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NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters...

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Maybe there's good opals just there if we can get the excavator through.

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Col Duff reunites with partner Greg and pilot Stoney,

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in one last push to find opal before summer heat ends the season.

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It looks like she's running hot.

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Maybe the motor's getting sick. I don't know.

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I think that bucket's stuck.

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Cos it's so hot, it's not got the cooling power

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to get it over the top once it heats up.

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The Cheals struggle with the extremes of the Outback...

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Our steering  itself smashed. Very frustrating.

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..threatening the final days of their season.

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We just didn't need this today, you know?

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If they've left their tools here, they're coming back here.

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After weeks of poachers threatening his livelihood...

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A pick handle ain't much good against a shotgun.

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..bushman Rod Manning battles to drive out thieves from his mine.

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Hey, you thieving ! You better run!

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# Money

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# And fancy clothes

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Support us and become VIP member 
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This year's been, er... Doing a lot of solo missions.

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Prospecting, looking at new country.

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You just gotta be extra careful when you're by yourself.

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If you hurt yourself, erm, you got no one to help you.

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There's no room for error.

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It's the final sweltering weeks of the opal season

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in Australia's hottest year on record.

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Unworkable temperatures of 47 degrees Celsius are about to hit.

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The clock's ticking. There's places to go and I'm not there yet.

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I've still got to dig a bit of ground.

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I definitely need a payday. This car's having a bit of trouble.

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It'd be good to find five grand, get a set of teeth

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so I got a smile again and can eat steak.

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It's good when you got a good crew, you know.

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It's a hard job to do by yourself.

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In some ways, it's nearly impossible.

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Hey, how are you? Fine. Good, man, how you going?

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Good to see you today. How are ya? Good to see you.

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After downing mining tools for most of the season,

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opal hunter Greg Geran, and his sister Margie,

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are back to join forces with Col.

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I had a bit of a late start to the year

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cos I had a pretty hard run last year.

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Had about five months off, cut a heap of opal,

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now it's time to go digging.

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Oh, look at that.

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Queensland boulder Opal, mate. Not bad, eh?

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Last season saw the end of a successful mining run

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with former partner, Aaron Grotjahn.

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I don't know. You don't know much, do you?

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People change when opal comes.

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There was a bit of a disagreement,

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and he told me to get  off his lease,

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and that's exactly what I've done.

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Can you see that line there? This is from the seismic data. Yeah.

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Greg and Col have teamed up to dig on a huge

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ten square kilometre exploration permit, The Knob.

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We have an exploration permit here of four sub blocks.

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And by the end of the year, we need to drop two off,

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so, we're gonna go to a few places and dig 'em

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to see if it's viable to put leases down.

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It's worth having a try here,

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because we know opal has come out in this area

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by a few different parties that have dug it.

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They have less than a week before summer temperatures end their season,

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and they're forced to abandon their mission

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to discover signs of new opal ground.

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Might be a few hard lumps in amongst there.

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You got a big excavator, we can only give it a try.

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While Greg has the big machinery to dig,

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he's relying on Col's expertise to pin-point opal.

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It's been a while since I worked with Col.

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He is a professor of opal.

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He's been studying mapping and imagery

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for the last 25 years that I know of.

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And he's getting close to hitting the nail right on the head.

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Greg's sister, opal dealer, Margie,

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will sell whatever boulder opal they find,

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worth up to $20,000 a gram.

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When you've got bills to pay and everything else,

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that's the sort of stuff you wanna have.

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But got a bit of ground to get through before we get there.

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Critical to giving the team a competitive edge

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is an eye in the sky.

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Completing the team, helicopter cattle musterer

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and opal miner, Stoney Cain.

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Cobber. You getting in? Seatbelt on.

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I've been mustering cattle in a helicopter

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for 19 years now or something.

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But I'm sort of bloody over it, eh.

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It's dangerous, and not only that, but I got a little boy now.

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He's about two.

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They're asleep in the morning when you go to work and when you get home

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All right, Dad's gotta go to work. No. No?

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And they gotta grow up without you. You don't get much of a family life.

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Have a good day.

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He'll be back.

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I wouldn't mind kicking back a bit on the flying, doing a bit less,

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and doing a bit more opal mining.

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I've been mining with Greg for six or seven years.

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And over the years, I've taught myself

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to read the ground from the helicopter.

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You need the faults

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and changes in the ground for the opal to form.

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That sort of gives you an idea to go have a look.

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When you break that rock and it's full of colour,

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it's an amazing rush, it's hard to explain.

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This mark here is a big fault that's marked on the seismic survey.

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And that's why the opal's there. It's the underlying feeder.

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I reckon it looks good ground. Let's go and get some opal, mate.

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Stoney's first task is to help Col locate fault lines,

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where millions of years ago, ground water deposited silica

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in ironstone rock, forming opal.

