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On Outback Opal Hunters...

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temperatures across Australia are rising.

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No shade.

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In scorching Opalton, the Geran Gang have just days remaining

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on their exploration permit,

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forcing them to pit their bodies and machines against the heat.

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It's going to be pretty hard on the gear.

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In humid southern Queensland...

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ISAAC: Listen to that. That's going to come down hard.

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..the Opal Whisperers race monsoonal storms,

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scrambling to extract opal before their mine floods.

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It's dangerous. Let's get out of here. This could be the end for us.

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ROD: Oh, the old fella's not real good.

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And for the Bushmen, a mystery illness sends Les to hospital..

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I've never seen him that sick before.

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..pushing Rod to make a grim discovery at Les' off-the-grid camp.

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Oh, no!

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# Money

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# And fancy clothes #

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It must be 40 degrees down here, aye? There's no wind at all.

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I don't know how much of this we can take. Like, it's just going to get hotter every day.

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I don't reckon we'd last an hour in this sun.

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In Yowah, south western Queensland, the Opal Whisperers - Isaac Andreou,

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his sister Sofia, and her boyfriend Chris Daff,

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have taken a late-season gamble on a new mine and a new partner.

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A bit further in there...

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So since we were working with Rod, a few things have changed.

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The team and I, you know, we've come down to work with Dave Darby now.

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This is where we've always wanted to be so that's what we decided to do.

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Only days ago, the Whisperers were working 90 kilometres to the east

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in Koroit, learning the opal mining ropes

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from straight-talking veteran Rod Griffin.

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That's...

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Oi!

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Oh, no, no, no, no.

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I'm going to sort the men from the boys here.

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You could say that Rod is a kind of mentor.

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See that?

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That guy's nearly 80 years old and he works harder

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than any bloke I've ever seen,

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so right there that's inspiration for someone like me.

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Mr Rod, he had a lot of really wonderful things to teach us,

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although following that leadership, I don't think it was going to last very long with Isaac.

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Look, it would probably be fair to say Rod and I didn't always see eye to eye.

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You don't care, do ya?

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Right-o.

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All things aside, I respect him and I do appreciate that he gave us a start.

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Now Yowah, it has a special feeling for me that I can't even describe in words.

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There is a feeling there of being home, there's a feeling there of purpose.

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Going to walk into another one of our mines...

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Isaac and Sofia spent much of their childhood in Yowah, mining with their parents.

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The dream is to carry on something that my mum and dad started,

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you know, when I was first born,

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and that is to take the opal right from the mine,

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cut and polish it ourselves, design and make the jewellery

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and deliver it to the last owner.

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Dave Darby's a good friend of mine.

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He's someone I've known for a long time

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and I've done some business with him in the past.

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He asked us to come down and give him a hand. The season's ending, it's heating up.

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For him, a lot of hands make short work so he's got us in to give him some muscle.

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Aye, bit of nice blue, blue green purple. Got some colour? A bit of colour. Yeah. Oh, nice.

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Dave's a Waanyi-Garawa man from the Gulf Region in Queensland's north.

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His family moved to Yowah in 1970 and have mined here ever since.

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I'm the second generation of opal mining here.

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We've been here for about 50 years now, just over 50 years.

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I'm on a little bit of a good run here at the moment with opals

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and it's just good to have an extra hand in to give me a help and to get the season over and done with.

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On Dave's two-hectare lease in Yowah's Brandy Gully mine field,

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the Whisperers are searching for Yowah Nuts -

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small ironstone rocks that, when loaded with opal,

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can be worth over $100,000 a stone.

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So one in a thousand will have colour in the skin

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and one in ten thousand will have colour in the eye,

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and that is the rarest formation of opal on earth.

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That's exactly what we're looking for.

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Whatever we find and sell, they get 30%.

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Dave has given us an amazing opportunity. It's his opal.

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It's his land. Thirty percent's heaps, mate.

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Give it some, babe.

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My end game is to get our own mine.

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We need a lot of money. We need about 50 grand.

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We've made ourselves 25,000,

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for our team, so we're halfway

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to our goal.

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But with incoming summer temperatures pushing 50 degrees,

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the Opal Whisperers are on borrowed time.

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So we mine as much as we can until it... Yeah. ..gets too hot?

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Until it gets too hot. Then we'll have to stop.

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We know that the clock is ticking.

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There's so much at stake for us really.

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Not only the dream that started with my parents,

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but also the bills from day to day.

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My little daughter's schooling, yeah, is expensive.

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That's a pretty outfit. You can miss me.

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I always miss you every day and every morning

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and every night, and I go to bed and I think about you and I miss you very much.

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Can I have a kiss? Um...

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I just want to bring my Xaliana the best life she can possibly have.

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I just want her to have the world and that's all riding on what I can find here under the ground.

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Basically what I'm doing now is taking all the top sandstone,

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the dirt away from the top of the opal level.

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There's some funny noises coming out of that bucket actually.

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I don't really know what's going on with it.

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Oi! That pin's hanging out of your bucket!

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It's starting to come out.

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Have a look.

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All right. Look, move out of the way. He's going to bring it up here.

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Listen to it.

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That's rocking.

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Oh, my God! We've only just started.

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ROD: Finding some opal's just so important to us at the moment

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because the season's nearly and we're nowhere near our season target

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so I don't know what...

