"Outback Opal Hunters" Episode #4.11

1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:02,840 On Outback Opal Hunters... 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:07,520 Maybe there's good opals just there if we can get the excavator through. 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:12,680 Col Duff reunites with partner Greg and pilot Stoney, 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:17,960 in one last push to find opal before summer heat ends the season. 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,040 It looks like she's running hot. 6 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,800 Maybe the motor's getting sick. I don't know. 7 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,800 I think that bucket's stuck. 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,400 Cos it's so hot, it's not got the cooling power 9 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:29,720 to get it over the top once it heats up. 10 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,080 The Cheals struggle with the extremes of the Outback... 11 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,240 Our steering itself smashed. Very frustrating. 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,480 ..threatening the final days of their season. 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,360 We just didn't need this today, you know? 14 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,480 If they've left their tools here, they're coming back here. 15 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,560 After weeks of poachers threatening his livelihood... 16 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,160 A pick handle ain't much good against a shotgun. 17 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,960 ..bushman Rod Manning battles to drive out thieves from his mine. 18 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,120 Hey, you thieving ! You better run! 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:05,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,920 This year's been, er... Doing a lot of solo missions. 21 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,200 Prospecting, looking at new country. 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,320 You just gotta be extra careful when you're by yourself. 23 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,160 If you hurt yourself, erm, you got no one to help you. 24 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,240 There's no room for error. 25 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,400 It's the final sweltering weeks of the opal season 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:40,760 in Australia's hottest year on record. 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:46,360 Unworkable temperatures of 47 degrees Celsius are about to hit. 28 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:51,480 The clock's ticking. There's places to go and I'm not there yet. 29 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,200 I've still got to dig a bit of ground. 30 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,440 I definitely need a payday. This car's having a bit of trouble. 31 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,520 It'd be good to find five grand, get a set of teeth 32 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:02,680 so I got a smile again and can eat steak. 33 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,800 It's good when you got a good crew, you know. 34 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,320 It's a hard job to do by yourself. 35 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,120 In some ways, it's nearly impossible. 36 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,400 Hey, how are you? Fine. Good, man, how you going? 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,640 Good to see you today. How are ya? Good to see you. 38 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,000 After downing mining tools for most of the season, 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,320 opal hunter Greg Geran, and his sister Margie, 40 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,360 are back to join forces with Col. 41 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,440 I had a bit of a late start to the year 42 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:34,560 cos I had a pretty hard run last year. 43 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:37,480 Had about five months off, cut a heap of opal, 44 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,000 now it's time to go digging. 45 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,800 Oh, look at that. 46 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:46,560 Queensland boulder Opal, mate. Not bad, eh? 47 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:50,200 Last season saw the end of a successful mining run 48 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,840 with former partner, Aaron Grotjahn. 49 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:56,280 I don't know. You don't know much, do you? 50 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:58,640 People change when opal comes. 51 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:00,720 There was a bit of a disagreement, 52 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,160 and he told me to get off his lease, 53 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:04,920 and that's exactly what I've done. 54 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,720 Can you see that line there? This is from the seismic data. Yeah. 55 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,360 Greg and Col have teamed up to dig on a huge 56 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,800 ten square kilometre exploration permit, The Knob. 57 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,320 We have an exploration permit here of four sub blocks. 58 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,600 And by the end of the year, we need to drop two off, 59 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,080 so, we're gonna go to a few places and dig 'em 60 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,440 to see if it's viable to put leases down. 61 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:33,720 It's worth having a try here, 62 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,960 because we know opal has come out in this area 63 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,360 by a few different parties that have dug it. 64 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,240 They have less than a week before summer temperatures end their season, 65 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:45,320 and they're forced to abandon their mission 66 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,600 to discover signs of new opal ground. 67 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,040 Might be a few hard lumps in amongst there. 68 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,640 You got a big excavator, we can only give it a try. 69 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,400 While Greg has the big machinery to dig, 70 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,280 he's relying on Col's expertise to pin-point opal. 71 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:02,640 It's been a while since I worked with Col. 72 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,720 He is a professor of opal. 73 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,280 He's been studying mapping and imagery 74 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,840 for the last 25 years that I know of. 75 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,120 And he's getting close to hitting the nail right on the head. 76 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,920 Greg's sister, opal dealer, Margie, 77 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,560 will sell whatever boulder opal they find, 78 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:22,000 worth up to $20,000 a gram. 79 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,080 When you've got bills to pay and everything else, 80 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:25,920 that's the sort of stuff you wanna have. 81 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,520 But got a bit of ground to get through before we get there. 