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Yeah. That looks good, buddy.

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ROS: Cos of the drought, we've been getting bloody terrible dust storms.

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We got a real bad one last night about 12 o'clock.

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Everything's covered in dust today.

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Makes a mess, you can hardly breathe.

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Bushman Rod Manning is racing to reach his season target

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in the final scorching days of the mining season.

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It's  the heat, because yesterday was nearly 50.

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When you get that layer of dust, it traps the heat in.

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So, it just makes it real humid and real bloody hot.

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And it just  everything up.

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Even tougher, Rod is without mining partner, Les.

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What's that?

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Les is away getting us a bogger.

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A bogger's like a little front end loader

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that we use underground to move dirt.

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A mate of ours has got one for sale.

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It needs a little bit of work. So, he'll do that down there,

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if he decides to buy it.

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How are you? Hey, doll. How was your trip?

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Good. Yeah? Yeah.

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So, yeah, I got the mail from the Mines Department.

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Dodgy's is up for renewal. Oh, yeah?

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How much is it? $350. Ooh.

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With the claims, you gotta renew them every year.

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So, every year, they're gonna cost you 350 bucks.

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I kept the claim because we got real good money out of there.

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We had a break from it, then when we went to go back to it,

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that's when we discovered the ratters.

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When the ratters went in there, they made it unsafe.

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Ratters are opal thieves

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that illegally mine on claims they don't own.

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Where the ratters got in, it's not safe.

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We can't work down there,

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but there's a bit of solid ground we might be able to work in.

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OK. I'll go and have a look, and see what's happening, all right?

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OK. Night.

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You can't just keep paying renewal year after year after year.

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So, I've gotta make up my mind, and if we're gonna work it,

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we'll go and work it, and if we're not gonna go and work it, then I'll hand it in.

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Choosing which mine to keep is a gamble with serious consequences.

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Let the wrong one go,

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and Rod could be forfeiting a fortune in opals.

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Stay there, Nige.

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Well, hello.

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This is not us.

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We didn't do this. This is ratters. This is all ratters here.

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Jesus! They're unbelievable. Look at that.

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Little pile of potch they've left there.

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They could've left me some bloody colour.

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If they've left their tools here, they're fairly certain

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that I'm not coming back here and they are.

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So, we might have to do something about that.

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We're just gonna dig out in there.

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We got opal in the floor. That's why we're taking the floor.

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In Lightning Ridge, Chris Cheal and 18-year-old son, Oscar,

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are also pushing hard before the mining season is shut down

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by unworkable 47-degree summer temperatures.

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Hoping that we can get a full load before it gets too hot.

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We've moved into our last week here.

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I guess the main objective for this week is

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prove this claim is worthy of digging

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and if it's still carrying a lot of opal,

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we're gonna come in here, and rip it all out.

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That's the bogger. Scoop it again.

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You dig on a digger, obviously, there's a lot of dirt lying around.

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So, it comes in, scoops it all up.

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Chucks it in here and then you back her into the bucket,

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pull it off and she goes straight up into truck.

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We've been loading the bucket up. It hadn't come back down.

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Looked up and it was stuck, so... We don't know why.

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With a busted hoist, there's no way

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of getting opal-rich dirt out of the mine.

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Chris has returned to opal mining at the end of the season,

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after a crippling three-year drought destroyed his trucking business.

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I don't know if there's many other industries that you can go into

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and go to work one morning and come home that afternoon

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and be set up for the rest of your life.

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Leasing a claim and taking a 70% cut of any opal found,

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the Cheals made a dream start...

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Oh, that's beautiful.

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..finding $20,000 worth of black opal.

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Just given me a little bit extra that I can put back into gear too,

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which is good.

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We've only got a week left here,

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so we just decided we'd set the bogger and the super hoist up,

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and not mess around, just get into it.

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My main priority next year

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is being able to put myself through uni and college.

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That's why I'm out here opal mining.

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This definitely could be life-changing.

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One day, you could have nothing, next day you could be a millionaire.

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Joining the team is long-time family friend,

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19-year-old Farren Lamb.

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Farren, I treat him like a son,

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he's been part of our family for a lot of years now.

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Years ago, he got suspended from school,

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so, he just mined with me for the week,

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and I actually was really impressed with the way he worked.

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So, it would be good to have him here for the week.

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And it'll take the pressure off Oscar himself a bit.

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My mum lives in Goodooga, like, 70Ks away from here.

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There's not much work out there for me,

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so, Chris is trying to help me a bit for work.

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He's like another brother or friend, pretty much a dad.

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If we were to hit a really good pocket

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or a really good run of opal this week,

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with the boys working with me,

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it'll take the pressure off us that bit more,

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and that'd be a dream come true.

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But with struggling equipment, exposed to the scorching sun...