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Look at that!

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You can see the ring. Shaft opening up underneath us.

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We were pretty lucky then

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because if I'd come over that in a big tip truck,

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I reckon that probably would have collapsed down to the ground.

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I'll have to put a bit of a fence around it or something so we don't drive over it.

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I'll tell Les not to drive around this way.

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9am. Rod Manning should already be mining,

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but his partner Les Walsh is late.

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I didn't think you were coming.

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Oh. Where you been?

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Not real flash this morning, mate. Yeah? What's wrong?

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Oh, the pain in the leg, and I don't think I'll be able to work this morning, mate.

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I wouldn't be able to get up and down the ladder.

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You need to see someone.

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If you can't get into the quack, go into the hospital. Oh, yeah.

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Yeah. Yeah, everything all right at the camp?

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Yeah. Oh...

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Did you get that  hot water thing done?

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No, that's still a bit wonky there. So you've still been having cold showers?

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Yeah.

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Broken down, Les.

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Yeah, I am. I don't know what the problem is.

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Oh, the old fella's not real good.

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I've never seen him that sick before.

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All right?

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For him to want to go to hospital...

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No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ohhhhhh.

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..actually showed that he's hurting.

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Yeah, it's got to be something pretty major, I'd reckon.

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Sure you can drive, Les? Yeah.

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I got here, didn't I?

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You know, you ask is he all right.

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The answer's always the same, 'I'm all right', but he's not all right.

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Well, let us know what happens, all right? Yep.

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To get help, 74-year-old Les has to drive 70 kilometres

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to the nearest hospital, leaving Rod to try and salvage his team's mining season alone.

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We're nowhere near our target

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and we're running out of time.

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Only weeks remain until intense heat closes down the season.

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But low opal returns and high repair bills...

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Ohhh, no!

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..have Rod concerned their future with their new mining partners could be on the line.

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So I'm just probably being a little bit paranoid. I don't know.

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But I want to stay with them. They're bloody good blokes.

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This season the Hutchisons provided the Bushmen with a full setup

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of mining machinery and their Ploughboys claim

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for a 50% cut of any opal.

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We haven't found that money that we were expecting

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and I haven't found the money they were expecting.

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You know, I just hope they take us to the next mines and the next mines.

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Rod needs to get mining, but Les' health is also a priority.

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While Les is in hospital, I'm just going to duck over to his place and just check on things.

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He's been having cold showers and having cold showers when you're crook's no good.

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So yeah, I might go over and have a look at that and just see what I can do.

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I might be able to get it going.

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He said his donkey's not working.

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This is his donkey. It's the hot water system.

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He lights a fire in here and the flames go up the guts of this old keg

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and it heats the water up so he can have a shower.

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I can't see anything major wrong with this so I'll go up the tank

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and see if there's anything up there, aye.

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She's a wild bit of gear.

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These tank stands are made up of a couple of old truck chassis

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and the timber he's got underneath that shuttle up there don't look real safe.

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Whoa!

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She's awfully green. She's got about a foot of  slime on the bottom of it.

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What's that?

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Oh, no.

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Oh.

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Dead bird in it.

187
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Wait till I tell him. The old fella's not going to be happy that he's been having a shower

188
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in dead  bird water, that's for sure!

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He's got to be  sick.

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COL: Right-o.

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Greg's just warming up the machine and we'll go and have a go.

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See if we're lucky today.

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On a remote exploration permit in Queensland,

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over 100 kilometres from the nearest town,

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Col Duff and Greg Geran are on the hunt for boulder opal

196
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hidden beneath cement like surface cap rock.

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We've got a little area that looks real interesting.

198
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When sandstone suddenly hits the cap rock and once you hit that hard bit,

199
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:35,399
you got to try and break through

200
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and hopefully the machine's strong enough

201
00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:41,639
and if we can find some solid ground there, we might get something.

202
00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,559
Jeez, that ground's hard!

203
00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,159
That's getting harder.

204
00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:02,239
Col, Greg, his sister Margie Geran, and chopper pilot Stoney Cain,

205
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are attempting to fund a return mission

206
00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:09,839
to dig the opal-rich fields of Middleton, 200 kilometres north west.

207
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We've got a lease over there we want to go back and dig.

208
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The biggest pocket we got out there was two Toyota loads of rock.

209
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The level's still going in the hill

210
00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,399
and every time that hill was dug, it produced.

211
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We find enough opal here,

212
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it's a stepping stone to get us to Middleton.

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STONEY: Crickey!

214
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That's a little  dance! That's a dance. That's worth a dance. Hey!

215
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That's  beautiful.

216
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Last week, the Geran Gang unearthed

217
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more than half the money they need

218
00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:44,399
to relocate and start mining in Middleton.

219
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But now that opal has dried up.

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COL: Where there's one, there could be more.

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With their exploration permit expiring in one week, time is fast running out.

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Their hopes rest on an area they've named Plan B.

223
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We still need to try more in this area yet.

224
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Yeah.

225
00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:08,239
Something's coming through there.

226
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MARGARET: Plan B we're calling this to get some money together.

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It's nice shallow ground about eight foot deep.

228
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We're hoping it'll be low expenses

229
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and we'll get some money together

230
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and we'll head over to Middleton way.

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Well, we're going to run out of time if we're here too long.

