.

474
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,599
He's tiny. Tiny but look at that pattern.

475
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,439
Oh, right. Nice lines in there, innit?

476
00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,039
They're bright. Yeah.

477
00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:26,839
That's pretty rare. That's what they call Chinese writing.

478
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,279
Bit like a Chinese pictogram. Yeah, righty-o. Yeah.

479
00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:34,039
Nice blue rolling flash across it too. Is it?

480
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,919
A little bit of black. Yeah.

481
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:38,999
Well short of their target,

482
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,239
Pete and Sam need to get the maximum they can for this stone.

483
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,239
And polishing the opal can triple its value.

484
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:48,799
I'm not sure how I'm going to go one handed. Yep.

485
00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,039
How do you feel about giving that one a bit of a rub on the wheel?

486
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,399
It might be up to you, mate. You're going to bang her on the wheel and spin it round.

487
00:28:57,480 --> 00:28:59,999
Let's see how we go.

488
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:04,719
When you put the stone to the wheel, you can make mistakes on it.

489
00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:10,319
If you wreck a nice stone then, we'll be paying for it.

490
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,559
Don't let me rub too much off. No, you'll be right.

491
00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,639
Let's go have a look. Yeah.

492
00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:20,519
Takes a lot of experience to become a good cutter, and I'm quite an inexperienced cutter.

493
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,439
Nice, gentle touch. Slow and steady. We don't make any mistakes.

494
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:29,999
What do we do, just roll it a little?

495
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,839
Just roll, just try to take that edge off, I reckon.

496
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,479
It's a nice colour coming out. Yeah.

497
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,559
A few blues and golds.

498
00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,639
Might just get a bit of the stone out of this one too.

499
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,279
What do you reckon? I reckon that's pretty good.

500
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,799
Yeah, it's come up all right. Yeah.

501
00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:59,959
So, I reckon we leave it like that, the buyer might decide to cut a bit more off it.

502
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,159
There'd be four or five grand in that.

503
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,799
Yeah. Now I reckon. Look at the colour in that.

504
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,519
I'll bag that up and take it in, see what we can get for it.

505
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,599
Yes.

506
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,359
Sam and Pete have two cut stones.

507
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:16,599
The first is crystal opal,

508
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,719
predominantly blue green with flashes of red and yellow.

509
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,159
weighing 10.5 carats or 2.1g.

510
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,199
They hope to sell it for at least $5,000.

511
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:29,279
The second stone is a black opal

512
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,239
with green and blue patterning called Chinese writing.

513
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,359
It weighs only one carat, 0.2 of a gram

514
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:39,119
with a potential value of $500.

515
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,959
We'll go get some cash from these opal, eh? That'd be good.

516
00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,759
Mary's entrusted me with our entire opal find,

517
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,079
to go into town and meet a lady called Linda,

518
00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,199
who knows a thing or two about white crystal opal, and definitely about how to cut it.

519
00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,799
Money's drying up quicker than it's coming in.

520
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,679
So it's up to me to try and cut something good enough to make some from today.

521
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:13,199
We've found a little bit. OK. Interested to see what you think of it.

522
00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,919
With ten years' experience, Linda George has offered to guide

523
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,159
rookie Carl in the art of cutting opal.

524
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,839
I was quite nervous. We only had one really good stone.

525
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:27,439
This is the one to start with. That's my favourite piece as well. Yeah.

526
00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:31,159
One mistake and I could wipe out our best stone in the parcel.

527
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:33,639
What I want you to do is just hold it very gently

528
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,319
against the wheel there and move it around.

529
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,119
But not so much like that.

530
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,639
More like, put it on there flat...

531
00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:43,919
Oh, OK. ..and move it around like that.

532
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,439
Yeah. We're just removing that surface, the clay and staining...

533
00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,319
OK. ..so that we can see what the colour is underneath.

534
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,039
Keep moving it. All right. Always moving, moving.

535
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,799
Move it around. Yep.

536
00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:59,719
Keep checking. You don't wanna go too far.

537
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,479
Go too hard in the beginning and then you have lost it.

538
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,439
We have done a lot of digging to find this. That's right.

