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NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters...

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Go, you Zilla. Come on.

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In a desperate bid to reach opal-rich grounds...

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Easy. Easy.

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..the Blacklighters risk moving their ten-tonne processing plant.

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Hold up, hold up. Oh, oh. Look at the hole I'm standing in.

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If we do fall in there, it's game over.

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In their dangerous underground mine...

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I don't like it. ..the Cheals' operation grinds to a halt...

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Hoist won't come back down. ..as their only

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dirt-moving truck breaks down.

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If Dad can't get this going, we're in trouble.

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Jeez, that looks a bit ominous. And, determined to expand

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their mining empire, the Young Guns hunt

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for a new claim on an old field.

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Easy does it. Oh, oh, oh.

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When you put a ladder into place and the bottom rung drops off...

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Grab it, grab it. ..one slip and broken bones.

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# ASH GRUNWALD: Money

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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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Yeah, let's go find some opal, eh?

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A bit dismal in the little hole we're digging at the moment,

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so if we can locate a bit of a nice patch tonight,

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we'll head for that tomorrow.

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See what we get tonight, eh? Yeah.

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Come out to the plane tonight to have a bit of a scratch around

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with the black lights, and hopefully we can find

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a new dump to get stuck into tomorrow. It would be good.

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NARRATOR: Experts in sifting through

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old mined dirt to find missed opal,

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the Blacklighters are using ultraviolet torches

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to find surface trace difficult to see in daylight.

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We use a little black light. As soon as we put it on,

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any opal around it glows like crazy,

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so we're just gonna wander around with this and if there is

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any opal on the surface, we'll pick it up straight away.

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There's a bit there. You can see it.

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It's like, in the day it's just the same as everything else,

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but at night, with the light, it's just glowing.

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When hit with ultraviolet light,

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the water electrons inside the opal become excited,

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releasing energy and flourescing.

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I'll definitely give this spot a dig tomorrow,

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cos like, that's a sign there's definitely material there,

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so hopefully we get a stack of 'em.

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That's just stunning, top opal.

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ALL: Ohh! Ohh, yes! Yes!

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NARRATOR: Mark, Paul, John and their families

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were forced to relocate to Coober Pedy

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after authories shut down the opal town of Mintabie.

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So far, they've pulled out

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$123,000 worth of opal

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by noodling, or sifting through old mined dirt,

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with their processing plant Opalzilla.

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Where we're getting it, they only went to eight feet.

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Our plan is to noodle the dirt away that they mined to eight feet

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and then go down.

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But with running costs in the thousands every week,

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the reserve funds are depleting fast.

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No, we're smoking it out. Right-o.

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Parts are expensive.

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Fuel's gone up a lot. Everything's gone up.

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We do need to find opal or we're gonna go backwards fast.

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In my own family, we've got six mouths to feed.

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They're all reliant on it, and Paul's got a new baby

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and a little fella, as well. So two or three claims,

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if you fail, you're down 100 grand like that.

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You know, and try to recover from that, it's very hard.

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40 kilometres from their home,

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the Blacklighters are working Jess's trech -

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one of their four 100-by-200-metre claims.

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We're gonna cut a slot through another dump

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to head towards where we were last night,

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and try a bit of fresh dirt.

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It takes so much to set up here. We wanna make sure

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we get everything we can reach before we move on.

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We're just waiting for Mark to push some of the opal-bearing dirt

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that we found some stuff in yesterday.

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Put it through Opalzilla. He's a little bit hungry this morning.

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You load it up into a hopper and it goes through a trommel,

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shakes all the dust off. The dark room's got ultraviolet light.

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You've got your pickers, and they're picking it off

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the belt as it glows through. So it's very efficient.

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Oi, the trommel's stopped running, man. Turn everything off.

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All we're gonna leave is mess.

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Is the trommel not working?

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Turn the hopper off.

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Jesus Louises.

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Ugh.

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You need to be digging dirt to generate some money

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by selling opal, so at the moment

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we're not getting the production out as we should be.

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And, of course, we've got to live so we need to find the money

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to do that. We've all got to keep up with fuel bills,

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so it makes it harder. It's a bit stressful.

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After a slow start to the season,

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Chris Cheal and sons Rory and Oscar

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are moving their unstable two-tonne digger

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towards a more promising opal-bearing fault.

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I traced down on the lower side of it.

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It's only when we did some more work here

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that we discovered it. As far as the digger goes.

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It is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

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I don't have anyone in close around it because they can fall over.

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I've had one crush me once and it did a bit of damage to me.

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If it gets you in the wrong spot, then she's all over.

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So you just don't want to put yourself in a position where you're gonna get crushed.

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Once in place, the digger needs to brace securely

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against the roof for mining the rockface.

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I don't like the roof up there. There's a little bit of crap up there that's dried out.

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I'll just get you to stand back.

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I don't like it.

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Just was a little layer there that had come away.

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There's not much dirt in it, but if it falls

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and it hits you on the shoulder or hand or something, you know,

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it could break your hand. Happy with that?

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Happy as can be.

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Hey, hey, hey! Whoo!

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Chris is relying on opal mining for his income,

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after drought destroyed his grain-hauling business.

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But so far this season, he's found just a fraction

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of his $75,000 target.

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Obviously, you always hope for more.