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To add to the pressure, the team are a man down.

233
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Stoney's been called in for work...

234
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Well, you got to do what you got to do.

235
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,039
..mustering cattle.

236
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You can't just have a sickie

237
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and send someone else to do your job for the day.

238
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That's hard ground, that.

239
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COL: Yeah, she's scraping up this end.

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MARGARET: We've been moving the top stuff around this morning

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and now we'll start taking levels so we'll keep an eye on the rocks as they come out.

242
00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,479
Armed with handpicks, the team are hunting pancake opal -

243
00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:06,559
flat ironstone boulders fused to the concrete hard cap rock.

244
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,759
This is a whole pancake I just picked up here.

245
00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:09,839
Yeah.

246
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:14,039
Here's the type of rock here. Oh, yeah, that's the stuff what we're looking for. Yeah.

247
00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:16,879
The colourless opal trace has little value

248
00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:21,879
but if it turns to colour it can be worth up to $20,000 a gram.

249
00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,119
Yeah, if we can get a couple of pancakes like that...

250
00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:26,879
That'd be good.

251
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,919
ISAAC: It's like everything's just going so well and then all of a sudden, bang.

252
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,639
When you're digging out you hear it... Yeah, I... Clanking.

253
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,559
It's one of the pins that holds the bucket up onto the machine. Is it?

254
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,439
Yeah. A bolt and a nut is missing.

255
00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:47,199
Must have snapped off somewhere along the line there. Yeah.

256
00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,719
So we'll just have to go until I get a pin.

257
00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:57,479
In south western Queensland, a broken bolt has brought the Opal Whisperers' dig to a halt.

258
00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:01,719
Everything sort of relies on that machine running properly.

259
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,159
Yeah, machine errors and machine breakdowns can really just end us.

260
00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:07,159
Dave!

261
00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,439
How'd you go, man? How are we looking?

262
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:11,959
We got a bit of luck today. I got the bolt. Oh, sick.

263
00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,319
Lower the bucket down a bit.

264
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,119
It's not lining up.

265
00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:19,879
I'll move it. Oh, yeah, it is. Yep.

266
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,839
How's that? Yeah, she's moving well. We are in.

267
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,679
You got it? We're in. We're in. Yes.

268
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:28,159
We're back in business. It's time to move some earth.

269
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,399
Dave is using his 30 tonne excavator

270
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,999
to expose the opal-bearing clay level

271
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:40,479
15 metres below the surface, in the hunt for ironstone nuts.

272
00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,559
Ooh, there it is.

273
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,959
It's so hot, aye. Yeah.

274
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,479
Hey, Davo, there's a fair bit of cloud coming over, aye.

275
00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:53,919
Yeah. Check that out. I noticed that before. Yeah.

276
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:55,279
It was blue sky earlier.

277
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,399
So from scorching heat to torrential rain.

278
00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,159
Listen to that!

279
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,279
That's going to come down hard, aye.

280
00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:08,879
At this time of year, thunderstorms from Queensland's tropical north

281
00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,839
can dump up to 200 millimetres of rain

282
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,599
in just hours, threatening to flood Dave's open-cut mine.

283
00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:18,719
These rain clouds have come in really quick.

284
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,639
Thunder's crazy. There's lightning in the sky.

285
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,519
If we don't work through the rain and find everything we can now

286
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,119
before that happens, we're in big trouble. That'll be it for the season.

287
00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,479
So we're in a rush here.

288
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:31,999
Leave this. Leave it?

289
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:34,959
Yeah. It's dangerous.

290
00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,879
I'm just making a spot here cause I've found a very nice stone in the wall.

291
00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,319
Stay away from the excavator. OK. It's dangerous. Let's get out of here.

292
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,039
That excavator's solid steel.

293
00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:46,559
That's a pure conductor.

294
00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,439
Just get away from the excavator as quick as you can, as well.

295
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,799
Oh, man, let's just hope this doesn't turn into a big swimming pool, aye.

296
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,079
This could be the end for us, aye.

297
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,199
All the water will just all run down into there. Yeah. Then we're screwed. Yeah.

298
00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:08,639
I wasn't counting on this.

299
00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,399
ROD: Yeah, I can see what the problem is.

300
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,039
Where the intake line comes in to feed his tanks,

301
00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:25,879
all got mud and  all around it.

302
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:30,279
A dead bird in Les' shower tank could be the cause

303
00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,919
of the mystery illness that's put him in hospital.

304
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,039
What I'll do is, I'll drain the water out of this and put fresh water in it

305
00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:41,439
so that the dead bird water's gone.

306
00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:43,959
That's the best I can do, I think.

307
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:49,519
Everybody thinks living off the grid's a real romantic way to live but it's tough.

308
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,839
You got to do everything yourself.

309
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,319
You can't just switch on a switch or turn on a tap.

310
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,319
This is what it's really like.

311
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,439
A bit of fresh water up there, a bit of a clean-out

312
00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,359
and I think that'll fix his hot water problem.

313
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:14,399
Finally, four kilometres away, Rod can resume the hunt for opal alone.

314
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,999
Ploughboys is still kicking our arse like it always does.

315
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:22,159
We were expecting to find a lot of money there and we haven't.

316
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,879
I'm just going to have to test these belts before I go underground.

