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NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters...

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We've got no time at all.

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The Young Guns battle a severe storm in a race to save their season.

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JAYMIN: We've got to just keep moving this dirt into place.

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If this floods, we're in serious trouble.

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GAVAN: Digging out my floor would be a massive job.

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I think I've got to get a drill rig and see what's down there.

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The McFarlanes hunt for opal in the floor.

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Oh, look at that. Let there be colour in there, please.

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As they struggle to put a roof over their heads.

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This stuff just brings down dust and dirt.

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I can certainly say my confidence is not growing.

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That won't cut it. That's too high. That's gone.

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A new team hits the opal fields.

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I'm  off already.

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I want to get on top of the bills.

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I want to be able to provide for the kids.

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Big debts force the Cheals to take big risks.

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# Money

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# And fancy clothes #

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Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE
www.osdb.link/lm

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This is one of the old entrances to the out mines.

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So this goes directly under where we are now and look at that,

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we've got water down the shaft.

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It's all starting to sink in.

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So we got to really quickly build a barrier

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just to stop all this water flowing down.

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We've got no time at all.

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We've got to just keep moving this dirt into place,

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and stop the mine from flooding. If this floods, serious trouble.

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I can't even touch the bottom there.

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If the mine gets flooded, I mean, really,

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we're not going to be able to mine it.

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Not with all the electrics and stuff.

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It's too dangerous to work down there with electricity, obviously.

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We're starting to flood.

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In remote White Cliffs, New South Wales,

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a sudden summer storm is causing havoc for the Young Guns.

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As outback temperatures rise,

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humidity can also build, causing violent torrential downpours,

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dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain in just a few hours.

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This may seem like half an hour,

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but we've had so much rain,

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more than we've seen in the last three years.

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Jaymin can get a big barrier at the top of that decline.

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Now we just dug a little trench here, we've made a little barrier,

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so hopefully, no more water gets in.

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All right, we really just need to get out of the rain now

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and just hope for the best.

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We've done pretty much everything we can

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to make sure the mine doesn't flood too much.

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In their first season,

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it's a massive setback for the rookies from the coast.

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Still over $22,000 short of their season target.

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If this goes for much longer,

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if this goes for like another hour or two,

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you know, our mine would almost certainly get flooded.

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That's going to suck if that does happen,

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and we have to shut it down early.

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You know, that's going to really be a bummer.

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Just 500 kilometres away,

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the landscape is very different.

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Bloody dry. Dry. Right.

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Heading to Lightning Ridge,

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former miner Chris Cheal and 18-year-old son Oscar

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are entering a region that's been ravaged by a three-year drought.

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It's probably gonna be a bit stressful,

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but I just hope it's not too hot.

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Yeah.

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Chris is returning to opal mining

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after the worst drought in a decade destroyed his trucking business.

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Had a road train, and I'd cart grain with that.

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Obviously with no rain in the last three years,

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I think the last harvest I did was 2016.

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The drought has just gone on and on.

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As you can see from the landscape, it's as dry as .

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I've just had to park the truck up and source work elsewhere.

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I just graduated high school a few days ago.

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I finished my last exam.

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Dad managed to get us down to Sydney for school.

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He worked his  off seven days a week, every week.

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And yeah, I'm just so grateful for that.

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I'm really looking to give back

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now that I'm kind of moving into the workforce.

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The Cheals are back in Lightning Ridge,

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hunting legendary black opal worth up to $43,000 a gram.

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Lightning Ridge produces the best opal in the world.

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And when you're mining,

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you've got a chance to change your life just in one day.

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You can get yourself ten years in front financially,

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and there's not many places in the world you can go and do that.

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I'm back here to try and find some decent money

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cos I want to get on top of the bills.

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I want to be able to provide for the kids.

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I'm just trying to give my kids the opportunities that I never had.

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But only weeks are left

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until 50 degree temperatures make it too hot to mine.

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We've got a very small window to put a hole down,

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get the gear set up, and get as much dirt out as we can.

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If we could find ten grand, it'll cover the cost for this time

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and we'll have a bit in the kitty to come back.

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Old mining mate Scott McMillan has a claim

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he's willing to subcontract to Chris.

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Hey. Hey, Chealsy, this is my claim, this one here.

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Yep. So that's a boundary? Yep. This is your claim.

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And it goes 50 - 50 by 50 metres that way. Yep.

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Scott offered this claim to work.

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He's done some work in here about 12 years ago.

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The holes have been filled back in.

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And, you know, you got a bit of money here.

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Before he takes on the claim,

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Chris wants proof the ground has the potential to produce opal.

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Can we have a look down? Yeah, sure.

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All right. Let's do it. We'll suit up.

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We just want to go down, have a little scratch.