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Bucket's stuck, he's up there checking it out now.

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Hopefully, he can work it out, we can keep digging.

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..their season could be over.

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That's a hydraulic reservoir. Cos it's so hot,

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the oil's heating up. It's not got the cooling power

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to get it over the top once it heats up.

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If the pump gives out, it's game over.

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GREG: I got the map Col put on me iPad,

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and we can see where the coordinates are to go to.

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Yeah, there is hard ground here, but I think we'll handle it.

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We'll be able to rip that hard stuff with the machines,

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we just gotta dig in the right place.

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Greg's excavator has crawled three kilometres in two hours

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to the site identified by mining partners Stoney and Col.

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This is really interesting looking ground.

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You can see the different layers.

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This sort of stuff here on the top is fairly hard,

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and suddenly there's a bit of a level there of clay,

245
00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:38,999
and there's some rocks.

246
00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,279
Those rocks had a bit of opal in them.

247
00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,679
Clock's ticking, if it's a good place, we put a lease on it.

248
00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:46,359
That's what we want.

249
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,199
The team have less than a week to secure a claim on the permit

250
00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,999
before they lose access to the land.

251
00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:58,359
But it's only worth it if they can find a rich pocket of opal.

252
00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,599
All the signs are there, you'd be mad not to have a go here.

253
00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:06,439
Greg's excavator is able to move one tonne of dirt in a single bucket,

254
00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,519
vital in the search for the ironstone rocks that hold the opal.

255
00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:12,959
While you've got a good chunk of that level,

256
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,039
we'll just see if there's any rocks.

257
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,999
This is what we're looking for. They're opal tracks.

258
00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,839
Basically, these rocks are hidden in that level.

259
00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,719
So, we're gonna be real careful and check it really well.

260
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,999
I'm gonna have to check the oil, I think.

261
00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,479
I'm down on oil pressure and temperature's up, Stoney.

262
00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,519
In the 40-plus degree heat,

263
00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:47,519
Greg's 40-year-old excavator is beginning to feel the strain.

264
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:51,079
It looks like she's running a bit hot, I better turn her off.

265
00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,199
Eh.

266
00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:56,719
Might not be a good thing at all.

267
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,559
Bloody hell. I can't see any oil dripping.

268
00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,959
Hey, she got nothing on the stick. Oh.

269
00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,319
Maybe the motor's getting sick, I don't know.

270
00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,279
You got any oil?

271
00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:10,319
I don't think I've got any at the camp.

272
00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:13,399
I'll go and see what I can find, boys.

273
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,799
STONEY: We bloody hit a bit of drama, we're out of oil.

274
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,719
We are in the bloody middle of nowhere here.

275
00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,279
The nearest town is 130 kilometres away.

276
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,279
It's two-and-a-half, three-hour trip at least to go to town, and get some oil.

277
00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,759
I'll just jump on the two-way, give a couple of local farmers a call.

278
00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,119
A veteran of 20 years mustering cattle,

279
00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,999
Stoney has worked many of the farms in the region.

280
00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,919
We only got a few days to dig. Hopefully, somebody's got

281
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,599
a spare 20 litres of oil that we can borrow.

282
00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,399
ROD: We've invested thousands of dollars

283
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:07,839
and a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it.

284
00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,759
Then  come down, and in one night,

285
00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,959
take what you've been working for months for.

286
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:19,439
Battling ratter thieves, and without partner Les to watch his back,

287
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,239
Rod Manning's deciding whether to renew his dangerous Dodgy's claim.

288
00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,679
Dodgy's was a good mine, a lot of money's come out of there.

289
00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,039
There's still money in there, but where,

290
00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,039
potentially, there's good money I can't get into.

291
00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,999
Ratters have taken too much column out and I've got too wide a space.

292
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,639
Even if I tried to work here, I'd have to put 20 or 30

293
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,439
bloody props in the hole, strong possibility of collapse.

294
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,359
So, I think I might get the bloody hell out of here,

295
00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,799
and go up where they were scratching around up there

296
00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,199
in the safer stuff, cos this is way unsafe.

297
00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,279
I do not like even being down here.

298
00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,519
This is where the ratters have been scratching around.

299
00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:07,879
They've been scratching around here, so I guess I'll have a look here

300
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,399
and just see.

301
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,239
Potch absolutely everywhere.

302
00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,519
This here...

303
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:16,079
That's all opal.

304
00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:19,119
Not coloured, of course.

305
00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,439
If this is all full of colour, every stone that falls down there

306
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:28,039
is probably worth between $3,000 and $20,000.

307
00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:31,319
So, in 30 seconds, I can have...

308
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,079
..a couple of hundred thousand dollars in me hand.

309
00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,639
Good potch. Where's the colour?

310
00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,199
You're not gonna have ratters unless you've got colour.