317
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,599
They flipped off on us the other day so I just got to test them.

318
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,719
She's no good.

319
00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,959
See, what's happened is, this belt here keeps twisting.

320
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:45,359
See, it's the wrong way.

321
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,759
It'll twist and then pop the other belts off.

322
00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,279
I can't get any more of these belts.

323
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:53,599
They're waiting for them to come in to Australia.

324
00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,479
Does it ever stop?

325
00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:00,319
Brand-new  gear and we're still having troubles with it.

326
00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,959
The blower's belts turn a huge extraction fan

327
00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,159
which sucks up waste dirt from the underground mine

328
00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,719
and drops it into a waiting dump truck.

329
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:19,279
The problem with not having my blower going is, I can only get so much dirt on the ground.

330
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:24,159
Once I get a great big pile of dirt on the ground, you can't move down there.

331
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,159
I got Les out,

332
00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:32,159
I got the problem of not finding any opal to hit our season target.

333
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,319
We're way behind on that.

334
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,839
It just keeps building up on you.

335
00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,959
One thing after another after another.

336
00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,239
You solve one problem and the next one comes along, you know,

337
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,119
and that's what it's been like here in Ploughboys.

338
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,519
It's a hard place, this, I can tell you.

339
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,719
GREG: I'll see what today brings.

340
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,519
I'll fire this up, aye.

341
00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,319
Yeah, mate. I'll just have a look over here and see what we see.

342
00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,199
The Geran Gang are racing to find opal

343
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,079
before their exploration permit expires in one week,

344
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,719
in the hope it'll pay for a 200 kilometre relocation.

345
00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:22,199
We're just test trenching to see how this little strip of ground's going.

346
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,399
She's got nice new sharp teeth so we've got a chance.

347
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,479
It's going to be pretty hard on the gear.

348
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,319
I could hear Greg crunching.

349
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,639
It is really the hardest ground we've seen.

350
00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,559
We don't want to break a tooth or suddenly the whole show comes to a stop.

351
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,239
We got to have a good look at everything that comes out.

352
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:56,839
Don't be afraid to turn the machine off and have a good look. It's very important.

353
00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:01,119
The team are prospecting for boulder opal,

354
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:05,719
forming inside unusually flat rocks known as pancakes.

355
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:11,199
Fused to the cap rock, detaching them means hammering them apart by hand.

356
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:15,239
Here's our pancakes.

357
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,719
Stuck hard up to that cap rock.

358
00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,879
So we've got to strip off that layer, have a look.

359
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:28,399
Temperatures are beginning to hit a dangerous 40 degrees Celsius.

360
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:33,039
Under these conditions, 2.5 litres of fluid can be lost in an hour,

361
00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:37,199
making dehydration a deadly risk.

362
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:38,879
It's hot work.

363
00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,759
No shade, breaking rocks.

364
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:46,079
Like solid cement, reinforced concrete.

365
00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,439
We got to do the hard yards.

366
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:53,439
We got to cop a few flies and a couple of sprained elbows and wrists and things.

367
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,399
It's just, you know, part of the game.

368
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,159
But you've got to do this to achieve your dreams.

369
00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,719
You can't just sit there and dream about it.

370
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:13,559
Oh! It looks like she's throwing up oil there, Greg.

371
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,319
Eh? Bit of a spray just there.

372
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,279
Oh, yeah, look, it's dripping. That's no  good.

373
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:22,599
Oh! Can you see where it's coming from?

374
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,639
I'll have to shut her down and we'll have a look at it, eh?

375
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,399
She might have blown a seal. I'll turn her off, eh?

376
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,359
The soil looks dry enough down here, doesn't it?

377
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,559
Yeah. It it looks like it didn't rain much when we left.

378
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,359
After a tropical storm forced them off their mine,

379
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,519
the Opal Whisperers are back to work

380
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,759
hunting for the missing part of a prized Yowah nut

381
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:53,799
Dave found yesterday.

382
00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:57,919
We're looking for the other half of the beautiful crystal eye kernel

383
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,319
that Dave chipped out of the wall here.

384
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,719
So the bigger half of the nut

385
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,039
which should be buried in around all in here somewhere,

386
00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:08,919
so we just got to carefully go through this dirt

387
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,479
and hopefully find it.

388
00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,439
It's a little bit like a treasure hunt.

389
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,279
Oh, here's a nut. Is it the one we're looking for?

390
00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:21,439
Just scrape it and see if it's the right one.

391
00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,039
Yeah, we found it. Yay!

392
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,959
There's a nice little line in there.

393
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,919
That was worth looking for. Wow!

394
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,879
So this is the other half of a beautiful crystal eye kernel

395
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,199
that Dave found yesterday. So you've got the blue green eye kernel

396
00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:40,399
and then running around the outside, there's a nice red skin.

397
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,679
That's proof, you know, that Dave's mine is really productive

398
00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,679
so we're really lucky. We're privileged to be a part of this.

399
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,839
Can't get complacent. There's a lot of work to do.

400
00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,399
We've got a long way to go to meet our budget.

401
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,719
We got to  get back in there.

402
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:57,759
Everywhere we're looking,

403
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,159
if we just rubble through for a few seconds,

404
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,159
we're pulling out one, two, three nuts.

405
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,399
Yeah, we're sort of coming into a...

406
00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:06,959
a pocket here.