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This is Scott's claim,

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but it'll give us a good idea of what we can expect.

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For Oscar, the opportunity to mine again

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with his dad is a long-held dream.

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OSCAR: Pretty much my whole life, I've been into opal mining.

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It's a passion of Dad's.

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As a young kid, I'd love to come out, hanging off him,

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and jump on the digger and all sorts of stuff.

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That's all right, Scott. Look. Broken one, eh?

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Is the other half in there somewhere? I don't know.

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There you go. Yeah, that's the other half.

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Nice blue bar in it.

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Well, that's convinced me. Yeah, and I'm happy with that.

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In with a chance. If you're happy with it,

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we can strike a deal, Scott?

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The going rate's usually 30:70. Yeah.

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I'm pretty happy with that if you guys are.

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Yeah, right. That will work. You get 30, we get 70.

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Hopefully we can make you some money.

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Yeah. Cos if you're making money, we're making money.

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Where we're digging is supposed to be good opal ground.

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We've been up there digging now for quite a few months,

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and all we've got out is a few grams,

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so we don't want to push our luck.

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It's dangerous ground. We have had collapses around us,

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but we've just got to get some opal, you know.

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Otherwise the family's going to suffer.

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That's the end of the story. The family suffers.

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So maybe we can buy you a car. Yeah.

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Seven years ago, Gavan McFarlane,

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wife Connie and 16-year-old daughter Teagan

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moved to Lightning Ridge from the coast to escape the rat race.

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Before opal mining, I was a computer engineer.

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Sometimes I'd work seven days straight

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or I'd be out seven, eight, nine o'clock at night,

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still working, you know.

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But there was something missing.

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I think the treasure hunter in me was ignited.

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You can go to work, $10 in your wallet

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and go home a millionaire.

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Everybody wants to be a millionaire.

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Hunting legendary black opal,

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the McFarlanes are struggling,

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with the family home in desperate need of repair.

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In there is my parents room, so I can see in,

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and then there actually is a window there,

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but it's kind of fallen through a little bit.

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And then that wall is just, by the heat and everything,

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is just getting deformed.

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Australia has experienced its hottest decade on record.

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For opal miners, the conditions are the toughest they've ever been.

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CONNIE: We have extreme weather here.

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At the moment, it's 45 degrees I heard, today.

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Tried to put the air conditioner on the other day,

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and the load was too heavy for the solars, and it just stopped.

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And in the dead of this heat, it is killing me.

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Even if we had air conditioning or a fan or whatever else,

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because the ceiling is in the condition that it is,

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and it doesn't quite meet the walls in places,

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any cool air we do have

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escapes faster than is practical to keep us cool.

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This season, Gavan has found little more than $2,000.

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So it's time for some new tactics.

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Mines around me, they've got millions of dollars out of here,

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and they are now condemned mines.

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And they all were digging deeper.

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So where we're at, where we're digging at the moment,

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we have a hard roof, but we have a really soft base.

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I'm looking for a hard sandstone base...

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..below me, where the opal has got an opportunity to form.

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Gavan's plan is simple.

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Explore a nearby mine to see

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what depth the previous miners found opal,

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then dig to the same depth in his mine.

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Offsider Tim Bryant will measure from above.

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All right, mate, I'll go down. I'll give you an "oi"

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when it's right for you

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to come down for the first measurement. OK?

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Yeah, no worries. You be careful. I'll be careful.

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There is a mine next door that hasn't been worked.

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It's been pretty much abandoned for ten years.

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This is so dangerous in here.

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This has been exposed open for ten-plus years.

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Air coming in dries it out, so it makes it even crumblier.

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You have to be aware of stuff like this falling in on you.

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It's not solid.

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God forbid, if the roof fell on you, it'd kill you.

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I'm just gonna venture up this other hole.

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Hopefully there could be something solid below me.

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Well, there's a really, really narrow level

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underneath what they been calling here, the second level.

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You see that? In there.

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It's like a little narrow level in there.

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Certainly could be exactly what we're looking for.

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We'll get all this loose stuff behind us here.

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We'll put that in the water, and that'll soak up all that water,

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and then we can just bucket out those muddy buckets of dirt.

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In White Cliffs, the clean-up has begun for the Young Guns

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after extreme summer storms flooded their mine.

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Still well short of their season target,

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the rookies want to expand their operation

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as they hunt for crystal opal worth up to $25,000 a gram.

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We're just gonna go down the back hole in the corner of the claim,

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just to go and see what's down that hole.

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The plan is to connect their mine to a neighbouring one

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and open it up enough for the Kanga digger to get through.

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OK. Slowly.

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But first, Jaymin and Noah

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need to descend nine metres to find the right location to dig.