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That would be unbelievable if we hit a big pocket

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and the boys had enough money to...

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help themselves out at college and uni and...

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you know, I was able to get back on my feet a bit.

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Believing his claim could hold

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a lucrative pocket of black opal

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worth up to $43,000 a gram,

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Chris has pegged 22 claims

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covering a massive 55,000 square metres.

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That's our roof there at the moment.

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And it starts coming back down. You can see the sandstone.

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It finishes about there.

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And then comes back. That's what we will, um...

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we will have for our roof.

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The Cheals have discovered that the opal level

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they were following in the ceiling has been forced downwards

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into the floor by a massive earth movement,

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resulting in a Z fault.

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With Z faults, cos there's that massive disruption,

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if you've got big, kind of, open spaces underground

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from, like, an earthquake or whatever, more water

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can get in there and can press to make opal.

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I've heard a lot of good stories about Z faults.

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I've never really worked around one so it's a new opportunity for me.

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And, you know, we've got opal on the high side of it,

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so, you know, we're kind of hoping

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that the bottom side might be even better than the top side.

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It's pretty vital that we find something.

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It's been a while since we got a big hit.

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OK, here we go.

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Don't go with it if it's going.

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Don't hold on to the control. Just let it go.

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And watch your...watch your feet around the wheel, JC.

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Oh, thank God.

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All right, we're in a pretty good spot now.

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In just their second season,

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the Young Guns, JC, Jaymin and Noah,

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are learning the ropes on their ten-year-old digger

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in their century-old unstable mine.

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Just before you move back in, I'd move the bar a little. That's it. Like that.

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Don't want another big old bopper on JC's little noggin.

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There it is. Johnny, it's glacial. Is that actually glacial stone?

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It's glacial stone, dude? Sometimes you can get opal in 'em,

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sometimes you can't. They are cool to find, though.

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So, we just found, um... a glacial stone on the roof there,

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and sometimes opal can pool in around those.

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So, JC's gonna bring the digger back a bit

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and just pop that little shelf down where the glacial stone's sitting. There's a couple of 'em in there.

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Glacial stones were carried by drifting icebergs

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on Australia's inland sea

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100 million years ago.

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The melting of the ice exposed cracks

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and voids in between the glacial stones.

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Silica-rich water can drain into the gaps

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to eventually form opal.

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Just going directly, like, into the glacial stone. Like, above it.

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It will probably go straight through, and it pops down, pops down.

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This could be the million-dollar piece.

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Have we got anything? Oh, look at that.

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It's just all, like, concretion-y stuff.

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Is that him? No colour, no opal.

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A million-year-old ice thing.

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That's exactly what it is.

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Here we go.

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Oh-ho-ho-ho! 32-and-a-half.

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That's a deal. A deal. I think we are very happy with that.

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NARRATOR: In the first week of their season,

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the Young Guns have already had their biggest opal find to date.

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All right, man. Let's make it happen. Boys!

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We just got a new investor! Oh-ho-ho!

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The week got even better when they secured an investor

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who's put in $50,000 for mining equipment

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in exchange for 25% of any opal found.

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We've got the loader, we've got the truck

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and we've got the tipper. Everything we almost need.

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Whoo!

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Hey, John. Hey, how's it going, fellas? Yeah, good, mate.

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All the gear has turned up. That's good, that's good.

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I mean, we are pretty much, er... We will try and get this gear

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up and running as soon as possible, and hopefully pull in some opal some time soon.

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Yeah, sounds good. The sooner we start pulling opal,

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the better off we'll all be. We need a bit of money back in the kitty.

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OK. ..we get it sooner rather than later.

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It's definitely a lot more responsibility

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now that we have someone else that we are responsible to.

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He's put down a lot of money

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to get us going and, you know, put his faith in us.

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The goal with his machinery is to, you know, move more dirt,

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find more opal. This is a massive opportunity

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for the Young Guns. This is a chance to expand,

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go bigger and better like we've been talking about,

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trying to upgrade our situation, trying to become real opal miners out here.

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The mine we're in at the moment has a very limited shelflife.

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A lot of the ground is dug out and unsafe to work.

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We can't limit ourselves to one claim.

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We need to expand our operation as much as possible

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to give ourselves more options.

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..scary.

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Yeah, JC, you.

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What was that? Did you just  hear that?

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Yeah, it clanked a bit, didn't it? It sounded like a snap.

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No oil pissing out nowhere?

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That was a big snap, wasn't it?

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Wait. That thing there. That screw is supposed to be in there.

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It's supposed to be connected to that. It moves the arm. The arm won't move now. A bad spot, too.

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Here, have a look at this. It's just jammed.

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Yeah, and all the rocks got on and popped the belt off.

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I'm probably gonna need the shovel, too, I think.

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The fines' here, man. It's just burried the whole wheel.

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You need to keep on top of it a bit more.

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Desperate to find opal, Blacklighters leader Mark

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has forgotten to clear away tonnes of dirt, known as fines,

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that Opalzilla's trommel has shaken off

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the processed rock.

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I've been running around trying to find some fresh spots.

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Neglected the most important job -

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to keep Opalzilla nice and neat.

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A bit frustrating now I haven't got to the fines in time

244
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,879
and it's thrown the belt off. It's not moving, is it?