407
00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:09,719
Most of the nuts now are making colour.

408
00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:11,919
How many do you think's in there?

409
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,479
Sort of get... 300?

410
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:16,679
300, a fair few, yeah.

411
00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:21,119
Guys, we must have been here filling up this bucket for about 30 minutes

412
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,519
and we reckon we have about 300 Yowah nuts.

413
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,279
It's a good sign where everything's mineralised

414
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:32,119
and it's all come down to the level into the nuts.

415
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,759
It seems to be diving down,

416
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:38,679
so we could be heading into a reasonably a good sized pocket.

417
00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,159
So that's where the opal would have come down from?

418
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,519
Where the opal's all come down. And it's all criss-crossing in here.

419
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:45,879
It's a very good sign.

420
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:48,999
Millions of years ago

421
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,199
silica-rich water drained through cracks in the earth,

422
00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:55,279
seeping into semi-porous ironstone rocks

423
00:24:55,360 --> 00:25:00,359
to create a type of boulder opal known as the Yowah Nut.

424
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:04,159
All the slides are pointing there, all the gypsum is pointing there.

425
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,319
It's almost like a sign saying dig here.

426
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:12,599
To be coming into a a pocket is the ultimate dream.

427
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:15,039
We could be three feet away from a fortune.

428
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,119
From a fortune, yeah. Wow.

429
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,079
We're not smashing any nuts open at all now

430
00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,199
because Dave's on to a really, really good spot here

431
00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:27,039
and any one of them could have a beautiful crystallised centre in it

432
00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:31,039
so the last thing we want to do is destroy what we've worked so hard to find.

433
00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,159
Oh, look at that! That's a massive nut.

434
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,279
I was chipping away on this nut down here.

435
00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:40,679
It's got colour in the wall. It's a nice big nut. On the skin of it,

436
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:44,359
I seen it was a nice blue green purply colour matrix

437
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,279
and that green blue there is top quality opal.

438
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:50,319
So I got to go slowly around it.

439
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,959
That could be, you know,

440
00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:57,199
a very good piece. Don't want to destroy it. There it is.

441
00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,879
Wow! Look at the skin on that.

442
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:02,879
Well, see the skin on it. See that's very nice skin in there.

443
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,159
Green, blue. It's incredible.

444
00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:09,679
Top matrix opal. It's looking very good as we go down. Yeah, mate.

445
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,479
It's just getting better. Yep.

446
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,199
That's the best matrix you can get.

447
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:17,719
So it's started with purples but now we're into blues

448
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,479
and then it went black ironstone

449
00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:22,319
and now we've got red on black. Yep.

450
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,519
We didn't really realise what we're getting ourselves... No way.

451
00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,519
And Dave asked us to help out. We're so glad he did. Yeah.

452
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,999
He's a legend. I want to kiss him. Mwah!

453
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,759
Righto, let's find the old fella some opal.

454
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:44,679
If in doubt, rip it out.

455
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,599
With a mystery illness forcing his mining partner, Les,

456
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,319
to see a doctor,

457
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,639
Rod is singlehandedly trying to resurrect the Bushmen's season.

458
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,279
We're at the sharp end at the moment.

459
00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:02,399
We really have to find something.

460
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,679
Have a look at what was in there.

461
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,919
It's where you miss the second person, you know.

462
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,159
I've got to keep walking up and checking I'm not busting anything up.

463
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,799
Blower's broken down, Les is broken down.

464
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,199
We're way off our season target.

465
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:22,679
I'm pretty worried Les might be... sort of come to the end of his run.

466
00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:24,879
He's not been himself.

467
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:27,479
He is, you know, in his mid-seventies.

468
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:29,519
Righto.

469
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,359
He's had a hard life, you know,

470
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:32,959
and that hard life, I guess,

471
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,079
it's gonna catch up with you sooner or later.

472
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:38,839
We'll see what's there.

473
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,239
Better have a look at that.

474
00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,599
Yeah, got to have a good look.

475
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,279
The old fella will get up me if I don't.

476
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:51,679
That's got nothing in him.

477
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,159
I've been following this big fault all the way down through here

478
00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:59,799
and it's just been looking better and better,

479
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,279
and I reckon where these two faults were gonna meet

480
00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:04,839
I hit it and they're just starting to meet.

481
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,759
I'm gonna take that. That's what I'm gonna get now.

482
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,599
Righto, let's see what we got here.

483
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,079
Oh, a little bit of colour there.

484
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,319
Ooh, there's another good bit. Look.

485
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,679
Oh-ho, look at that bit.

486
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,639
Dark base too, colour right through it.

487
00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,239
Ooh, there's more, look. Again, colour goes all around him.

488
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,559
I'm onto a few bob here. This is good.

489
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,159
I don't think this is gonna be the retirement patch,

490
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,999
but it's a  good patch.

491
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,079
That's  beautiful.

492
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,879
I come down here dragging me arse

493
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:50,639
cos the blower's stopped

494
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:54,279
and then I've put one push into the wall and hit opal.

495
00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,399
You know, that's how quick your luck can change.

496
00:28:57,480 --> 00:28:59,799
Oh-ho-ho! There it is.

497
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:03,239
It's big and it's cheesy. Look at that!

498
00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,559
Look at that!