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I'm a little bit nervous, yeah.

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The shafts like this that are that deep and unexplored.

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On a swinging ladder, it's still a little bit scary.

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It's a bit sketchy.

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Dude, it's a little mine. Still one more place to go.

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A downstairs level, and that's just the other side of this level, so...

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Some of the ground looks pretty good.

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Could've been ten, 15 years ago that whoever was last in here

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gave it a bit of a go and then just never turned back up.

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Whoa.

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That must be like the underneath part, but bloody hell.

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I think maybe we check out the bottom level

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and see what's down that way.

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So I think that's probably where

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we're going to end up breaking through.

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The bottom level is nine metres down, the same depth as their mine.

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This is where Jaymin believes

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they can dig through to join them together.

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Let's try and focus on connecting them up and getting the loader in

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and clearing out these walls, making them wider,

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giving us a bit more room to walk through.

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I'm going to draw up a plan of how it looks down here,

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and then we'll head back up and draw a plan of our mine there

248
00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,879
and try and figure out exactly in relation to where we're digging

249
00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:36,159
to make sure we're going in the right direction to push through.

250
00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,079
Ooh, nice. Nice!

251
00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,159
Got it?  She's a heavy one.

252
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,279
Key to the plan is this 1.5 metre long auger drill,

253
00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,599
hired for $700, that attaches to the Kanga.

254
00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:54,559
Say hello to my little friend!

255
00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,519
Yeah, there we go. Whoo!

256
00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,999
For the plan to work, the boys are banking on the drill

257
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,559
punching through to the other side.

258
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,519
We're going to use that to try to drill a hole through there,

259
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,839
see if we can break through into it. That'd be really good.

260
00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,679
Just go straight ahead first. Straight ahead first.

261
00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,359
I haven't seen any opal or anything like that

262
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:21,919
come out from the drill yet,

263
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:23,319
but at this stage,

264
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,999
we're really just trying to find that mine and break through there.

265
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,079
Well, it's not a metre that way.

266
00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,479
Think how long it would take to jackhammer that far.

267
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,079
I know. And now we know it's not in that direction.

268
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:34,919
So now we're gonna come over this way

269
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,959
and we think it's, you know, now that way.

270
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:43,679
Go right down the other hole.

271
00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,159
Climb down that ladder and see if we can hear and see how close it is.

272
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,279
We've kind of worked it out by putting two holes in either side.

273
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,199
Now we need to go straight in the middle.

274
00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:57,919
That's what we're doing right now.

275
00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,439
That sounds close.

276
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,879
Like they could be a full metre away right now and they just...

277
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,279
Oh, it sounds really close.

278
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,239
GAVAN: I'm thinking that's my hard sandstone level there.

279
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,439
Righto, if you send it down, the tape.

280
00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:39,479
Whoa. What do you got?

281
00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,639
That's 10.8 metres. OK.

282
00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:45,559
I've found a floor that's probably

283
00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,439
roughly two and a half metres below where my floor is.

284
00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:53,119
So I'm hoping that carries through into my claim.

285
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,839
That's where they were talking about where the opal is.

286
00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,359
In a dangerous, abandoned mine,

287
00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:02,279
Gavan and offsider Tim have located the opal level.

288
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,879
Next step, dig to the same level in Gavan's mine.

289
00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,319
Digging out my floor would be a massive job.

290
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,199
Hundreds of tons of soil down there below me.

291
00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,799
For us to get down into there, we're gonna have to...

292
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,959
I don't know, we're gonna have to come up with a plan, something.

293
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,479
I've been playing with the idea of possibly drilling underground

294
00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,399
instead of spending weeks or months digging down with a digger

295
00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:29,879
and just moving dirt to get down there.

296
00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,199
We've sort of thrown a few ideas around.

297
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:38,119
The best one we've come up with is basically a small underground drill.

298
00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,439
Gavan's gambling the last of the season

299
00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,079
on this 23-centimetre diameter drill

300
00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,719
to dig 2.5 metres into the floor of his mine.

301
00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,919
To me, the most important thing in my life is my family.

302
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,999
For us to find opal would just make our life that much more better.

303
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:01,919
Is it going to work underground?

304
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,959
Is everything going to work in our favour?

305
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,319
These pins are gonna come out,

306
00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,919
that's got to come off, and then we're gonna sample them.

307
00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,559
The plan is to use the one-tonne hydraulic digger to drive the drill.

308
00:17:20,120 --> 00:17:22,399
All right. Coming.

309
00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,319
Hold it there.

310
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,679
Beautiful. Beautiful.

311
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:33,679
From here, it should be reasonably simple for us now.

312
00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:38,519
A few hydraulic hoses, and we'll be ready to give it its first run.