245
00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,319
Yeah, we've just got to shovel out the trommel,

246
00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,839
get rid of all the fines and, yeah,

247
00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:44,919
put the belt back on.

248
00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,559
Opal makes our world go round, so we need Opalzilla

249
00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:50,879
to find our way for us, really.

250
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,239
You can lose all your assets and that if you start

251
00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,799
having to borrow a bit of money to keep yourself going.

252
00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,199
And then you don't find it again after that, you can lose everything.

253
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,279
We're almost there.

254
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,039
Just gonna try and stretch this belt on,

255
00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,039
It's not...

256
00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,599
There, she has it. There we go.

257
00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,679
We'll start it up now and hopefully she will spin.

258
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,159
You ready? Yep. Shaker.

259
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:24,519
Yep. Trommel.

260
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,879
Yep. Beautiful.

261
00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,519
That's what we like to see. It's rolling around.

262
00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,719
Good news.

263
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,719
Right-o, mate. She's all running again now. All good.

264
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:37,999
Well done, guys. Awesome effort, man.

265
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,559
I think it's time to go look for some more dirt.

266
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:43,639
Going on the search at the moment.

267
00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,119
Yeah, just coming around the back.

268
00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,679
This is sort of like tunnelling towards where we were.

269
00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,079
Getting some stuff with the black light last night,

270
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,119
so we'll see what that eventuates into.

271
00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,079
NARRATOR: Opalzilla can process 50 tonnes every hour.

272
00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,719
But right now, it's a 200-metre round-trip

273
00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,239
for every two-tonne load.

274
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,879
Yeah, it's pretty hectic trying to keep up the pace

275
00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,599
when you're having to get the dirt from so far away.

276
00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,919
Whoa. Kicked into another gear at the moment.

277
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,039
Yeah, just got the first piece come through for the day.

278
00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,439
It's a bit hard to see under the black light, cos it's dark in here.

279
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:27,559
Everything looks the same.

280
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,399
It's been a bit slow. Not that much coming through,

281
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,279
so, yeah, hopefully it can pick up sooner or, yeah,

282
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,639
we'll have to rethink this plan of ours.

283
00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,239
I don't feel confident in the spot anymore.

284
00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,599
All of a sudden, every little spot I try,

285
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:48,679
every corner seems to be empty.

286
00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:56,119
Yeah, there's not all that much in my bucket.

287
00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,799
What is in there looks like it might be mainly rocks.

288
00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,079
I just don't know where to go, man. I'm tunnelling straight into

289
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,719
that dump that we walked around last night

290
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,919
and nothing, nothing, nothing. Yeah.

291
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,759
I reckon start making plans to get the  out of here.

292
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,799
Yeah. Let's do it, eh?

293
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,399
I reckon the party is just about over.

294
00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:25,599
No point digging dirt that's not giving us any reward.

295
00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,959
It's, um... Yeah, the machinery costs a lot to run.

296
00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,039
We just can't afford to stay stagnant.

297
00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,639
We've got to just move on. You can't just sit there forever

298
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,159
and just keep digging, cos you're just burning diesel

299
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,239
and putting a hole in your pocket.

300
00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,239
If this was the only claim we knew about, the only place we could dig for the rest of our lives,

301
00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,839
we'd stay here, wouldn't we? You know, and keep persisting, but it's not.

302
00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:52,039
And we're just gonna have to bite the bullet and look for something a bit more productive.

303
00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,039
Off to the next claim. Yeah. Off to the next claim, eh?

304
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,519
The plan is to tow the ten-tonne Opalzilla

305
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:01,959
to their other claim, Bedframe.

306
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,159
This new claim is about 700 metres from our last claim.

307
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,159
You can see where the old guys really had some success,

308
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,639
cos it was one cut after another, after another.

309
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,919
They were definitely following a run.

310
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,439
Moving Opalzilla, it takes days.

311
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,599
Sometimes it can take weeks.

312
00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,599
That's our moneymaker. We need to be able to move it.

313
00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,479
So, we are thinking the opal might be carrying down deeper,

314
00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:33,079
so the only way we can get to it is to dig down.

315
00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,519
At the moment we're heading down towards the bottom side

316
00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:39,599
of that Z fault on a decline.

317
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,399
Um...we've filled probably half the truck.

318
00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,759
We're probably gonna have to dig down another six foot.

319
00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:50,199
Chris Cheals and sons Rory and Oscar

320
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,679
are excavating to find the opal level

321
00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,479
beneath an ancient geological formation

322
00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:57,559
known as a Z fault.

323
00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,719
Our family's had a rough few years.

324
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,839
I want to be able to help the boys and my daughter out more financially.

325
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,319
They're sort of putting themselves through uni and college at the moment.

326
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,919
If we can find a pocket, we will... I guess I can help the kids out a bit more.

327
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,559
Yeah, I just wanna be able to keep digging, basically.

328
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,959
And I can't dig without the money coming in.

329
00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,079
There is a possibility, you know, that we could see something

330
00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,239
on our way down to the level. It would be absolutely unreal if we did.

331
00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,719
I guess it would kind of solidify our thoughts about what can be down there.

332
00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,079
So, yeah, fingers crossed we see something.

333
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,239
To get to the level two metres below their feet,

334
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,039
the Cheals have to excavate at least 60 tonnes of rock,

335
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,159
then remove it with the bogger.