311
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,959
I think what I'll do is come back down with a jackhammer.

312
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,599
And I'll have a bit of a dig here, and just see what it looks like.

313
00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,079
They've showed me the way there, haven't they?

314
00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,679
I think it might be the oil.

315
00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:09,119
It was definitely the oil wasn't letting it come up in the first place.

316
00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:14,159
45-degree heat has caused the Cheals' bucket hoist to fail,

317
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:19,199
the only way of getting opal dirt out of their 13-metre deep mine.

318
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,839
The oil's too hot, we started too late in the day.

319
00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,959
We gotta be starting earlier, getting out here earlier.

320
00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:28,559
Getting the load over and done with, no messing around.

321
00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,639
I'm just gonna try to cool 'em down.

322
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,799
We might be able to get the last two buckets on.

323
00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,239
The heat has thinned the hydraulic oil,

324
00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,159
reducing pressure in the hoist's pump.

325
00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,439
A quick fix is ice-cold water on a rag,

326
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,879
to cool the oil and increase its thickness.

327
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,639
When I start this, hoist up again.

328
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,799
And I want you to hit the up button and see if she'll get over.

329
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,679
Righto. Righto, give it a go!

330
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,559
While it's back in action, the hoist could fail at any moment,

331
00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:14,359
leaving Chris with no way to find opal to pay off business debts.

332
00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,879
We've been getting our opal down deep,

333
00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,479
so, we'll take a bit more floor out and have a look.

334
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,119
Not too happy with the amount of dust coming out of the face.

335
00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,919
Just bad for your lungs.

336
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,479
Dirt's real hard in the corner here. And it's too dusty.

337
00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,279
I can't extract the dust out, cos I haven't had a chance

338
00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:48,279
to put a ventilation shaft down.

339
00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:51,959
So, if I keep digging here, it's gonna fill my lungs with dust,

340
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,599
and that's no good cos you end up with silicosis.

341
00:19:55,360 --> 00:20:00,599
Silicosis is chronic lung disease caused by inhaling silica particles,

342
00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,319
a primary mineral in opal creation.

343
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,839
I'm just gonna pull up on this, and we're gonna go straight in there

344
00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,519
where it's softer and it's not as dusty.

345
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,879
When we got that really good find, we were just two or three feet from this wall.

346
00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,439
We were seeing gems everywhere.

347
00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:19,839
Decided to head this way. See if it's carrying on that level.

348
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,119
We put props up to reinforce the roof,

349
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,199
so make sure it doesn't fall down.

350
00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:26,479
If you go straight in there and start digging it out,

351
00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,879
eventually it'll fall down, so you put them up to avoid cave-ins,

352
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,559
bits of rocks falling down and hitting you, cos it's too dangerous.

353
00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:35,559
Chainsaw.

354
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:37,599
And lead.

355
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,479
240 volt lead, please. Where's the leads?

356
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:42,559
Come on, boys. You gotta get with it.

357
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:54,679
We need that one out of the way.

358
00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,759
Can you put that cap in? All right. Just grab that little hammer.

359
00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:01,839
It'll be on the chair, Oscar.

360
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,959
Doesn't take long to put a couple of props in and make it safe.

361
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,759
You gotta support the roof, cos if it comes in, you're not getting out.

362
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:19,999
We should be able to load this truck pretty quick.

363
00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,279
If the hoist stops, that's the end of our dig,

364
00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:26,159
so we just wanna concentrate on getting this load out before it gets too hot.

365
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,839
In this really tight space, I've gotta be careful of the wires.

366
00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,039
Last thing we want, being so cramped for room...

367
00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,799
Last thing we want is me reversing over the wires, ripping it all up.

368
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,879
Yeah, that'd put us back for days.

369
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,439
Hopefully, there's a few gems in there, and, you know...

370
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,719
Hopefully, it covers the cost,

371
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,159
but then, obviously,

372
00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,519
you want a good pot of money out of that, but we'll just see.

373
00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,959
I think there'll be money there, I just don't know how much.

374
00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,079
Bucket's starting to play up again,

375
00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,439
and I think now it's starting to heat up.

376
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,999
Midday, and the mercury's hitting 47 degrees.

377
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:20,239
Too hot to mine. Couple of beers, we'll tail out.

378
00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,199
And I'll see we got at the end of the day.

379
00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,719
They still need to transport the mine dirt 40 kilometres

380
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,399
to their agitator, to be washed, and examined for opal.

381
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:34,999
Pull up, boys, I think it's a tie rod.

382
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,479
So, we dropped a tie rod end

383
00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:50,159
on our beautiful roads that we got here at the moment.

384
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:53,679
We just didn't need this today, you know?

385
00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,639
We've decreased our chances of actually finding opal

386
00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,399
by the end of the week. I'm frustrated.