499
00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:07,439
Everything that's gone wrong

500
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,999
and then I'm finally finding a bit of decent colour.

501
00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:11,759
There's a few dollars in this.

502
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,239
That's a beautiful piece of colour there.

503
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,319
The old fella, he's crook as

504
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,479
and to show him this bit of colour, he's gonna be happy as.

505
00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:31,719
Oh, look, she's dripping everywhere. Yeah.

506
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,479
I hope it's not a  cracked pipe or anything like that

507
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:35,999
or it'll hold us up.

508
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,279
Over 100 kilometres from the nearest town,

509
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,759
the Geran Gang's race to find opal is in trouble.

510
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,639
Without this machine, we won't be able to dig.

511
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:50,079
Their 40-year-old excavator is losing hydraulic fluid,

512
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,599
crucial for powering its digger arm.

513
00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,159
It could be a cracked pipe, a blown seal that's come loose.

514
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,359
The cracked pipe's hard because you got to go and drive a hundred miles

515
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:01,119
just to get what you need.

516
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:05,119
You wouldn't read about it. We're missing a bolt.

517
00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:09,159
That bolt seals the whole thing for your hydraulics powering it.

518
00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,999
One of these bolts has come out. Suddenly she's loose enough

519
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,039
to squirt oil out under pressure.

520
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,279
I just hope there's some bolts in here that'll fit,

521
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,479
get us out of trouble. They're too small. That's too long.

522
00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:25,039
If I can't find the right bolt, we have to go to town

523
00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:28,359
and get a bolt or someone or something.

524
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,759
You know what, maybe this one might do it.

525
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:33,119
Well, it's the right diameter.

526
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:37,039
Oh, I think we might be right. I got two turns out of it.

527
00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,759
We're gonna start up the machine

528
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,479
and let's hope it don't leak otherwise it's not gonna be

529
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:44,759
a very nice day at all.

530
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:53,519
She's right? Great, eh?

531
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,479
That's good. Oh, thank God for that.

532
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,919
She's not squirting out. So that's the best sign ever.

533
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,319
Looks like it don't hurt to have a few bolts in your toolbox.

534
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,639
There's a real hard layer there

535
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,399
and we should hear it, we'll hear the teeth scraping across it.

536
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,719
Just cos they're hard ironstone compared to sandstone and clay,

537
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,959
you can hear that scratching sound.

538
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:26,359
It's just really hard

539
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,679
so we just got to try and get Greg to put the teeth through these big ones.

540
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,159
The excavator's bucket teeth

541
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:39,119
can exert 16,000 kilograms of force on the ironstone.

542
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,439
It's faster than handpicks

543
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:46,319
but runs the risk of destroying any opal that could be inside the rock.

544
00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:51,279
Check this one out, eh.

545
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,959
I seen that, then I rolled it over and now I'm...

546
00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:56,839
looking at some green lines here.

547
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,639
Look at that colour. Very nice. Yeah. It's bright as.

548
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:03,039
That's beautiful, Greg.

549
00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:05,519
There's a whole layer here that we got to strip off.

550
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,759
This could be it, Col. Yeah.

551
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,559
Looks like good opal. Beautiful. That's what we want.

552
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,919
The boys have just come across a bit of live level there.

553
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,639
It's beautiful blue and it's nice to see the green come into it now.

554
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:32,559
It's been a bugger of a week for me.

555
00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,399
Been to the doctors two or three times.

556
00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:40,159
Trying to find out what's wrong with me,

557
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,359
but they don't seem to know at the moment.

558
00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:44,319
Go on, up you get.

559
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:49,719
After multiple blood tests, doctors have cleared Les to go back to work,

560
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,159
but they still don't know what's causing his aching joints.

561
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,439
Hopefully these pills that I got off the doc

562
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,959
kill all the...most of the pain off.

563
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,359
Nigel!

564
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,359
How you going, Les? Good mate. Yourself?

565
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,239
All right. How you feeling? Yeah, not too bad.

566
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,319
I got something here might brighten your day up a bit, old fella.

567
00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:14,839
Oh, yeah. That looks good. Looks all right, don't it?

568
00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:17,839
Ooh, that's a nice piece all right. Have a look at this.

569
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,159
Ooh-hoo-hoo! That looking good.

570
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,319
Just rubbed it up to try and add a bit of value. Yeah.

571
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,039
It's nice, innit? Yeah.

572
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,279
I reckon we might have a couple of dollars, Les.

573
00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,039
Yeah.

574
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:33,319
We need to put a value on it, Les.

575
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,679
I don't know what you think. I reckon maybe 20, 25.

576
00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,199
No, no, no. You don't reckon?

577
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,199
No, I reckon it's worth more than that.

578
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,519
I'd go for 30 and stick.

579
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,319
We'll go up and see the buyer now

580
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,479
and I reckon it's worth 30 and if he doesn't come up with 30

581
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:49,839
I think he can  off.

582
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,879
We'll go and see this Brian

583
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,999
and see if we can get a few dollars for this, eh, Les?

584
00:33:58,080 --> 00:33:59,999
Yeah. I reckon it'd be a good idea.

585
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,239
I hope he hasn't got short arms today.

586
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,639
Five kilometres away lives local buyer, Brian Gray.

587
00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:12,399
How you going, mate? Yeah, I'm well.