82 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,480 Critical to giving the team a competitive edge 83 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,040 is an eye in the sky. 84 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,000 Completing the team, helicopter cattle musterer 85 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,320 and opal miner, Stoney Cain. 86 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,400 Cobber. You getting in? Seatbelt on. 87 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,360 I've been mustering cattle in a helicopter 88 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,120 for 19 years now or something. 89 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,280 But I'm sort of bloody over it, eh. 90 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,560 It's dangerous, and not only that, but I got a little boy now. 91 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,280 He's about two. 92 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,120 They're asleep in the morning when you go to work and when you get home 93 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,000 All right, Dad's gotta go to work. No. No? 94 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,040 And they gotta grow up without you. You don't get much of a family life. 95 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,120 Have a good day. 96 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,640 He'll be back. 97 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,200 I wouldn't mind kicking back a bit on the flying, doing a bit less, 98 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:20,280 and doing a bit more opal mining. 99 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,600 I've been mining with Greg for six or seven years. 100 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,760 And over the years, I've taught myself 101 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:29,960 to read the ground from the helicopter. 102 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,000 You need the faults 103 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,240 and changes in the ground for the opal to form. 104 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,960 That sort of gives you an idea to go have a look. 105 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,680 When you break that rock and it's full of colour, 106 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:42,960 it's an amazing rush, it's hard to explain. 107 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,160 This mark here is a big fault that's marked on the seismic survey. 108 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,480 And that's why the opal's there. It's the underlying feeder. 109 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,560 I reckon it looks good ground. Let's go and get some opal, mate. 110 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,840 Stoney's first task is to help Col locate fault lines, 111 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,480 where millions of years ago, ground water deposited silica 112 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,120 in ironstone rock, forming opal. 113 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,440 Yeah. That looks good, buddy. 114 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,200 Cos of the drought, we've been getting bloody terrible dust storms. 115 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,120 We got a real bad one last night about 12 o'clock. 116 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,880 Everything's covered in dust today. 117 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,800 Makes a mess, you can hardly breathe. 118 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,960 Bushman Rod Manning is racing to reach his season target 119 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,080 in the final scorching days of the mining season. 120 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,080 It's the heat, because yesterday was nearly 50. 121 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,640 When you get that layer of dust, it traps the heat in. 122 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,920 So, it just makes it real humid and real bloody hot. 123 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,000 And it just everything up. 124 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,960 Even tougher, Rod is without mining partner, Les. 125 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:18,520 What's that? 126 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,080 Les is away getting us a bogger. 127 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,600 A bogger's like a little front end loader 128 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,720 that we use underground to move dirt. 129 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,960 A mate of ours has got one for sale. 130 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,240 It needs a little bit of work. So, he'll do that down there, 131 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,360 if he decides to buy it. 132 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:36,400 How are you? Hey, doll. How was your trip? 133 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,200 Good. Yeah? Yeah. 134 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,320 So, yeah, I got the mail from the Mines Department. 135 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:45,720 Dodgy's is up for renewal. Oh, yeah? 136 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,960 How much is it? $350. Ooh. 137 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:52,200 With the claims, you gotta renew them every year. 138 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,160 So, every year, they're gonna cost you 350 bucks. 139 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:59,520 I kept the claim because we got real good money out of there. 140 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,920 We had a break from it, then when we went to go back to it, 141 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,320 that's when we discovered the ratters. 142 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,400 When the ratters went in there, they made it unsafe. 143 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,720 Ratters are opal thieves 144 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,680 that illegally mine on claims they don't own. 145 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,760 Where the ratters got in, it's not safe. 146 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,840 We can't work down there, 147 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,200 but there's a bit of solid ground we might be able to work in. 148 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,920 OK. I'll go and have a look, and see what's happening, all right? 149 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,280 OK. Night. 150 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,960 You can't just keep paying renewal year after year after year. 151 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,360 So, I've gotta make up my mind, and if we're gonna work it, 152 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,320 we'll go and work it, and if we're not gonna go and work it, then I'll hand it in. 153 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,640 Choosing which mine to keep is a gamble with serious consequences. 154 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:45,400 Let the wrong one go, 155 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,280 and Rod could be forfeiting a fortune in opals. 