387
00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,559
Travelling at 180 kilometres per hour,

388
00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:21,999
Stoney's desperately hunting for engine oil on Weona cattle station.

389
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:25,519
It is a bit of a wiry machine,

390
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:28,199
it did get a bit hot, and oil pressure was dropping.

391
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,679
This machine does use oil, it's not a new machine.

392
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,639
The team urgently need oil for their excavator,

393
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,039
to continue digging for signs of opal

394
00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:40,159
on land they will lose access to in a week's time.

395
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,599
Got the clock ticking, we've only got so long

396
00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,479
and then it's someone else's go.

397
00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,959
Nothing worse than dripping oil, blow a hose or get a pinhole in it.

398
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,839
You're always putting oil in it, it all costs money.

399
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,399
Bloody bit of local knowledge, luckily. Bloody...

400
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,559
Frank and Paula Weona helped us out. I do a bit of work for 'em.

401
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,679
I thought he might have a bit of oil sitting around, so it's good.

402
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,839
The 20 litres of oil will give the team another day of digging.

403
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,359
But soon, extreme summer temperatures will shut down all work.

404
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,479
Sounds like he's coming, Col. Bit of luck he's got the oil. Yeah.

405
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:52,839
No worries. No worries, mate.

406
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:55,719
OK.

407
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,959
She's right, Col, we can make a start.

408
00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:04,519
Cool.

409
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,639
They're searching for good opal colour,

410
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:13,839
from blues and greens to the rarest and most valuable, red.

411
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,719
We've just run into a little family here of rocks.

412
00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:22,039
This one here come off the end of this one here. Have a look at this.

413
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:28,599
See if we can sneak a tooth behind here, pop that whole trunk out.

414
00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,719
Hopefully, it'll come out and that will be sitting on top of it.

415
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,279
There we go. Beautiful.

416
00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:41,599
This is sandstone and this is clay.

417
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,879
And the rocks are stuck up against the sandstone.

418
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,519
So, we've gotta try and separate without hurting them.

419
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,879
Gone a bit bloody boring here, mate.

420
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:05,799
We haven't seen any colour for a bit.

421
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,439
And it's getting a bit hot. Hammer's getting heavy.

422
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,279
Decent colour. Look at that one.

423
00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:20,879
That's nice and bright. Bloody hell.

424
00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,399
Yeah. Nice bit of blue-green, nice and thick, too.

425
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,719
So, maybe, there'll be more stuff as we go in, I reckon.

426
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,519
Off we go. They're all here. Right along there. Look at that.

427
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,599
Quite a big nest, eh? Yeah, yeah.

428
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,439
Oh, here we go.

429
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,039
I'm getting excited.

430
00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,799
Wow, check that out, boys.

431
00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:51,359
Whoa-ho! Look at this nice colour.

432
00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,079
There's some little stones there.

433
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,199
Oi, look at this, fellas. Oh.

434
00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:01,039
Bloody hell. Oh, it's red.

435
00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,919
Red! Yeah! Red, mate, look at that.

436
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,399
There you go, that's how it happens. Oh, flashes to green one way.

437
00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:09,479
One way green, one way red.

438
00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,879
That's a kingstone, mate. That is a kingstone.

439
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:13,959
That's bloody beautiful. That's a gem.

440
00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,359
Oh, looks pretty! It is red.

441
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,919
That is very good colour. That is beautiful.

442
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:30,999
That shows what this place is capable of.

443
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,359
Yesterday, I found a few little bits of trace.

444
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,239
I'm just gonna drop some cables down there now,

445
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,039
get a jackhammer and some lights down there.

446
00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:49,439
Have a bit of a dig and just see what it looks like.

447
00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:55,279
At Dodgy's, Rod faces a $350 lease renewal fee.

448
00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:59,839
Still short of his season target, he needs to prove it's worth keeping.

449
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,759
Now, you stay. Stay.

450
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,919
When you're doing it tough, that's hard money to come up with.

451
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,879
I've gotta sort of figure out if it's worth hanging on to.

452
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:16,039
Complicating matters, ratters have been stealing opal from the mine.

453
00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:19,239
This is where they left that little bit of potch for me, so...

454
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,759
Hook in, I guess.

455
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:33,839
Where's the colour?

456
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,399
Some bloody junky ratter got it, I guess.

457
00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:44,719
Look at that. They missed a bit. That's nice colour.

458
00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:48,159
And that's obviously why they've been digging here.

459
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,079
That's enough to get the old heart beating quicker, I reckon.

460
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:55,039
It's a nice colour, I think we're gonna keep it.

461
00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,959
That's enough to get me excited.

462
00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,679
I think we'll keep it, we'll renew the lease.

463
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,559
You can always guarantee if you got ratters in a mine,

464
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,639
you've got colour in the mine.