539
00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,759
We don't want to lose it. No.

540
00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,759
Let's have a look at that one. I think you've probably almost done it.

541
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:21,319
With the clay and staining removed, it's time for evaluation.

542
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,759
It's blue, green. There's a little bit of yellow. Yeah.

543
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:28,439
It's what we call sheeny. OK. Sheeny isn't worth as much.

544
00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:31,119
But it is pretty. So I'm gonna say $200 a carat.

545
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:36,799
So, we put that on the scales. And it's 5.45.

546
00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,519
And my estimation is that it's worth about $200 a carat,

547
00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:42,599
which brings it to $1,090.

548
00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:45,679
Wow. That much. That's quite a valuable stone.

549
00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:47,839
That is. That's a very good first find.

550
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,519
How are you doing, love? Hello, hello, hello.

551
00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,319
I've got something to show you. Have you? Yeah.

552
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:58,599
Have a look at this. Yeah.

553
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:02,319
What do you think? That really came out like of that? Yeah.

554
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:06,039
What we found? Yeah. That came out of our mine. Wow. I know.

555
00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:10,479
That is a really nice ring stone. It's a beautiful ring stone. Yeah.

556
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,239
Mary will now have to call on her expertise as a jeweller

557
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,199
to turn the opal into something they can sell.

558
00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,279
So the first step of the process

559
00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,119
is to make the bezel to go around the opal.

560
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:25,839
This is one of my favourite parts

561
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:29,879
I'm gonna form the bezel around the stone.

562
00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:33,599
I like this part because it's kind of different with each opal

563
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,799
but especially because I like to use free form opals.

564
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,079
You're really just reading the stone and reading the metal and just trying to, obviously,

565
00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:46,039
make them marry up so that they sit as closely together as possible.

566
00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,359
When you're wearing it, you know,

567
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,439
knocking your hands, if it's a ring especially.

568
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:57,079
Bezels are just nice and smooth and comfortable to wear as well.

569
00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,359
Are you there?

570
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:11,119
Hiya, love, how are you getting on? Yeah, I'm finished. You wanna come up and have a look?

571
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,599
OK, I'm on my way up. Bye.

572
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:18,039
I'm really pleased with it. It's always a bit nerve racking seeing what he thinks of it,

573
00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:21,479
but I don't think he's realised that it turned out so well.

574
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,639
So I'm excited to show him, yeah.

575
00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:26,879
Hey. Hello. How'd you get on with it?

576
00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:30,919
What do you think?

577
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,359
Oh, wow, that is gorgeous.

578
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,479
Do you like it? Yeah, I really like it. Are you pleased?

579
00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,399
Yeah. I am actually. Yeah, it's stunning, Mary.

580
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:43,439
Mary's ring features a crystal opal, blue green in colour.

581
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,279
It weighs 5.45 carats.

582
00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,359
Set in silver, it has an estimated value of $1,400,

583
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,159
bringing their season total to $7,900.

584
00:34:54,240 --> 00:34:58,679
It's a really special gem stone cos it's the first opal that we've found since we were mining

585
00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,479
in White Cliffs, and it's really spurred us on to keep going

586
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,279
and believe in ourselves and know that we can do it.

587
00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,199
More than the money, just to boost in morale is absolutely priceless for us

588
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:12,239
cos now I just want to get down there more than ever and find the rest of the stuff.

589
00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:20,159
SAM: I'd really like to see some money.

590
00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,679
That'd be just been great to keep everything ticking along.

591
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:27,399
Yeah, come in. Paul. How you going? Good.

592
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,479
In Lightning Ridge,

593
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,839
Sam and Pete are meeting prominent buyer Paul Sedawie.

594
00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:35,519
They're hoping to get $5,500

595
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:37,599
for their two stones.

596
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,759
He doesn't undersell his opal. He knows how hard it is,

597
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:45,039
so you can't knock someone for being a bit over the top. He pushes it to a limit.

598
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,559
That's the king stone there.

599
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,159
There's ten-and-a-half carats in there. Yes.

600
00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:54,319
The stone's got to sell itself. I can't really sell it.

601
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:57,719
It's gotta stand on its own merits, you know.