313
00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:40,759
The final step is to connect

314
00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,119
a hydraulic hose from the digger to the drill motor.

315
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,199
There we go.

316
00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,959
See how you go.

317
00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,479
It doesn't fit, Gav. Are you kidding me?

318
00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,799
It all hinges on the hole, whether you can get down or not.

319
00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,599
The more time setting up, the less chance of making money.

320
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,199
Just weeks away from the end of the season,

321
00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,679
new team, the Cheals, are making a last-ditch effort

322
00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,159
to find $10,000 in opal to pay mounting bills.

323
00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,319
We are starting from scratch, and it's the backend of the season.

324
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,399
It's getting so hot out here.

325
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,039
We've got a short period

326
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:31,439
to come out here and smash out as many loads as we can.

327
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:36,919
Rema, how are you? Pretty good.

328
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,799
We're gonna have to put a three-foot hole there,

329
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:41,919
so we get the big rig in.

330
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,959
Chris's plan is to dig a metre-wide shaft

331
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,999
through a layer of hardened rock called silcrete,

332
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,279
to the opal-bearing fault line 13 metres down,

333
00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:56,039
then widen it by hand in a process known as "belling out"

334
00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:58,679
to make enough room for a tunnelling machine.

335
00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,839
So, there's a pretty hard cap

336
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:07,639
they say at about eight, ten feet, and it's about two foot thick.

337
00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:09,719
Yeah, that's fine.

338
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:11,879
At a cost of $1,300,

339
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,599
Chris has hired experienced drill rig operator, Homere Rema Remaili,

340
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:18,679
to drill the 13 metres.

341
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,559
Probably bit of a slow go, but she should get through.

342
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,239
All right. OK. I need you to get through.

343
00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:29,959
Getting the taste of it.

344
00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:33,679
The teeth on a drill bucket are made of tungsten steel,

345
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,879
designed to carve through earth and rock.

346
00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:41,799
The bucket machine, that bucket, basically, it gets forced down.

347
00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,519
It fills the bucket. It's usually about one foot.

348
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:03,519
Sorry. We have to change a few teeth from the cover.

349
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,559
It used to have a tungsten tip like that...

350
00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,439
..and it's just worn out.

351
00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,719
That's how hard the silcrete is. It's harder than metal.

352
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,639
Bore's only three metres down.

353
00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,119
I've only really just started in that silcrete.

354
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,039
You wouldn't really expect to be changing teeth already.

355
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,559
Replacing teeth takes up valuable time.

356
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,199
Round two. Back to the grindstone.

357
00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,359
We want to get down to about 43 feet.

358
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:50,319
If we can get to that stage today, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon,

359
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,839
we're down the hole and actually digging some dirt.

360
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,679
Another one bites the dust.

361
00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,159
That's gone. Another one gone.

362
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,239
He's down two more teeth.

363
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,639
Seven feet. They've been at it for a while for seven feet.

364
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,439
I can certainly say my confidence is not growing.

365
00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:20,439
Three hours and nine teeth later...

366
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,999
Getting through slowly, but I don't know

367
00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,639
how much longer he's going to keep trying.

368
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:29,759
Eight feet.

369
00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:35,879
The teeth are gone again.

370
00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,199
Right now, we're really keen to get through,

371
00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:58,759
so we don't want to stop now.

372
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:00,919
Still well short of their target,

373
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,239
the Young Guns' plan to break through into a neighbouring mine...

374
00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:07,799
Ah, where are you?

375
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,039
..has proved harder than expected.

376
00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,839
There it goes. There it goes.

377
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:19,759
Go on, little drill.

378
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:25,679
I reckon you're really close, but...

379
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:32,279
Guys, you're in! The tip! The tip is in!

380
00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:34,359
I can hear them. Listen to this.

381
00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,559
Oi, hello! Oi, the tip is in!

382
00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,839
What? The tip is in!

383
00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,679
The tip's in. We were thinking of giving up, and the tip was in.

384
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,799
We literally just gave up.

385
00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:59,679
Look at that.

386
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,799
Oh, how're you doing?

387
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:09,079
Definitely very happy to be through,

388
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,959
and definitely going to open up so much more options for us

389
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:14,639
in terms of opening the mine up in a huge way. Perfect.

390
00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,559
Just about to do that last little bit of jackhammering,

391
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,599
make it so we can actually walk through into our new mine.

392
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,679
Let's dig.

393
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,039
We'll walk all the way through. It is so satisfying.

394
00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,759
You're satisfied now? I'm happy.

395
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:45,199
The new mine has 45 metres of tunnels that can now be accessed

396
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:47,399
by their digging and mining equipment.

397
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,479
Oh, this is pretty sick.