465
00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:13,519
These weren't here yesterday.

466
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,839
These definitely weren't here yesterday, and neither was this.

467
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,279
See, that's fresh.

468
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,479
Someone's been down here last night cos that wasn't there yesterday.

469
00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,799
Cos we were in here, I would have saw it.

470
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,239
Last night, they were here. The only way to stop them

471
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:36,759
is to be here when they are here, so I'm coming back tonight, stuff 'em.

472
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,639
Well, the ratters are active. They're about.

473
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,479
All I can do is go out to the claim and find myself a box tree

474
00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,439
to sit underneath and wait, and see if they turn up or not.

475
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:55,359
Let's do this.

476
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,799
With partner Les still away, Rod's staking out the claim alone.

477
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:02,279
The way I gotta do it is get out there,

478
00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,759
hide this away in the scrub a little bit,

479
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,479
just find a tree and sit underneath the tree and wait.

480
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,319
Can't have any lights or anything on.

481
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:13,919
I gotta be a bit smart, a bit careful.

482
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,839
A pick handle ain't much good against a shotgun.

483
00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,519
They won't see us from here, I don't think.

484
00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,479
You don't know whether they're going to turn up.

485
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,239
You don't know whether it's one bloke or four blokes.

486
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,319
You don't know whether they've got guns.

487
00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:37,799
You just have to wait and see what happens.

488
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,559
I'd sooner cop a flogging

489
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,959
than let someone steal off me.

490
00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:48,599
I've copped floggings before. You heal, you'll get over em.

491
00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,999
But you don't heal or get over being a dog,

492
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,519
and laying down and letting people walk all over you.

493
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:06,559
Hello, here we go.

494
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,559
They're there. Look.

495
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,759
Nah! I think that's just one of the boys going home from the pub.

496
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,559
I think we might put that one down to a false alarm.

497
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,039
Ooh, that sounds like a car.

498
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,719
Yeah, this is it. Righto.

499
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:38,999
This is it, fellas. This is it.

500
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,559
Hey, you thieving ! Better run!

501
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:54,399
You, mate! Oi, oi, squitter!

502
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,679
I saw ya!

503
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:02,479
Don't rush, cos I know who you are.

504
00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:04,559
He's just a little  grub.

505
00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:07,439
I can pay him a visit.

506
00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:10,439
That's the end of our ratter problem.

507
00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:20,719
To secure Dodgy's claim, Rod needs to sell the opal he found

508
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:23,999
to help pay for the $350 renewal fee.

509
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,439
Whenever I get some reasonable stones

510
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,079
that are only little and don't cost much money,

511
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,159
I run 'em down to Sandra. She's very easy to deal with.

512
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:36,599
You home, Sandra? Come on in.

513
00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:38,999
I've got something for ya. Oh, beauty.

514
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,239
I've been waiting, I need a little bit of extra.

515
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:45,679
They're not spectacular, but I think you might be able to do something with them.

516
00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:47,479
Yep. There's a couple of them.

517
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:52,239
There's a couple of little ones you can do something with. Yeah, that one I can. Definitely.

518
00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:55,399
You'll get a couple of rings out 'em and maybe a pendant.

519
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,279
That's a nice one.

520
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:00,479
That should come up actually quite nice. Yeah.

521
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,999
What are you looking at for the whole lot?

522
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:06,559
Oh, I don't know, Sandra. I reckon, to you, $300.

523
00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:08,639
A bit of work in that one.

524
00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:11,439
Hm, $300?

525
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,439
What do you wanna give me?

526
00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,279
I reckon about $250. $250?

527
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,199
Well, I say it's fair, $250.

528
00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,359
That will do me. I'm happy with that.

529
00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,079
$250 is done. Good on ya, Sandra. Thank you very much.

530
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:27,239
Yeah, I'll even chuck a tin in.

531
00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:32,999
With $250 from the sale,

532
00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,079
Rod has enough money to renew the lease on the mine.

533
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,159
I'm pretty happy, to tell you the truth.

534
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,039
Old Les is away, so he's missed out

535
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,879
on a bit of bloody excitement and a bit of fun.

536
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:48,079
But with us renewing the lease and going back there to work...

537
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,959
To get that bit of colour, I didn't do very much digging at all.

538
00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,959
So another good sign.

539
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,119
Hold on! Where are we going?

540
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:02,359
How flash is that, eh?

541
00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:04,519
Wow! I know how to treat a girl.

542
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,359
This looks good. That's beautiful.

543
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:10,799
Love you. Love you, too.

544
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:12,599
Best wife I've ever had.

545
00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,199
It's smashed. I'll have to try him later.

546
00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:30,239
Very frustrating.

547
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:33,879
On the penultimate day of their mining season,

548
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:35,679
the Cheals' truck,

549
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,959
full of potentially opal-bearing dirt, is busted.