588
00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:14,839
Got a bit of stuff for you to have a look at. Righto.

589
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,239
The Bushmen's parcel is medium value crystal opal,

590
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,159
blue green and gold in colour.

591
00:34:22,240 --> 00:34:25,479
It's in the rough with a few pieces lightly rubbed

592
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:28,919
and it weighs approximately 900 grams.

593
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,799
Yeah, some of it's pretty good, innit.

594
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,039
You know it's beautiful. You know you want it.

595
00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:36,399
So let's just get into it, eh?

596
00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,679
What fortune are you sort of asking for?

597
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:41,919
If you can't come to at least 30, I...

598
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,439
30? ..might as well pack up and go home.

599
00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:46,999
Jesus! Get your arms growing a bit

600
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,799
and get into them deep pockets. Well... Ooh.

601
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,279
See normally, I'd do all the negotiating

602
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,679
cos the old fella generally gives it away.

603
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,639
You know it's worth that. You'll double your money on it.

604
00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:01,679
There must have been a couple of stones in there he really liked

605
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,599
and the old fella sort of picked up on that, I think.

606
00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:07,319
I tell you what I'll do. Because you're an old friend, 20.

607
00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:09,319
No  way. No way.

608
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,959
30 or I'll take it home. I'm bleeding here.

609
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:13,959
He's going to pick it up and take it home

610
00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,159
if if you don't come to the price. Well...

611
00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:19,519
We know you want it. 25 and we got it done.

612
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:23,719
No! 28 and a half is the lowest I'll come down to.

613
00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,559
28 and a half's a good price for this. You know it is.

614
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:29,479
Shake hands on it. 28.

615
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:31,599
And a half. 28 and a half.

616
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:34,079
28 and a half. That's it.

617
00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,199
Next time

618
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,079
leave him at home. Pig's arse!

619
00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:45,519
$28,500 is a shot in the arm for the Bushmen's lagging season.

620
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,839
With half going to mine owners, the Hutchisons,,

621
00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,519
Rod and Les get $14,250.

622
00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:55,079
I was real happy with that.

623
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,399
The old fella went like a rocket at him.

624
00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:59,879
You have to step on some of these buyers sometimes.

625
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:03,519
They just got very short arms.

626
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,199
You in the shower yet, old fella?

627
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,079
Oh, that's good.

628
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:20,399
Get that hot, yeah.

629
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,039
How good's this, eh?

630
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:23,759
We got a sale of opal,

631
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:28,159
the old fella's got a hot shower after two weeks, and we got a beer.

632
00:36:28,240 --> 00:36:29,799
Life don't get much better.

633
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,959
I got a beer in me hand and the water's  nice and hot.

634
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,239
Cheers to you anyway, Les. Cheers.

635
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,079
There's plenty of rocks to check

636
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:51,919
and we've just got to get through them and keep going forward.

637
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,359
With just days left on their exploration permit,

638
00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:59,839
the Geran Gang's struggle through blistering heat and rock-hard ground

639
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:01,719
is starting to pay off.

640
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:03,759
Come look at this. Got some colour?

641
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:05,639
Come have a look at this.

642
00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:08,839
That is nice colour, eh. That's beautiful.

643
00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:10,519
That's what we're looking for.

644
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,479
That's the best we've found so far.

645
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,879
Blue green gem, nice and flashy, broad pattern. It looks really good.

646
00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:17,719
The real McCoy.

647
00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:19,559
So that level's live.

648
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,519
Just got to take it steady now and there might be more like her.

649
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:25,359
Oh, look, here's a bit of blue green.

650
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:27,879
Ah, it's nice. Look, beautiful green.

651
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,759
Ah, look at this one. Nice and bright, innit.

652
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:33,519
Beautiful. Beautiful.

653
00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,199
Hey, have a look at this. Good stuff.

654
00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,919
Yeah, it's good we're finding colour. That's what pays the bills.

655
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,359
That's the one. That's a  good result.

656
00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:46,439
Good effort, Col. A hatful of opal.

657
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:51,639
Finally, the Geran Gang have found pancake boulder opal.

658
00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:56,439
Blue green in colour, it's in the rough and there's five kilograms.

659
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:59,119
Yeah I think we've done very well.

660
00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:01,799
Yeah, got to be happy with that few days.

661
00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:04,799
That bright stuff's, you know, that's a top blue green.

662
00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:07,399
Yeah, what do you reckon, Marg?

663
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:12,399
Expert valuer Margie has been pricing opal for 25 years.

664
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,999
Well, I think we've got some nice cutters there

665
00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:16,799
and some seams are going to split.

666
00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,239
Just going on the colour which is a really nice beautiful colour,

667
00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:23,039
I think you've got to be looking at at least ten grand.

668
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,359
Yeah, I reckon about ten. Excellent.

669
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,239
That's a good result.

670
00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,599
With the $10,000 haul,

671
00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:32,759
the Geran Gang are one step closer

672
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:36,799
to funding their expedition to the opal-rich fields of Middleton.

673
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,639
Every time we find opal it helps us and helps us

674
00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:41,679
get where we are and where we want to go.

675
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,919
It's been a great week and it's still only early days.

676
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,359
It gives us a great feeling that we're doing the right thing

677
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:50,559
and we're moving in the right direction.