602
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:02,039
A couple of a little bit of sand spots in the middle there. But she is not too bad.

603
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,119
What sort of money do you have on it?

604
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,599
I reckon 1,000 a carat, Paul.

605
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,239
Mm, it's a nice stone. It's a pretty stone.

606
00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,999
But I think it may be a little bit too high for me.

607
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,559
I'd be interested in probably 600 a carat.

608
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,919
600 a carat. Yeah. Yeah.

609
00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:24,319
We were talking, you know...

610
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,759
6,000, slightly better than 6,000.

611
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:29,839
And what you have on this other one?

612
00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:33,439
Well, this is a unique little stone with Chinese writing in the corner.

613
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:35,519
Yeah.

614
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:40,839
And I reckon that's worth a cool $1,000.

615
00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:44,799
It's unfortunately got a little chip on the bottom of it

616
00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:47,959
so it's not actually gonna cut a carat stone.

617
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:50,719
I'd probably go 550 on it. 550? Yeah.

618
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,999
So those two together, seven grand?

619
00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:57,919
Might be a bit too high. 65.

620
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,759
I think 65 would pull me up. Yeah. Yeah.

621
00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:05,479
Yeah, it's a fair offer.

622
00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:13,959
Oh, well. I think we can do business with that.

623
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,239
OK, cool. That's good. Done. Perfect.

624
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,319
Thank you. Good on you. Happy days.

625
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,399
It's a good result.

626
00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:22,999
$6,500 brings Pete and Sam's

627
00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:27,039
season total to $24,000.

628
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,799
Yeah, I was really impressed with the bigger stone.

629
00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:33,759
It's a rich crystal. You see all this colour jumping out, it's dazzling.

630
00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:37,079
And it's just like a trick of nature to delight us.

631
00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:41,959
Oh, happy, happy enough. Yeah, that's fine. I mean, you've gotta come in a bit high anyway.

632
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:44,279
And they usually knock you back a bit,

633
00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:47,399
but keep us going a bit longer.

634
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:52,119
Yeah, I'm pretty happy with that. There's money in our pocket. It's good for me.

635
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,919
Let's me keep on moving forward when we're actually making a bit of money,

636
00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:57,999
not just covering costs.

637
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:00,439
So, yeah. Bit on the side, it's nice.

638
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,559
You've got to remember how much dirt's above us, you know.

639
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,199
And the more dirt you take out, the more weight's coming down on top of you.

640
00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:20,399
At the Maze mine, the Bushmen's heavy weight jackhammers are removing

641
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,679
more rock from the pillars holding up the roof.

642
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,279
This stuff's extremely hard.

643
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:28,959
The opal is nowhere near as hard as it,

644
00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:31,159
so the weakest point in the opal.

645
00:38:31,240 --> 00:38:34,479
So it tends to fracture.

646
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:39,359
Rod and Les need to be careful removing one shard of rock at a time.

647
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:45,319
A single wrong move could destroy the opal

648
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:49,159
or bury them both under thousands of tonnes of rock.

649
00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:00,879
Some nice bloody stuff starting to appear here, Les.

650
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:04,119
Oh, yeah? Oh. You got a little bit?

651
00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:09,159
Oh, Les, come here. Oh, that looks good, mate.

652
00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:12,559
Look at this. Ooh, that's even better.

653
00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:16,239
That's bloody beautiful. That is. That's a nice piece of bloody rock.

654
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,799
I've still got a bit of colour up there.

655
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,719
Yeah. It's in the roof, Les. Get into the roof. I'm getting there.

656
00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:25,839
That's where it's at.

657
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:31,879
Holy... Les!

658
00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:34,479
Holy... Man. Look at that.

659
00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:39,959
Ho-ho!

660
00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,839
Got a couple of bomb-bomb there. That's nice.

661
00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:46,759
We still got the whole bloody Mother Luck on our shoulder, mate.

662
00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:48,919
There it is.

663
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:55,359
It's the end of that other piece. Look at the colour in that, Les.

664
00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:01,639
Ooh. That's nice. We're getting a nice parcel, Les.