550
00:34:43,720 --> 00:34:45,519
She snapped off.

551
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:48,879
The nearest town for a new tie rod end

552
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,119
is Walgett, 80 kilometres away.

553
00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,439
But first, Chris has to get the broken one off.

554
00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:01,039
That's not coming out. That's not gonna in a hurry.

555
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,679
So me brother's trying to track one down in Walgett.

556
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:08,479
He said he will come up, give us a hand to get it out.

557
00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:10,559
This is what he does, you know.

558
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,359
He fixes trucks and tractors and whatever else.

559
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:15,239
He's a pretty handy mechanic.

560
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,639
How are you going, brother? Good. Thanks for coming up.

561
00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:20,719
Uncle Jeffo just arrived.

562
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:22,839
He's got a new tie bar, crowbar, everything.

563
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,639
We'll try to get the old one off. We had a bit of trouble earlier.

564
00:35:25,720 --> 00:35:28,639
But he's the expert, so he can hopefully sort something out.

565
00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:31,559
And then we'll get the new one on and hopefully get going.

566
00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:41,319
It's off now. We drop this one out and snap the other one.

567
00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:45,799
Getting this out here, so we'll take this back to the workshop,

568
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,119
undo 'em down there, and fix it all up.

569
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,799
Frustrating, but we'll just try and get back tonight

570
00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:52,879
and get it finished off.

571
00:35:59,720 --> 00:36:01,719
The Cheals return from Walgett

572
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,519
with the parts they need to fix the truck.

573
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,999
I'll need one of you on one side to hold it up.

574
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:10,799
Keep it out of the dirt. We'll start the truck.

575
00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:12,999
I'll get someone in on the steering wheel.

576
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,799
Just go right hand down. Just slow. Turn.

577
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:23,359
Turn.

578
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,359
Whoa! Whoa!

579
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:31,479
Good days.

580
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:34,159
We got it on. Only took a few minutes. Still got light.

581
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,319
Righto. Pack that up.

582
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,839
Yeah, I am happy. Let's just hope...

583
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,319
we have a good, smooth day tomorrow, you know?

584
00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:54,479
With the truck fixed, the Cheals can finally deliver the 15 tonnes of dirt

585
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,919
and with it, the hope of Chris being able to pay off crippling debt.

586
00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:03,599
We're here, just about to start our last tail out of the season.

587
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:07,399
We had that breakdown yesterday which wrecked the whole day for us.

588
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:09,039
We were all very disappointed.

589
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,039
Hopefully, we can finish the season on a high.

590
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,279
The agitator, a giant, water-filled rotating drum,

591
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:19,159
strips dirt from the sandstone, revealing any opal.

592
00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:22,079
For us three to find opal together would be pretty special

593
00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:24,159
so hopefully that's the case.

594
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,439
Geez, look at that colour. Ah.

595
00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:35,839
I got him. That is bright.

596
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,319
Holy... Look at the colour in that.

597
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:41,959
That's nice, eh?

598
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,479
Yeah, just started picking up really, really nice colour,

599
00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,959
so, yeah, it's looking good, it's a good start.

600
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,399
Blue-purple stone.

601
00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,479
Check that one out. Oh.

602
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,079
Nice colour on black, too.

603
00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,919
That's a nice colour. Oh!

604
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,479
Look at that. They're OK. See that one?

605
00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,999
Got one, Oscar, look at that one.

606
00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:07,639
Yeah, that's bright.

607
00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,199
Could cut a decent stone out of that, it's flashy.

608
00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,119
I think we got another little payday there.

609
00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:15,479
Fella.

610
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:17,759
Guys.

611
00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:19,839
My man.

612
00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,999
The Cheals have found black opal,

613
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,399
predominantly blue-green, with flashes of red and yellow.

614
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:30,839
It's in the rough, and there's an estimated 200 grams.

615
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:34,359
Fair bit of material.

616
00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:36,239
What do you reckon, how much?

617
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,159
There's definitely five grand in the rough there.

618
00:38:39,240 --> 00:38:43,799
And if a few of these rub up, we'll get ten grand.

619
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:45,799
We'll get ten grand for it. Yeah, I reckon.

620
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:48,639
After a basic polish,

621
00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:52,599
the Cheals have an estimated $10,000 worth of opal.

622
00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:56,079
Their 70% share brings their season total

623
00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,399
to $29,400.

624
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,759
The prospects are a lot better going into next year

625
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:04,279
than what they were at the start of it for me, that's for sure.

626
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:07,999
When we got that bit of opal, I felt the weight of the world lifting off me,

627
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,439
because I knew it allowed me to just breathe a bit easier.

628
00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:14,919
I had cost going out. Pressure came off me in that instant, really.

629
00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:18,879
I feel proud. Dad never really asked, though.