678
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,519
The flies are really bad, it's still hot,

679
00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:57,439
but nothing better than seeing that beautiful green flashing at ya.

680
00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,239
But now that we've seen that, we want to find some more.

681
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:02,079
We need to do the work here.

682
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:04,399
You've got to do this to achieve your dreams.

683
00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,559
I'm sure we'll find some good opal here.

684
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,439
That's all the ones from yesterday is it, Dave?

685
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:22,479
Yeah, basically, yeah. Look at that.

686
00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,679
Today we're at the cutting room. We'll start with these.

687
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,039
This is where a lot of the magic is revealed.

688
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:34,159
I'll start with the rotted one. So I'll just trim on the edges there.

689
00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:38,919
Because we're moving closer to the mother load pocket,

690
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,199
the nuts are going to become more regularly full of opal.

691
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:46,039
Therefore, it is important to carefully saw them open

692
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,039
instead of hit them with a hammer.

693
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,959
For the Opal Whisperers, it's the moment of truth.

694
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:55,399
After amassing a promising haul of Yowah nuts,

695
00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:57,959
they're now seeing if they're loaded with opal

696
00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:00,479
or just worthless ironstone.

697
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:04,079
How many nuts do you reckon we've got in that bucket?

698
00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:07,039
It must be about a hundred? Oh, about a hundred I'd say.

699
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:09,439
Probably 80 to 100. Yeah that's good odds.

700
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:14,799
There's a pressing frustration that the time is getting short,

701
00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,359
it's getting hot and we've only got a little window to find opal.

702
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,159
So I'm pretty anxious. We've got to find as much as we can

703
00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:22,919
in the short time that we've got.

704
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:24,279
Is it empty? Yep.

705
00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:25,839
No good? No good.

706
00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:31,479
Yowah Nuts with pure crystal opal centres are extremely rare,

707
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,599
the best can be worth over $100,000 apiece.

708
00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:38,279
Definitely not as good as I thought.

709
00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:40,559
These are all dead ones here or empties or blanks

710
00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:44,199
and we got some nice specimen but nothing gem. No gem yet.

711
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,599
Oh, here's a nice one. That's nice.

712
00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,879
Ooh, wow, look at that!

713
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,759
That's what we're after. It's getting better now, Dave.

714
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,199
Can I do a lucky dip? Yeah, that guy there.

715
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:57,959
That looks good, doesn't it.

716
00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:00,639
Might be a kernel. Let's see what happens.

717
00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:06,519
Oh, yeah. Oh, colour.

718
00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:07,959
Colour.

719
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,519
It's a love heart. Like two love hearts.

720
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,159
Oh, it feels good.

721
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:22,879
Yeah, that's beautiful. Yeah, wow! Look at it.

722
00:41:25,720 --> 00:41:28,199
Whoa! Good one.

723
00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:31,599
Wow! Look how thick that is too. Yeah.

724
00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:36,799
Yay!

725
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:38,719
What'd you get? Nice colour.

726
00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:41,399
Oh, beautiful.

727
00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:43,639
It's like a really crystal water blue, isn't it?

728
00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:45,159
Wow. Gorgeous, yeah.

729
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:47,159
Oh, wow, they're gorgeous. That's nice.

730
00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:49,079
Oh, gotta love that.

731
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:51,159
After three hours of sawing,

732
00:41:51,240 --> 00:41:54,959
the Whisperers have half a table of loaded Yowah Nuts.

733
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,799
When we finally got our yield spread out on the table,

734
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:00,519
it was a sight to see.

735
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,599
There's so many nice ones.

736
00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:08,159
Displaying matrix opal and precious eye kernels of solid crystal,

737
00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:11,799
the nuts are blue, green and purple in colour,

738
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:16,319
sawn, and there's a weighty 15 kilograms.

739
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,039
Sends electricity through your body, doesn't it?

740
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:23,559
Sofia has been selling opal for 18 years

741
00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,559
and is the team's trusted valuer.

742
00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,359
What was our total here? Da da da da da da da da da da da!

743
00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:29,839
It came...

744
00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:31,239
Thank you.

745
00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:34,359
69,000 of dollars.

746
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:36,879
$69,000.

747
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:40,239
Oh! 69! Yeah!

748
00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:44,519
My heart jumped, my hair stood up. We smashed it.

749
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,159
That's gonna pay for some very important things.

750
00:42:47,240 --> 00:42:49,119
Some family things.

751
00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:50,839
With a 30% share,

752
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:55,319
the Whisperers' total climbs by $20,700,

753
00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,319
putting them in reach of their target

754
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:00,399
just as their season approaches its end.

755
00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:01,759
We got to get back in there.

756
00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:04,679
We seem to be right on the money, like right on the opal.

757
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,599
Everything is pointing literally like a bit arrow to one spot

758
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,359
and we reckon that that's where the motherlode is.

759
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:14,399
We've got a lot of work to do, coming towards the end of the season.

760
00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,479
The heat will get into the 40s again.

761
00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:18,359
Making it unbearable to be down there.

762
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:21,599
So we really need our act together and we need to move fast.

763
00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:23,679
The motherlode could be three foot away

764
00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:25,639
and we've only got days to get it.

765
00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:30,919
We're going for it with all that we've got.

766
00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:34,519
subtitles by Deluxe

766
00:43:35,305 --> 00:44:35,792