336
00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,119
Dumping it into the 600-kilogram capacity hoist,

337
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,199
which is sent 13 metres up the shaft

338
00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:53,319
to the waiting truck.

339
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,519
What's that, Rory? 19? 19, yeah.

340
00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,399
Three more till we move the truck.

341
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,879
Oi, oi. Ooh. What?

342
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,599
Check this out. What is it? A bit of greensand.

343
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,079
Ooh, .

344
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,519
That's not bad, eh? That's unreal.

345
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:21,999
Yeah. That's-that's good trace.

346
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,479
Yeah, we've come across a little bit of seam.

347
00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,999
So, that's a really good indicator that's telling us there's, um...

348
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,279
coloured seam down here. I'm pretty happy at the moment.

349
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:33,679
Seeing good coloured trace like that

350
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,039
is a very, very good sign for where you're headed.

351
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:38,639
I'm pretty happy to see that, not gonna lie.

352
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,199
Every load the Cheals excavate

353
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,399
needs to have the sandstone clay

354
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,839
cleaned off to reveal any opal.

355
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,519
Their agitator wash plant, or aggie,

356
00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,599
is 40 kilometres away.

357
00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,879
Each load costs $200 to process.

358
00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,639
So, we've just decided to dump the dirt that we dug yesterday.

359
00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,679
It costs a lot of money to drive that big truck all the way into the aggie and back.

360
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,199
The chance of it having opal is a lot less than, you know,

361
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,279
other loads we might dig today.

362
00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:10,679
Timewise and costwise, it's the best option for us -

363
00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:12,799
just to dump it and come back to it later.

364
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,119
And, you know, hopefully get some better dirt in the aggie.

365
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,279
!

366
00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:23,479
Went to dump that load and the hoist won't come back down.

367
00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:26,559
Controlling is... I think it's done a little low ring.

368
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,479
So, yeah, I'm just in the middle of trying to fix it.

369
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,919
You know, obviously, if the back doesn't come down

370
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,399
then we can't dig a load. It's a bit frustrating,

371
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,999
but nothing you can do about it.

372
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,039
If Dad can't get this going, we're in trouble.

373
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,719
Something has popped out of place on the digger,

374
00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:57,279
so we're not too sure, exactly, what's gone wrong there.

375
00:20:57,360 --> 00:20:59,719
So, just more mechanical problems

376
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,799
that we don't really need.

377
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,079
The Young Guns' second-hand $12,000 digger

378
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,039
has torn an arm off one of its hydraulic rams.

379
00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:12,559
I think that's just free swinging now, isn't it? Yeah. Why can't...

380
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,839
I wouldn't be able... Be able to control it.

381
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,199
Control left or right. Mm. You can feel it.

382
00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,119
Feel how bad it is. So, the problem is a little bit more serious

383
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,759
than we initially thought. The thread is pretty much all worn out,

384
00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,839
except for a little bit left at the end.

385
00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:28,839
So the chances of that popping back off again are quite high.

386
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,159
So, to fix that, basically, we are just gonna weld the eye

387
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:34,279
directly onto the ram there

388
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:36,759
so it doesn't happen again.

389
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,999
Having an investor now has raised every stake.

390
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,839
Not only do we need to find opal, but we need to find more of it than before.

391
00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:45,919
We're covering a fourth person, as well.

392
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,599
Unable to mine until the digger is repaired,

393
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,999
the Young Guns are taking the ram to Jaymin's grandfather,

394
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,039
and opal mining veteran of 47 years,

395
00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:57,199
Ron "Pop" Doughton.

396
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,759
How's it going? Better than you. I bet.

397
00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,039
What have you got this time? All right.

398
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:05,799
I think... Put it on the bench. I think this is actually a...

399
00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,399
Pop, he's considered a bit of a mining legend out in White Cliffs.

400
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,079
He's put in some solid hours as a young bloke.

401
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:15,039
You know, always helpful with a lot of people starting out.

402
00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,919
$50, at least. Obviously, he's my grandfather

403
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,159
so he gives us a little bit extra help.

404
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,319
Thanks very much, Ron. That's gonna keep us digging.

405
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,639
Well... Yeah.  again. Look at that.

406
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,359
Yeah, look at that. She's good to go.

407
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:35,399
The mine we have now at the back of our camp, it's definitely frustrating.

408
00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,679
It's on its last legs. Very limited, going one direction

409
00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,519
because of how unsafe it is on either side with the roof.

410
00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,919
And you don't wanna be wasting time on a mine that's not producing anything.

411
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,999
The opal level is... You can see this white band

412
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,399
running, like, all the way around the wall.

413
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,239
Here, it's this one direction and it's this one opal level.

414
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:58,119
At the moment we are digging a bigger hole,

415
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,239
but we are not finding much opal.

416
00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,799
As in any. There is no opal coming out of the ground right now.

417
00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,119
So I think the best option for us at this stage

418
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,199
is just gonna be look for some new ground

419
00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,479
and set up a whole new mine in there

420
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:12,559
that's hopefully gonna produce some opal

421
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,639
and give us more options.

422
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,319
Moving opal is not the easiest task to perform.

423
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:29,399
There's a few hard days of labour.