630
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,919
He asked me to come up here and give him a hand

631
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:23,399
and got it done.

632
00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:24,999
We're happy as can be now.

633
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:30,079
Finding over 20 grand, it definitely helps me next year,

634
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:34,559
there's a lot of expenses with uni and college, and just living in Sydney and stuff next year.

635
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,759
In all the breaks we get, I'll be out here giving him a hand,

636
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,919
cos I love it, he loves it, it's good to do it together.

637
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:44,319
I'm really happy. It was a good end of the season,

638
00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,439
knowing I've got country that's worthwhile digging in front of me.

639
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:49,519
We'll be back next year.

640
00:39:57,880 --> 00:39:59,919
If I can't see any colour, I'll throw it there.

641
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,919
If I see some colour, I throw it here. Right. Yeah.

642
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,839
Col, Greg and Stoney are about to lose

643
00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:09,079
access to land on their exploration permit.

644
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:11,759
They want to be convinced the site has potential

645
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:13,679
for high-end boulder opal.

646
00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:16,839
Ah, yeah. This is a six-inch trim saw.

647
00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,559
Very thin blade. Very good for cutting opal.

648
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:24,079
What do you reckon, this one, eh? Yeah, get into them, I reckon.

649
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:26,559
What they find in these ironstone rocks

650
00:40:26,640 --> 00:40:28,639
will decide if they stake a claim

651
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:31,599
and start a bigger operation next season,

652
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:35,759
or abandon it, wasting four days' mining and thousands of dollars.

653
00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,359
Let the saw answer your questions.

654
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,439
And some do and some don't.

655
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:41,959
I'll do this one.

656
00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,839
Greg's had 40 years cutting experience.

657
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:52,239
But one slip of the saw could destroy the opal.

658
00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:59,359
Oh, there we go.

659
00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:02,759
That's a weight. That's what we're looking for, boys.

660
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,839
Ooh, look at that.

661
00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:06,959
Yeah, big chunks. Nice colour.

662
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,239
Bloody nice. Good stuff.

663
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,999
See how this one looks, Greg. Yeah.

664
00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:18,039
This one's kingstone. It's the best quality opal.

665
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,039
Hopefully, it runs in here, and it'll be good.

666
00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:24,399
I hope we pick it up on the first cut.

667
00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,479
The kingstone shows rare red opal on the face.

668
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:33,159
If it continues inside, it could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

669
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:36,999
Let's see if there's something there.

670
00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,319
No, it didn't run there. Ah!

671
00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:45,559
When I sawed it, the first saw cut didn't show any more opal.

672
00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:51,279
Greg tries a second cut straight through the middle of the stone.

673
00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:53,359
We're getting close.

674
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:55,959
Won't be long.

675
00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:59,519
Here we go. Here we go.

676
00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,319
That's runnin'. Runnin'!

677
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,479
Runnin'! Goes from side to side.

678
00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:12,439
The most beautiful colour inside. I can see it now, yeah.

679
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:15,119
That's definitely one chunky stone.

680
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,279
That's what it's all about, eh? Yeah. Meant to be, Stoney.

681
00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:22,599
She's worth a few bucks. Don't worry about that.

682
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,039
Definitely. That gives hope. We must keep digging.

683
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:29,799
They have high quality boulder opal,

684
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:34,639
ranging from prized red through to mid-value blues and greens.

685
00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:37,919
It's been sawn, and there's five kilograms.

686
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,359
Potentially, between those two bits, there could be, like, ten grand.

687
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,959
Yeah. And then the other stuff that's with it,

688
00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:46,039
I'm thinking around 15 plus.

689
00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,359
We definitely didn't dig a dud. There's more to dig.

690
00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:53,359
With an estimated value of over $15,000,

691
00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:56,359
this opal find is the proof the team need

692
00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,399
to stake a claim, and together, set up a mine.

693
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,959
MARGIE: It's great to know that area's producing that material.

694
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:06,959
Good commercial stuff as well. A lot more gems to come yet.

695
00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:10,479
Good on you, Greggy. It was a pleasure. I enjoyed it.

696
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:12,719
Off to a good start. Good on ya. Good on ya.

697
00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,479
STONEY: Yeah, no, it looks good, eh?

698
00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:18,559
You can't not be happy with that.

699
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:22,199
That ground is doing all the things that it should do to produce Opal.

700
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,319
It's been great working with the team.

701
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:27,399
I've got a good feeling about this one.

702
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,479
Things are coming together for a reason.

703
00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:32,519
And that's so we can find some opal, and be successful.

704
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,519
It's already paid off. I think, in time,

705
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,159
we'll find a lot more of that type of material.

706
00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:42,879
We are off to a very good start. Opal will flow.

707
00:43:43,320 --> 00:43:45,319
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707
00:43:46,305 --> 00:44:46,827