156 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:49,840 Stay there, Nige. 157 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:53,560 Well, hello. 158 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,040 This is not us. 159 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,840 We didn't do this. This is ratters. This is all ratters here. 160 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,280 Jesus! They're unbelievable. Look at that. 161 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,680 Little pile of potch they've left there. 162 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:08,840 They could've left me some bloody colour. 163 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,240 If they've left their tools here, they're fairly certain 164 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,960 that I'm not coming back here and they are. 165 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,560 So, we might have to do something about that. 166 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,160 We're just gonna dig out in there. 167 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,360 We got opal in the floor. That's why we're taking the floor. 168 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:40,560 In Lightning Ridge, Chris Cheal and 18-year-old son, Oscar, 169 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,720 are also pushing hard before the mining season is shut down 170 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:49,240 by unworkable 47-degree summer temperatures. 171 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,520 Hoping that we can get a full load before it gets too hot. 172 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,600 We've moved into our last week here. 173 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:57,480 I guess the main objective for this week is 174 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:59,680 prove this claim is worthy of digging 175 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:01,840 and if it's still carrying a lot of opal, 176 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,360 we're gonna come in here, and rip it all out. 177 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,880 That's the bogger. Scoop it again. 178 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,600 You dig on a digger, obviously, there's a lot of dirt lying around. 179 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:14,960 So, it comes in, scoops it all up. 180 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,720 Chucks it in here and then you back her into the bucket, 181 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,120 pull it off and she goes straight up into truck. 182 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,600 We've been loading the bucket up. It hadn't come back down. 183 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:33,080 Looked up and it was stuck, so... We don't know why. 184 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,640 With a busted hoist, there's no way 185 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,320 of getting opal-rich dirt out of the mine. 186 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,640 Chris has returned to opal mining at the end of the season, 187 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,960 after a crippling three-year drought destroyed his trucking business. 188 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,240 I don't know if there's many other industries that you can go into 189 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,080 and go to work one morning and come home that afternoon 190 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,440 and be set up for the rest of your life. 191 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,480 Leasing a claim and taking a 70% cut of any opal found, 192 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:10,960 the Cheals made a dream start... 193 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:14,680 Oh, that's beautiful. 194 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:19,040 ..finding $20,000 worth of black opal. 195 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,360 Just given me a little bit extra that I can put back into gear too, 196 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:23,840 which is good. 197 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,920 We've only got a week left here, 198 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,960 so we just decided we'd set the bogger and the super hoist up, 199 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,720 and not mess around, just get into it. 200 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,040 My main priority next year 201 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,840 is being able to put myself through uni and college. 202 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,680 That's why I'm out here opal mining. 203 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:41,760 This definitely could be life-changing. 204 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,480 One day, you could have nothing, next day you could be a millionaire. 205 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,600 Joining the team is long-time family friend, 206 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:50,200 19-year-old Farren Lamb. 207 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,440 Farren, I treat him like a son, 208 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,640 he's been part of our family for a lot of years now. 209 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,160 Years ago, he got suspended from school, 210 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,240 so, he just mined with me for the week, 211 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,080 and I actually was really impressed with the way he worked. 212 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:05,400 So, it would be good to have him here for the week. 213 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,680 And it'll take the pressure off Oscar himself a bit. 214 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,320 My mum lives in Goodooga, like, 70Ks away from here. 215 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,560 There's not much work out there for me, 216 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,800 so, Chris is trying to help me a bit for work. 217 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,240 He's like another brother or friend, pretty much a dad. 218 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,520 If we were to hit a really good pocket 219 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,720 or a really good run of opal this week, 220 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:27,880 with the boys working with me, 221 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,040 it'll take the pressure off us that bit more, 222 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:32,680 and that'd be a dream come true. 223 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,200 But with struggling equipment, exposed to the scorching sun... 224 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,280 Bucket's stuck, he's up there checking it out now. 225 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,360 Hopefully, he can work it out, we can keep digging. 226 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,520 ..their season could be over. 227 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,040 That's a hydraulic reservoir. Cos it's so hot, 228 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,960 the oil's heating up. It's not got the cooling power 229 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,640 to get it over the top once it heats up. 230 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,560 If the pump gives out, it's game over. 231 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,680 I got the map Col put on me iPad, 232 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,720 and we can see where the coordinates are to go to. 233 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,480 Yeah, there is hard ground here, but I think we'll handle it. 234 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:16,840 We'll be able to rip that hard stuff with the machines, 235 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:18,920 we just gotta dig in the right place. 