424
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,159
You've pretty much got to get on your hands and knees and dig it out.

425
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,519
Recently forced to leave their homes in the town of Mintabie,

426
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,039
the Blacklighters and their families are relying on Coober Pedy's

427
00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:42,839
opal fields to start a new life.

428
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:45,519
We've spent a lot of money in moving here.

429
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,759
We basically had to start a lot of stuff from scratch.

430
00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,479
With the first of their four claims running dry of opal,

431
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,879
the plan is to tow their ten-tonne processing plant,

432
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,479
Opalzilla, to Bedframe claim.

433
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,719
I've seen a lot of crystal come from the area

434
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,039
and it's, like, really good quality, so...

435
00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,679
you don't need a lot from there to make a decent amount of money.

436
00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:11,079
But, yeah, Opalzilla is very buried.

437
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,359
It's just the way it goes.

438
00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:16,479
We don't want to dig too much underneath it.

439
00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,239
Yeah, it could tip it over, and if it turns over,

440
00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:21,399
it's a bad day for everyone.

441
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,199
She's a bit out of balance, so it takes a lot of dangerous work.

442
00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,479
Anything could go wrong, really.

443
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,599
Ugh.

444
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,159
Oh... Miles to go.

445
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:43,039
It's all about just keeping everything flat and straight.

446
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,119
Get stuff out from under these wheels,

447
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,919
so we can actually get it to move.

448
00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,399
How has it not fallen yet?

449
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,399
Oh, here we go.

450
00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,759
Yeah, I can see daylight under there, so that's pretty good news

451
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,719
for us, so hopefully by today we will have it moving

452
00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,799
and punching through some dirt tomorrow would be good.

453
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,199
How the  did that happen? I don't know.

454
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,839
That can't be good. That's pretty holy, eh?

455
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,079
I'd say it's just caught a bit of the edge of the bucket

456
00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,639
where it's been dug out. It's so easy to do.

457
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,999
There's that much dirt over it, you don't know where the tyre is.

458
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:27,719
Yeah. The ruptured tyre

459
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:29,919
will make dragging Opalzilla out

460
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,239
with the six-tonne loader even more difficult.

461
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,319
This is the plan, anyway.

462
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,639
We're gonna hook the loader up, pull it forward, get it free.

463
00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:41,959
Should be all right, I reckon. ..a bit worried about that flat tyre.

464
00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,319
Would help to have your tyres pumped up when you're doing this. A bit, yeah.

465
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,079
Yeah, don't tip it over, eh? Oh, I don't want to.

466
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:53,399
It is pretty scary stuff now. Now we are about to try

467
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,559
and pull Opalzilla out.

468
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:57,919
I just don't want to roll it, cos, yeah,

469
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,759
that'll be pretty hard to get it up. There's no bulldozers around

470
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:02,959
the place so we're on our own out here.

471
00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,399
We're just gonna to be careful and sensible.

472
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:07,479
Are we ready to go?

473
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,679
Good to go. Ball's in your court! Ball's in my court!

474
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,759
Right-o!

475
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:27,479
Nah, she ain't gonna go.

476
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:40,719
All right, it's not gonna go.

477
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,559
I went to dump that load and the hoist won't come back down.

478
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,039
I've got another old control here with me.

479
00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,999
I'll try and rig it up, so you get the body to come back down

480
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,439
and hopefully dig another load and get it to town.

481
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,879
The hydraulic hoist on the Cheals' only truck

482
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,159
is jammed at full extension.

483
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,239
I'm a bit frustrated with it.

484
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,039
We've got to get some dirt in the truck and get it back to town

485
00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:09,079
to wash it, and when the truck is like this, it's not gonna happen.

486
00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:11,519
So, it's quite worrying.

487
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,319
What did you do? You were just standing there.

488
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,759
It was definitely there when I shut it back down.

489
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,399
Well, it should be here, then. To make matters worse,

490
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:21,639
Chris' eldest son Rory

491
00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,959
has lost a small but vital part of the replacement controller.

492
00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,799
Not there, though. We need it.

493
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,079
It must be on the ground here.

494
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,639
I was cleaning a piece there and dropped a little ball bearing.

495
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:36,799
And we can't get the truck started without it,

496
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:38,879
so I'm just on the ground,

497
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:40,959
having a look around for it.

498
00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,039
All I needed was just to put that back together

499
00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:48,799
and plug it in. So I need to find that ball bearing.

500
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,919
The pressure's on a bit. You know, we just want to get going

501
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,759
and get digging and get down in there further and see if there's opal there.

502
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,239
I feel like it would have been shredded down by now.

503
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,879
Oh, yes! Got it?

504
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:08,999
Yes. Rory.

505
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,079
Oscar...

506
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,159
Eagle eye Oscar found the ball bearing

507
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,239
that I dropped, so that was good.

508
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,839
Well done, buddy. Back in business, boys.

509
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,199
Right.

510
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,039
Replacement controller assembled, Chris needs it to work

511
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:29,679
or he could face costly time-consuming repairs.

512
00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,199
Down she comes.

513
00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:43,239
With the truck working again, the Cheals can head back underground

514
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:47,399
to continue filling it with dirt from the promising Z fault.

515
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,839
We've gotten into the Z fault far enough

516
00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:54,519
where we can open it up and, at least by the end of this load

517
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,599
we should be on that opal level. Um...