398
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,119
Checking out a whole new mine, it's just awesome.

399
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:54,919
You know, it's going to increase our potential

400
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:56,999
to find opal by magnitudes.

401
00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,399
Oi, have you guys checked out this pit?

402
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,999
What's up there?

403
00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:04,639
Oh, lots of backfill.

404
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:06,919
We are going to be shovelling all this dirt up here.

405
00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:10,199
Bloody old timers and their backfill.

406
00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,399
Holy ! Look. Here. Look.

407
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,159
What have you got? You got something? Opal. Look at that!

408
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,039
Dude, this mine is pin-up!

409
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,719
As you can see, look, it's just cutting grooves. Yeah, yeah.

410
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,279
In a desperate effort to clear debts,

411
00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,079
former trucker Chris Cheal and son Oscar

412
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,599
are attempting to open up a new mine.

413
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:44,839
But their efforts have hit a roadblock.

414
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:46,519
His clutch is burning out

415
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:48,719
cos it's too hard for the reams to get through.

416
00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:51,439
At a cost of $1,300,

417
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,839
the hired Caldwell drill can't break through a hard layer of silcrete rock

418
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:57,919
to reach the opal level.

419
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,959
What if I just go down the hole and took that out?

420
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,759
Chris will tackle the hole with a full-face mask

421
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,399
to stop silica dust damaging his lungs,

422
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,679
and a 15 kilogram jackhammer

423
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,679
that can deliver more pressure to a single point.

424
00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,039
We can't get through, so the only thing I can think of

425
00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:21,559
is to get the jackhammer,

426
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,519
just get in the hole, and knock it out by hand.

427
00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,719
The temperature at the bottom of the one-metre wide hole

428
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,399
is nearing 45 degrees with high humidity.

429
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:38,479
Yeah, he's definitely going hard down there.

430
00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,879
He's got probably about that much to go around the hole, so...

431
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:46,999
Working in these conditions,

432
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,999
Chris is at risk of severe dehydration.

433
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:56,759
He's got about a third left to go.

434
00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:09,159
It's the hardest ground I've ever dug with a jackhammer.

435
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,959
Oh, great. Thanks, mate.

436
00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:19,319
Let's give it a shot now.

437
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,479
Just hoping I've taken off enough down there

438
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:23,199
for him to get through that cap.

439
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,079
All good. Beautiful.

440
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,759
He's through that hard stuff. Thank goodness.

441
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,919
Yeah, I'm pretty happy, eh?

442
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:45,359
Thirty-nine.

443
00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:48,479
Thirty-nine feet.

444
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:53,479
After six hours of labour, the drill has finally reached the opal level.

445
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,319
With nearly a full day lost and $1,300 down,

446
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:01,919
Chris needs the next step of his operation to go smoothly.

447
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,199
Just going over there to get the blower.

448
00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:06,559
I'm gonna bring it over here closer to the hole.

449
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:12,359
The blower is a 30-year-old, ten-tonne high-powered vacuum

450
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:16,199
that can suck dirt up and out of the bottom of a mine shaft.

451
00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,879
So this thing will suck a brick 50 metres within a few seconds.

452
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,439
We'll hook it up and tow it out.

453
00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:28,519
But the blower doesn't have a working engine.

454
00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:32,799
It must be towed into position right over the newly dug shaft.

455
00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:34,879
Yeah, slow. Looking good.

456
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,199
Your wheel's gonna be good.

457
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,759
Right on.

458
00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:48,119
That one's good.

459
00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,199
Yeah, that way.

460
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,159
It doesn't fit, Gav. Uh-oh. Fittings are too big.

461
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,239
These are too small. On the head, oh...

462
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,319
Eight metres underground,

463
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,319
Gavan McFarlane's hopes of finding opal this season are slipping away.

464
00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:25,839
Fittings on the motor was different to their hoses.

465
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,399
Unable to fit the hydraulic hose onto the drill motor,

466
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,999
Gavan and Tim can't dig the floor of the mine.

467
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,359
I have some fittings up in the truck.

468
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,119
Just a heap of spares. I'll go up, see what I've got.

469
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,039
Gavan needs to make this work.

470
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,119
The family's off-the-grid home is in urgent need of repairs.

471
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,039
TEAGAN: I don't understand not having a flushing toilet.

472
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,799
It's just normal to other people. We don't have that.

473
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:57,719
Coming down.

474
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,479
Luckily, I keep a little box of mixed fittings,

475
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:05,559
brand new fittings up in my truck.

476
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,799
Hopefully they fit. Let's do it.

477
00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,559
Give me some good news.

478
00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,639
Guess what? Yes?

479
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:22,879
It fits. Ah!

480
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,959
Thank God for that.

481
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:29,999
All right. The moment of truth.