665
00:40:01,720 --> 00:40:04,999
Beautiful, this is the best opal we've found in a while actually.

666
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,519
That's the stuff dreams are made of.

667
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,679
Oh, we might be in for a few dollars, Les.

668
00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:14,719
The Bushmen have found high quality black opal,

669
00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,759
blue green with flashes of yellow and red.

670
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:23,159
They have 14g and are hoping it's worth $3,000 to $4,000.

671
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:27,879
Well, we're in the big smoke now.

672
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,119
Yeah, head to town.

673
00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:32,879
To find out how much their parcel is worth,

674
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:37,359
Rod, Les and Amanda travel 70km to Lightning Ridge

675
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:40,919
to visit the Miners Association Evaluation Service.

676
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,079
Let's see what the verdict is gonna be on this one.

677
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:46,599
Righto, hope it's a good one.

678
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:51,079
I guess the reason why we're bringing it in is that we've found a bit of opal recently,

679
00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:53,479
but before that, it's been quite a long time.

680
00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:56,119
So we're a bit out of touch with what the prices are.

681
00:40:56,200 --> 00:41:00,319
You put them all in there. All these good ones will go in there.

682
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,399
It's in our interest, I guess,

683
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:06,959
to make sure that we're asking enough money for it.

684
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:10,039
Chuck that filler in for good luck, eh?

685
00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:14,039
If we get three or four grand out of it, we've paid for pegging the client,

686
00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:18,439
we've paid for the repairs and we've got a little bit left for diesel. So we're in front.

687
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:20,799
Money is also needed for Amanda

688
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:25,479
to visit their pregnant daughter, 700km away on the coast.

689
00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,559
If I told Amanda that we couldn't go,

690
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:31,679
she's gonna be terribly disappointed, and I don't want to disappoint her.

691
00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:38,599
The Miners Association is an impartial, voluntary panel of experts.

692
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:43,599
Open just two hours a week, giving free valuations on opal.

693
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:46,879
Well, what they doing in there is looking at our stones.

694
00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:51,199
They're trying to put the same price on them that a buyer would put on them.

695
00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:55,159
It's pretty bright. Little pattern in there.

696
00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:57,919
Gold and green.

697
00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,039
Yes, you sort of are a little bit nervous, actually.

698
00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:04,639
If we saying it's worth three grand and they come back and say,

699
00:42:04,720 --> 00:42:08,599
"Fellas, it's worth 500 bucks", that's a bit of a kick in the ass.

700
00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:13,279
Right, this has got sand all across the inside of it. Yeah, this one, yeah.

701
00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,399
Too soon anyway.

702
00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:18,759
Number one, that's us. That's us. Yeah.

703
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:27,319
Yeah.

704
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:34,279
That's a very good price.

705
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:41,239
That's three grand, close enough, yeah.

706
00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:44,439
Yeah. Because they always want to knock you down a little bit.

707
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,439
Oh, of course. You gotta let them knock you down a little bit.

708
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:50,359
I appreciate that, mate. Thank you very much. We'll see ya.

709
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:52,719
Thanks. Hopefully, we'll see you soon.

710
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:54,999
With their evaluation of $3,000,

711
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:59,159
the Bushmen have a total of $50,500,

712
00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:02,359
putting their season target within reach.

713
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:06,039
Yeah, I reckon the valuation that they've done at the LRMA,

714
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:08,639
yeah, I reckon it was really good.

715
00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:11,199
So we are still on the ball with our pricing

716
00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:13,719
of what we want for the opal we sell.

717
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,479
I'm as happy as a pig in  at the moment.

718
00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:18,999
Our season this year this is a bloody ripper.

719
00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:21,079
We're real close to our target,

720
00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:23,799
and things are looking fantastic for the end of season

721
00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:26,399
for us getting away to see the kids.

722
00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:32,359
It's for the baby. Oh, yeah. Good. That's great.

723
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:35,399
Aww, beautiful. Yeah.

724
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,399
That doesn't mean we're slowing down, but we've got to keep on hammering

725
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:42,199
cos we gotta catch up on 18 months of no pay.

726
00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:44,279
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726
00:43:45,305 --> 00:44:45,897
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