518
00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,399
You know, deep enough where we should start seeing stuff, so...

519
00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,479
fingers crossed we do.

520
00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,839
Nothing, mate? Nah, I thought I saw

521
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,199
a little, like, flash.

522
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,639
I hope we start seeing something pretty soon, mate.

523
00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:19,719
Yeah, me too.

524
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,759
There's a few loads in there now. Made a fair hole, so...

525
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:28,679
it'll be disheartening to think there's nothing in in, but you don't know until you wash it.

526
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:32,159
I'm thinking I'm not really liking the lack of trace.

527
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,239
That's not gonna pay the bills.

528
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,679
We've got deadlines to meet.

529
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:44,799
We've got an investor to look after.

530
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,559
And we haven't seen opal in a whole week.

531
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,919
So, obviously the problem with the mine we're working at right now...

532
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,039
Yes. ..is that now we're using the hydraulic digger,

533
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,999
we're finding a lot of the areas are unsafe to use

534
00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,799
by pinning into the roof. So we definitely want to open up our options

535
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,599
and look for, you know, another claim, at least.

536
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:07,799
My advice would be that you've got to look for a bit more...

537
00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:09,879
virgin ground.

538
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:12,039
With their current mine not producing,

539
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,399
the Young Guns are relying on Jaymin's grandfather, Pop,

540
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,039
to help find a new opal-bearing claim.

541
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:20,319
All that ground there is all virgin ground.

542
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,719
That's getting right up the top end. This was near this claim here.

543
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,159
Yeah, that claim there. So...

544
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:28,639
go for a drive around up there and have a look and see,

545
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:30,719
see what you think.

546
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,359
Pop's advice is West Field,

547
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,879
three kilometres from the Young Guns' camp,

548
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,839
scattered with mines up to half a century old,

549
00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,079
surrounded by virgin ground.

550
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,639
It's like going through the forest to get there. I know.

551
00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,079
If the Young Guns think a potential mine shows promise,

552
00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,479
they can claim it for $230.

553
00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,839
Jeez, that looks a bit ominous. A bit scary-looking.

554
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,119
Jeez, look at that dead kangaroo.

555
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,999
Look at that. Smells a bit. Sussed it out.

556
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:03,159
So far it's not looking too good.

557
00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,239
Who knows inside? Oh, it's a bit tight.

558
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:10,679
There's bones everywhere, man.

559
00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,679
Come on, look at that. I don't wanna see that.

560
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:16,999
Look at that! It's gross.

561
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,279
Keep going.

562
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,039
Was this dug by a midget or something?

563
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,119
Old timers, man.

564
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:26,199
Small and skinny.

565
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,479
So far I'm not seeing much hope here.

566
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:33,559
My legs are kind of cramping up.

567
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:35,759
There's not much space to do anything, really.

568
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,159
Look at that. The worst part is it looks sketchy.

569
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,839
How about down there? Yeah, well... The whole thing's caved in. We're looking for safety, not...

570
00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,399
I don't like sketchiness. I've seen nothing in the wall here at all.

571
00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,479
I have a feeling this has been dug and left

572
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:51,559
because there was no opal in here at all.

573
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,199
I'm not seeing anything down this end, either. We'll move on.

574
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,039
The roof here looks a little bit sketchy, as well, which I'm not liking.

575
00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:59,759
Yeah, over here it's heaps sketchy. I don't like it.

576
00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:01,919
It's just too much work to even turn it to a mine

577
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,239
that we can use all our stuff in right now.

578
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:06,679
Yeah, I don't think this is the place for us.

579
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:12,599
I think screw that. No way. No way.

580
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,359
We need to find something that's decent,

581
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,439
and that's just horrible.

582
00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,919
Yeah, I think we need more digging, man.

583
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:40,359
The first of the Blacklighters' four claims has run dry.

584
00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:44,199
They are now struggling to move their ten-tonne processing plant,

585
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,839
Opalzilla, to the next claim.

586
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,159
Didn't quite get the axle wheel dug out enough before,

587
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,839
so give it one more go, eh?

588
00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:56,919
Still a little bit underneath here,

589
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,799
so might take a little bit of shovelling but...

590
00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:01,879
we'll get it done.

591
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,839
Right-o. Second attempt here.

592
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,039
Yes! Yeah!

593
00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,119
Yeah!

594
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,159
Keep going, just keep going.

595
00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:32,079
Whoo! Take that, baby.

596
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,799
Beauty. It's moving!

597
00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,999
They now have to tow the 13-metre-long,

598
00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:41,559
five-metre-wide Opalzilla...

599
00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:43,639
A bit of a wobble there.

600
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:45,959
Stay upright. Please stay upright.

601
00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,719
..700 metres over narrow, broken roads

602
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:51,799
to the new claim.

603
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:55,479
You've got open cuts all over the side of this little road.

604
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,079
I don't want to have to stop in a hurry and have it pushed into the cut,

605
00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:01,159
which would really suck.

606
00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,319
Right through here.

607
00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:07,399
Can we just go for it or what?

608
00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:09,799
Yeah. , why not?

609
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:17,279
I've just got to make sure the back wheels get around.

610
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:20,279
Oh, oh, oh. Oh, easy. Easy.