482
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,079
You're ready? Ready.

483
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,559
All right! Yeah! It spins! It's spinning.

484
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,719
Whoo-hoo! Good going, mate. Excellent.

485
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,959
Ready to drill. Ready to go.

486
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:49,999
Mother Nature produces a beautiful gem,

487
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,639
and she's pretty darn good at hiding it too.

488
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,319
So that's what we're here for, the treasure hunter in us

489
00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,239
is trying to find out where she is, where she's hiding it.

490
00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:06,919
Two and a half metres of drilled dirt is sifted through a mesh,

491
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,559
catching any small opal-bearing pebbles or "nobbies".

492
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,679
Like sieving for gold.

493
00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:17,319
Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's it. Whoa, look at that.

494
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:19,399
Look, look, look, look. Look at that.

495
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,399
That a nobby?

496
00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,879
Wow. Wow.

497
00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,279
God, let there be colour in there, please.

498
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,679
That one's good.

499
00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:51,479
That's not what we want.

500
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:54,359
I thought you were coming down. Too soft.

501
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:58,119
Right, I'll have to fire the big truck up, sneak her out of there...

502
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,239
..and put another hole cover in. Right.

503
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,399
Just added two hours to the day.

504
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,919
Deep in debt, and with the season running out,

505
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,239
the Cheals have got their ten-ton blower

506
00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:10,559
stuck in the entrance of their new mineshaft.

507
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,919
We were trying to get the blower nice and close.

508
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,919
Just the dirt around the hole was a bit soft.

509
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:17,999
And, yes, it just went straight down.

510
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:21,199
Stand clear. I don't want the chain flying off and hitting anyone.

511
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:23,319
To get the blower out,

512
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:27,919
Chris needs the might of his 570-horsepower haulage truck.

513
00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,399
At the moment, we're at the start of day four.

514
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,439
It's a bit worrying considering we haven't actually gotten down

515
00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,639
and started digging. We've only got the hole.

516
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:44,959
Money is going out. Nothing's coming in

517
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:46,839
cos we're not getting through any dirt.

518
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,079
And we've got this really, really short window to make some money,

519
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,279
and at the moment, every day counts,

520
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,359
and just these little things are just chewing up so much time.

521
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,439
I've got some 40-mil steel plate.

522
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,119
I'll put steel plate over it.

523
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,159
It cannot fall in there, can it?

524
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,519
It's all good to go now, hopefully.

525
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,559
All we got to do now is put the pipes down, and we can start work.

526
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,959
At the bottom of the 13-metre shaft,

527
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,039
Chris will bell out, widening the hole for a digger

528
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,119
that will create the tunnels.

529
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:44,439
Like that sound.

530
00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,799
Jackhammering this cement-like sandstone is slow,

531
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,839
with only two cubic metres cleared in an hour.

532
00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,279
Put your helmet on and come down. We'll take turns on the hammer.

533
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,359
I'm gonna jump down there with him.

534
00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,959
When you start up there, start on a bit of an angle.

535
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:05,159
Once your tip gets in there, then lift it up.

536
00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,479
He hasn't had much of an opportunity the last few years

537
00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:11,639
because he's been studying so hard,

538
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,079
and obviously, the best way he can learn

539
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:15,919
is just to be put on it and left alone.

540
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,719
He picks things up pretty quick.

541
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:19,799
That's it.

542
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,079
Yeah, it's really nice being down here and actually digging.

543
00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,559
We better be able to because we're at the end of the season

544
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:49,199
and this is our only shot.

545
00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,239
OK. Here's hoping. Right here.

546
00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:04,799
Now what you do, all right,

547
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,199
just around the edges. OK.

548
00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,919
For the McFarlanes, their entire season

549
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,439
rests on Gavan's find of an opal nobby

550
00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:14,519
that could be worth thousands.

551
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:16,959
You're probably better off doing these back here.

552
00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:19,159
You got more... OK, yeah. I like the idea.

553
00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:21,839
He's putting faith in his budding miner daughter,

554
00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:25,879
16-year-old Teagan, to cut away the outer layer of sandstone.

555
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:27,959
Here you go. Oh, gosh.

556
00:34:29,720 --> 00:34:31,719
You see OK? Yeah. Ah!

557
00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:36,319
So Dad wanted me to, like, chip at the nobby

558
00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,079
to get, like, the dirt off it and see if there was anything in there.

559
00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:42,559
We need to get a little one.

560
00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,679
It's been nerve-wracking when you first do it cos you're like,

561
00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,679
"What happens if it's a big, expensive one, and you break it?"

562
00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:50,759
A little bit more there.

563
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,399
Yeah, now it's getting into the opal. Ooh!