236 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,440 Greg's excavator has crawled three kilometres in two hours 237 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:27,760 to the site identified by mining partners Stoney and Col. 238 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,840 This is really interesting looking ground. 239 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:32,240 You can see the different layers. 240 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,440 This sort of stuff here on the top is fairly hard, 241 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:38,760 and suddenly there's a bit of a level there of clay, 242 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,000 and there's some rocks. 243 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:42,280 Those rocks had a bit of opal in them. 244 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,680 Clock's ticking, if it's a good place, we put a lease on it. 245 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:47,360 That's what we want. 246 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:52,200 The team have less than a week to secure a claim on the permit 247 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,000 before they lose access to the land. 248 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:59,360 But it's only worth it if they can find a rich pocket of opal. 249 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,600 All the signs are there, you'd be mad not to have a go here. 250 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:07,440 Greg's excavator is able to move one tonne of dirt in a single bucket, 251 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,520 vital in the search for the ironstone rocks that hold the opal. 252 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:13,960 While you've got a good chunk of that level, 253 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,040 we'll just see if there's any rocks. 254 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:19,000 This is what we're looking for. They're opal tracks. 255 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,840 Basically, these rocks are hidden in that level. 256 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,720 So, we're gonna be real careful and check it really well. 257 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,000 I'm gonna have to check the oil, I think. 258 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,480 I'm down on oil pressure and temperature's up, Stoney. 259 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:44,520 In the 40-plus degree heat, 260 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,520 Greg's 40-year-old excavator is beginning to feel the strain. 261 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:52,080 It looks like she's running a bit hot, I better turn her off. 262 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,200 Eh. 263 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:57,720 Might not be a good thing at all. 264 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,560 Bloody hell. I can't see any oil dripping. 265 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,960 Hey, she got nothing on the stick. Oh. 266 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,320 Maybe the motor's getting sick, I don't know. 267 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,280 You got any oil? 268 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,320 I don't think I've got any at the camp. 269 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:14,400 I'll go and see what I can find, boys. 270 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,800 We bloody hit a bit of drama, we're out of oil. 271 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,720 We are in the bloody middle of nowhere here. 272 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,280 The nearest town is 130 kilometres away. 273 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,280 It's two-and-a-half, three-hour trip at least to go to town, and get some oil. 274 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,760 I'll just jump on the two-way, give a couple of local farmers a call. 275 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,120 A veteran of 20 years mustering cattle, 276 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,000 Stoney has worked many of the farms in the region. 277 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,920 We only got a few days to dig. Hopefully, somebody's got 278 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,600 a spare 20 litres of oil that we can borrow. 279 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,400 We've invested thousands of dollars 280 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:08,840 and a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. 281 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,760 Then come down, and in one night, 282 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,960 take what you've been working for months for. 283 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:20,440 Battling ratter thieves, and without partner Les to watch his back, 284 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:25,240 Rod Manning's deciding whether to renew his dangerous Dodgy's claim. 285 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,680 Dodgy's was a good mine, a lot of money's come out of there. 286 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,040 There's still money in there, but where, 287 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,040 potentially, there's good money I can't get into. 288 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:42,000 Ratters have taken too much column out and I've got too wide a space. 289 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,640 Even if I tried to work here, I'd have to put 20 or 30 290 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:48,440 bloody props in the hole, strong possibility of collapse. 291 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,360 So, I think I might get the bloody hell out of here, 292 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,800 and go up where they were scratching around up there 293 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,200 in the safer stuff, cos this is way unsafe. 294 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,280 I do not like even being down here. 295 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,520 This is where the ratters have been scratching around. 296 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:08,880 They've been scratching around here, so I guess I'll have a look here 297 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:10,400 and just see. 298 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,240 Potch absolutely everywhere. 299 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:15,520 This here... 300 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,080 That's all opal. 301 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:20,120 Not coloured, of course. 302 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:24,440 If this is all full of colour, every stone that falls down there 303 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:29,040 is probably worth between $3,000 and $20,000. 304 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,320 So, in 30 seconds, I can have... 305 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,080 ..a couple of hundred thousand dollars in me hand. 306 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,640 Good potch. Where's the colour? 307 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,200 You're not gonna have ratters unless you've got colour. 