611
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,759
Hold up, hold up, hold up. Whoa, whoa.

612
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,199
I'm just about through, man.

613
00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:29,479
Yeah, I know, but the arse end has possibly come down here.

614
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,279
Yeah, if we do fall in there, it's game over.

615
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,479
I don't think we will ever get it out.

616
00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:37,919
Are we gonna stay on the road or not?

617
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,759
Well, you're on the edge here, and there's a big mound here

618
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,119
and look at the  hole I'm standing in. That slides down in there,

619
00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:46,439
just up the front here, it's all over.

620
00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,479
You just have to take it a bit higher.

621
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,559
Yeah, I can go back.

622
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,319
Straight back. Don't bother turning.

623
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,399
Just keep going.

624
00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:11,439
Just take it really wide

625
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:13,599
and really careful.

626
00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,199
Come on, Zilla. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Anything?

627
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,119
Keep going that way. Go, you Zilla!

628
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,199
Come on!

629
00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:28,719
It's all right, we're through.

630
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,319
Yeah! ! Beauty!

631
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,279
Whoo-hoo! There she is!

632
00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:40,599
yes! Come on! Yeah!

633
00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,319
Yeah-hey! Yeah-hey! You beauty! We made it. , we made it!

634
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:47,679
Oh, that is gold. Well done, mate. Yeah, .

635
00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:49,799
Well done, well done. Sweet, man.

636
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,799
That is bloody good. What a relief, eh? Ho-ho.

637
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:56,679
Now we can start thinking about getting some opal again, eh? I'm thinking about a drink.

638
00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,679
I'm thirsty. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm thirsty first, too.

639
00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:01,759
It was an awesome relief

640
00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,719
to just be on the claim we want to be on.

641
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,439
Very exciting. Yeah, there's a lot of good-looking dirt there.

642
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,199
It's a pretty good feeling, cos we've all worked pretty hard

643
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:14,519
to get it there, so we are all pretty happy,

644
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,079
and, yeah, I think everyone deserves a nice cold beer

645
00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:19,479
after the day we've had.

646
00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:23,359
Fingers crossed, the next few weeks, we are sitting on the opal.

647
00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,759
I'm trying not to let any stress or pressure get to me.

648
00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:36,119
But there's definitely an underiding feeling

649
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:39,079
of we've got a lot more on our plate now.

650
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,879
We are not just trying to cover our own backsides.

651
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,279
We've actually got to pull opal out and pay back our investor

652
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:47,759
and hopefully get him a really good return.

653
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,359
With their mine running out of opal,

654
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:55,559
the Young Guns are searching for a new claim in West Field

655
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:57,879
on the advice of Jaymin's grandfather,

656
00:36:57,960 --> 00:36:59,999
a White Cliffs mining veteran.

657
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,119
Ooh, there's a mine.

658
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:05,399
I mean, it's always dangerous when you're going down these old shafts.

659
00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:10,439
You don't know what's at the bottom, you don't know what's waiting, you don't know the condition of it.

660
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,479
Hopefully we've got enough ladder to get down there.

661
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:15,679
Easy does it. Oh! Ooh, ooh, ooh!

662
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,759
Watch it. It's in there. You guys got it?

663
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:20,839
Grab it, grab it!

664
00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,799
That was our bottom rung that just fell off.

665
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,719
Bottom two rungs of the ladder hit the ground and bounced back off.

666
00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:30,959
So me and Noah are gonna stay up here. JC's gonna quickly climb down.

667
00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:34,399
You know, that's probably what? 15-foot or so from the bottom.

668
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:37,439
So he's got a 15-foot drop between him and the last rung of the ladder,

669
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:41,079
and he's got to reach across, grab that and hook it back on.

670
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,959
How are you going, JC? Hanging off of the ladder,

671
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,439
trying to pick it up and turn it around.

672
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:48,519
This is scaring me right now.

673
00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:51,999
If JC falls and is injured,

674
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,239
the closest major hospital

675
00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,799
is 240 kilometres away.

676
00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:59,039
Yeah, definitely getting the butterflies.

677
00:37:59,120 --> 00:38:01,079
This bloody rung...

678
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,879
Going down a mine is sketchy in itself,

679
00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,519
just hopping on a ladder. So when you put a ladder into place

680
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,759
and the bottom rung drops off, it's hard to deal with,

681
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,799
but somebody's got to get down there and grab it.

682
00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:18,359
And going down, you need to have your wits about you,

683
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,439
cos, ah, it can be terrible.

684
00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,079
One slip and, you know, broken bones.

685
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:31,719
How is it looking down there, JC?

686
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:33,919
All right, I think it's good to go.

687
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:37,839
See you down there, buddy.

688
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,759
How are you going? You about halfway now, I reckon?

689
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,599
I'm... . I think I'm almost there.

690
00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,719
I'll come down now.

691
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,959
Ooh. There is a bit of space down here, isn't there, boys?

692
00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:59,279
That is huge. Look at that roof, nice and solid.

693
00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:01,639
Yeah, it's a solid roof. If I can't knock it down,

694
00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:04,519
then nothing's gonna knock it down. All right, first one to find

695
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,599
a good opal wins, I reckon, boys.

696
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,919
You know, X marks the spot.

697
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,999
Ooh, I found opal.