564
00:34:56,480 --> 00:35:00,079
I feel like if Dad wasn't there, I would've chopped it right in half.

565
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,199
Yep. Can I take that much? Yeah, go on if you can.

566
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:09,079
There you go. Oh, look, there's...

567
00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,839
I mean, you can see it's purple and blue. Look, in there.

568
00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:13,639
We're gonna give it a rub so we can see.

569
00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,359
Give it a rub and have a look.

570
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,959
Connie's skill at rubbing the stones on her polishing wheel

571
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,719
will reveal the true value of the opal, a gem or a dud.

572
00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,519
So I get to rub the stones.

573
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,919
It's my way of helping, being part of the team.

574
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,479
There's a lot of sand in it. Yeah, I know.

575
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:36,519
I'd take it all the way to the black.

576
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:38,599
Yeah? Yeah.

577
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,599
It's not quite what we want, but she's pretty.

578
00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,479
You can see little bits of purple, a little bit of green, and...

579
00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,959
but I think the sand's definitely got to the middle of it. Yeah.

580
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,439
It's not gonna get us a new roof. No. No.

581
00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:01,239
The nobby kind of like came out nice,

582
00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:03,839
but there was sand straight through.

583
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:08,039
The McFarlanes' nobby is a black opal called "sunflash".

584
00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,799
It has no colour bar, with only specks of floating green.

585
00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,639
There are three to four grams or 15 to 20 carats.

586
00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:18,639
No money in it, sadly. No money.

587
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:20,719
Heading in the right direction. OK.

588
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:22,799
We just got to keep it going. That's right.

589
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:24,839
Colour was in the potch,

590
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:27,959
and Gavan tells me that that is what we're looking for.

591
00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:29,679
If he keeps on digging where he is

592
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,519
or moves a couple of centimetres to the left or to the right,

593
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:34,599
we might find that elusive opal.

594
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:37,759
It just tells me to keep going, keep trying, keep working.

595
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:39,639
I guess when I do find it,

596
00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:42,639
I'll be probably doing backflips and handstands and...

597
00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:00,999
Oh! Up there.

598
00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:04,479
Look at that. We got opal in the wall.

599
00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:06,559
After surviving torrential storms

600
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:08,999
that threatened to wash out their claim,

601
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:13,079
the Young Guns have broken through to a new opal-bearing mine.

602
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,479
Some colour, for sure. Oh, it keeps going.

603
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:18,559
This looks good, boys. Come on.

604
00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:20,879
Keep going. Keep going.

605
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:22,959
That's the money going in.

606
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,439
Whoa. Oh, that's a big boy.

607
00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:29,159
That's a big one. That's some red and green.

608
00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:31,519
Boys. I think that's probably it.

609
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:33,599
Our bucket's pretty much full there.

610
00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,079
Let's do some cutting, boys.

611
00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:45,199
Jaymin's decided that to up the price

612
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,879
of the opal that we found, he's gonna cut it.

613
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:50,919
Jaymin Sullivan has been learning to cut opals

614
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,079
from his experienced mining father for the past year.

615
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,239
I'm just going to grab a couple of stones and clean up the edges

616
00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,439
and just see, you know, what opal is beneath.

617
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,719
Using his dad's polishing and cutting wheels,

618
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,119
the value of the stones is now in Jaymin's hands.

619
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:06,839
Every time I touch this bit of opal

620
00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,199
to the grinding wheel there, we're losing money.

621
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:10,879
So we don't want that to happen.

622
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,799
We want to take off as little as possible.

623
00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:15,839
All the stones we cut right now are all going to be freeform.

624
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:20,759
Opals can be cut freeform, which maintains the irregular edges,

625
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,359
or they can be cut into a calibrated stone,

626
00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,559
which has perfect symmetry.

627
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,559
So if we want to make a nice calibrated circle,

628
00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:30,959
you would draw with a little pencil around there.

629
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,239
So you'll be able to just follow your outline.

630
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,239
But if you're making something like that,

631
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,759
that means you're losing that other beautiful stone.

632
00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:40,599
You've got to decide if you want to keep it as a freeform

633
00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:43,559
or, you know, you take more of your opal away

634
00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:46,439
and make something that might sell a little bit quicker.

635
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:48,519
So it's always a bit of a gamble.

636
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,679
Look at that.

637
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,039
That's awesome.

638
00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:58,159
That's that parcel done.

639
00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:01,079
Just got to get a value now and see what we've actually got.

640
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,279
Jaymin has asked local veteran miner

641
00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,559
and opal buyer Micah to value their find.

642
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:10,999
So these are the opals I was calling you up about.

643
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:14,079
Hey, man. What do you think, Micah?

644
00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:18,519
What weight? Uh, we got about 18 carats.