698
00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,159
Yeah? It's actually nice, eh? Uh-huh.

699
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,239
There's more opal around this side, too.

700
00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:24,519
It runs straight through the wall, all here. . Oh, nice.

701
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,159
We've got some blue, green, nice bit of trace.

702
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,319
The Young Guns have found crystal opal.

703
00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:33,399
It's a blue, green seam.

704
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,679
And in its rough state, can be worth up

705
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,199
to $500 a gram.

706
00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,279
I think we're getting excited now, aren't we, boys? Yeah. Yeah.

707
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:44,479
I think we are going to have to peg this. It's too good to let go.

708
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,239
This mine is seriously shaping up.

709
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,559
Hopefully this will be the next venture for the Young Guns.

710
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:52,959
The whole mine looks really safe and stable,

711
00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:55,919
and the ground looks great. We are so excited to actually

712
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,839
get into a new mine where we can just dig our hearts out.

713
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,119
We got the investor, so I think

714
00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,359
we are all really keen just to get started.

715
00:40:04,440 --> 00:40:07,999
We have not seen opal trace like this anywhere else.

716
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,279
Next step is pegging the claim and then getting the gear down here,

717
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:13,479
which is gonna be a massive challenge.

718
00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:17,319
All right, boys, I think we've got ourselves a whole new mine. Whoo! Yeah!

719
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,759
That's it, Noz. That's it.

720
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:22,839
All right, let's get out of here.

721
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,839
50-60 tonne of dirt. We saw that little bit of green.

722
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:37,399
You know, fingers crossed. After three days of mining

723
00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:39,839
and over $1,000 in costs,

724
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:42,959
the pressure is on for the Cheals' truckload of dirt

725
00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:45,039
to show signs of opal.

726
00:40:46,040 --> 00:40:48,999
40 litres of diesel runs a wash plant for the day,

727
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,439
and then you've got the price of running the truck.

728
00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:54,039
They are the same there. You know, that could cripple you.

729
00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,439
If you're not finding opal, the money goes out pretty quick.

730
00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:01,879
You never know. It could be... You know, a pile of dirt

731
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,079
could have $100,000 in it.

732
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:06,839
The team are looking for seam opal -

733
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:08,919
formed when silica-rich water

734
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,879
produces opal in long, narrow voids.

735
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:14,679
And nobbies - solid pebbles of opal

736
00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:17,159
created in a hollow, round crevices.

737
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:28,999
Ooh, that's bright.

738
00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:33,679
We've got some green seam. Pretty much what we...

739
00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,759
plucked out underground.

740
00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,079
This is what we call trace. This is what you look for

741
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:42,879
when you're looking for opal and, you know, it's encouraging to see that.

742
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,039
It's a good sign. It's a really bright colour,

743
00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:49,559
so hopefully we can get a few nobbies with a similar colour and we'll be all right.

744
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,719
There's a nobby. Look, that's what I wanted to see.

745
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:04,439
One nobby with colour in it. We've got it.

746
00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:07,039
Check that out, Dad.

747
00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:09,279
Looks like it's got red in that one.

748
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:11,799
Yeah. That's nice.

749
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,119
Oh, bright flash in that. Look at that. Far out!

750
00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:17,399
Another little nobby.

751
00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:20,319
Oh, bazinga! A bit of red in that one, eh?

752
00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,319
I'm pretty happy, you know. That's really positive, what we're seeing there.

753
00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,719
We've proved there's nobbies and colour down there under that fault.

754
00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:31,599
That means, to me, there's a really good chance down there

755
00:42:31,680 --> 00:42:33,879
of finding some decent money.

756
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:36,799
I think this definitely, you know, gives us the confidence

757
00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:39,719
to go back there. Yeah, I'm pretty relieved to see that.

758
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,759
I was thinking, jeez, we've been burning a heap of diesel.

759
00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:44,919
I mean, if we don't see nothing,

760
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:46,999
it's a little bit disappointing.

761
00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:49,239
But if you get them larger nobbies,

762
00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,359
you got a lot of money very quickly.

763
00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:54,999
The Cheals have found seam and nobby opal -

764
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,959
blue, green with flashes of red and yellow.

765
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:00,679
It's in the rough and there's eight grams.

766
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,679
There might be two or $300 there, but the value for me in that

767
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,079
is knowing that the colours are carrying down underneath.

768
00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:10,879
And no one else ever has worked down that deep

769
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,199
under that Z fault. We're the first to have a look there, so...

770
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:17,119
Mm-hm. ..you never know, it might be the best thing we ever do.

771
00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,159
Hopefully. There is still pressure on us,

772
00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:23,759
but I think with what we've got there, it's a promising sign

773
00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,519
that there could be a lot of money there.

774
00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,719
I don't think we are too far off. I'd say we're all pretty keen

775
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:31,919
to get down that little bit deeper in the floor.

776
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:35,079
And I'm really excited. I'm pumped, actually.

777
00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,199
I've got a really big gut feeling

778
00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:39,399
we haven't drained it out and seen the pocket

779
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:41,759
underneath that Z fault. And, look, to be honest,

780
00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:44,239
I just think it's a matter of when we do.

781
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:46,319
I guess we will wait and see.

782
00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:05,719
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782
00:44:06,305 --> 00:45:06,643
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