645
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,399
That one's probably the best one. Oh, mate, that's beautiful.

646
00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:27,799
That's a kingstone there. That's six or so... Six, right...

647
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:31,599
The anticipation is killing me. Yeah, mate.

648
00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:34,159
Another six and...

649
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,239
Mate, I'd say between seven and eight thousand.

650
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:43,039
That's fantastic. Thank you for that, Micah.

651
00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,359
That's all we needed to hear, I think.

652
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:48,159
The Young Guns have found crystal opal,

653
00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:51,039
featuring the full spectrum of colours.

654
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:55,159
It has been cut and polished, and there's 3.6 grams,

655
00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:58,359
with a top-end value of $8,000.

656
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:05,079
That's like three months of working our dead-end jobs at home.

657
00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:08,119
We're opal miners now.

658
00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,199
We had problems with flooding.

659
00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,679
Everything just seemed to be against us.

660
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:14,639
The next moment, you just see this sparkle,

661
00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:16,279
this rainbow behind the wall,

662
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,359
and that's what makes it worthwhile.

663
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:20,599
When you see that buried treasure underground,

664
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:22,279
it's just something special.

665
00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:24,439
Right now, I've become completely adjusted

666
00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:26,199
to the lifestyle of an opal miner.

667
00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,359
You know, it's just so rewarding.

668
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,599
You move enough dirt, you're gonna find opal.

669
00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:33,679
That's just something you can't get in other jobs. So that's why

670
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:35,839
it's just one of the best jobs in the world.

671
00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:48,079
I just hope we get something by tonight, it's already...

672
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,599
It's already cut the grain going out.

673
00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:58,119
I just hope it's not for nothing, you know. Yeah, exactly.

674
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:00,319
After the worst drought in a decade

675
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,039
destroyed their grain trucking business,

676
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:05,759
father and son team Chris and Oscar Cheal

677
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,359
are banking on their first truck load of dirt holding opals.

678
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:11,039
Scott's been kind enough

679
00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,319
to let us use the agitator, so we'll get this in.

680
00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:15,519
The agitator's free this afternoon.

681
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,839
Chris and Oscar are going to put a load through that,

682
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:19,439
just to help him out.

683
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:21,399
Scott said you see bugger all

684
00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:24,119
when you're digging it, so let's hope he's right.

685
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:26,999
Cos we didn't really see much down there, did we? No.

686
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:30,159
A converted cement mixer,

687
00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:32,999
the agitator uses thousands of litres of water

688
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:37,639
to wash away dirt until all that remains are rocks and any opal.

689
00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:39,239
Scott's here with his family,

690
00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:41,199
and then there's Dad and I, and a few others.

691
00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:43,799
We could find absolutely nothing.

692
00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:46,079
We could find a million dollars, you never know.

693
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,799
Yeah, it all comes down to money, doesn't it?

694
00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:52,599
With no money there, we need to cover the costs,

695
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,239
or, you know, we don't go ahead.

696
00:41:55,320 --> 00:42:00,359
Whatever Chris and Oscar find will be split 70:30 with Scott,

697
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:03,599
so they'll need to find over two and a half thousand dollars...

698
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:05,959
Bunch of the same. ..just to cover their costs.

699
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:20,999
Hey, look at that.

700
00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,039
Nice bit of colour in it.

701
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,959
Oh, yeah. That's a good sign.

702
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:33,759
Oi, Dad, found a nice bit of colour.

703
00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:42,039
You can make a little green bar in it.

704
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:48,079
Hey, check that out. Could be the colour, nice, big nobby.

705
00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:51,079
Oh, hey, it's going on, eh?

706
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,439
A little bit of red down and it's on black. Ah, it's bloody good.

707
00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,319
The Cheals have found crystal opal,

708
00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,959
green and blue, with some of it on a valuable black base.

709
00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,439
In the rough, there are 20 grams of it.

710
00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:11,519
Some good colour here. Nice little pea nobbies, nice bright colour.

711
00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:14,839
In the rough, at a guess, two grand.

712
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,159
Their $1,400-share won't cover costs,

713
00:43:18,240 --> 00:43:21,199
but it's the sign the father and son team need.

714
00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,639
There was a bit of colour there, so it's given me a bit of spark.

715
00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:28,199
We'll certainly put the digger down and rip some more dirt out.

716
00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:30,559
Yeah, I'm really confident. Hopefully, you know,

717
00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,599
it leads us in the right way that we can hit a massive pocket.

718
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:36,719
He's been great, Oscar. Just being able to teach him a few things

719
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:39,919
and just getting time with him, I mean, he's great to have around.

720
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:47,879
subtitles by Deluxe

720
00:43:48,305 --> 00:44:48,464