308 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,960 I think what I'll do is come back down with a jackhammer. 309 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,600 And I'll have a bit of a dig here, and just see what it looks like. 310 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,080 They've showed me the way there, haven't they? 311 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:06,680 I think it might be the oil. 312 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,120 It was definitely the oil wasn't letting it come up in the first place. 313 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:15,160 45-degree heat has caused the Cheals' bucket hoist to fail, 314 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:20,200 the only way of getting opal dirt out of their 13-metre deep mine. 315 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,840 The oil's too hot, we started too late in the day. 316 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,960 We gotta be starting earlier, getting out here earlier. 317 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,560 Getting the load over and done with, no messing around. 318 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:31,640 I'm just gonna try to cool 'em down. 319 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,800 We might be able to get the last two buckets on. 320 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,240 The heat has thinned the hydraulic oil, 321 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,160 reducing pressure in the hoist's pump. 322 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,440 A quick fix is ice-cold water on a rag, 323 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,880 to cool the oil and increase its thickness. 324 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,640 When I start this, hoist up again. 325 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,800 And I want you to hit the up button and see if she'll get over. 326 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:54,680 Righto. Righto, give it a go! 327 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,560 While it's back in action, the hoist could fail at any moment, 328 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:15,360 leaving Chris with no way to find opal to pay off business debts. 329 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,880 We've been getting our opal down deep, 330 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,480 so, we'll take a bit more floor out and have a look. 331 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,120 Not too happy with the amount of dust coming out of the face. 332 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,920 Just bad for your lungs. 333 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,480 Dirt's real hard in the corner here. And it's too dusty. 334 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,280 I can't extract the dust out, cos I haven't had a chance 335 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:49,280 to put a ventilation shaft down. 336 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,960 So, if I keep digging here, it's gonna fill my lungs with dust, 337 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,600 and that's no good cos you end up with silicosis. 338 00:19:56,360 --> 00:20:01,600 Silicosis is chronic lung disease caused by inhaling silica particles, 339 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,320 a primary mineral in opal creation. 340 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,840 I'm just gonna pull up on this, and we're gonna go straight in there 341 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,520 where it's softer and it's not as dusty. 342 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,880 When we got that really good find, we were just two or three feet from this wall. 343 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,440 We were seeing gems everywhere. 344 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,840 Decided to head this way. See if it's carrying on that level. 345 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,120 We put props up to reinforce the roof, 346 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,200 so make sure it doesn't fall down. 347 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,480 If you go straight in there and start digging it out, 348 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,880 eventually it'll fall down, so you put them up to avoid cave-ins, 349 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,560 bits of rocks falling down and hitting you, cos it's too dangerous. 350 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:36,560 Chainsaw. 351 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,600 And lead. 352 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,480 240 volt lead, please. Where's the leads? 353 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,560 Come on, boys. You gotta get with it. 354 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:55,680 We need that one out of the way. 355 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,760 Can you put that cap in? All right. Just grab that little hammer. 356 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:02,840 It'll be on the chair, Oscar. 357 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:11,960 Doesn't take long to put a couple of props in and make it safe. 358 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:16,760 You gotta support the roof, cos if it comes in, you're not getting out. 359 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,000 We should be able to load this truck pretty quick. 360 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,280 If the hoist stops, that's the end of our dig, 361 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,160 so we just wanna concentrate on getting this load out before it gets too hot. 362 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,840 In this really tight space, I've gotta be careful of the wires. 363 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,040 Last thing we want, being so cramped for room... 364 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:39,800 Last thing we want is me reversing over the wires, ripping it all up. 365 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,880 Yeah, that'd put us back for days. 366 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,440 Hopefully, there's a few gems in there, and, you know... 367 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:55,720 Hopefully, it covers the cost, 368 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,160 but then, obviously, 369 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,520 you want a good pot of money out of that, but we'll just see. 370 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,960 I think there'll be money there, I just don't know how much. 371 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,080 Bucket's starting to play up again, 372 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,440 and I think now it's starting to heat up. 373 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:17,000 Midday, and the mercury's hitting 47 degrees. 374 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,240 Too hot to mine. Couple of beers, we'll tail out. 375 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:23,200 And I'll see we got at the end of the day. 376 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,720 They still need to transport the mine dirt 40 kilometres 377 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,400 to their agitator, to be washed, and examined for opal. 378 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,000 Pull up, boys, I think it's a tie rod. 379 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,480 So, we dropped a tie rod end 380 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,160 on our beautiful roads that we got here at the moment. 381 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,680 We just didn't need this today, you know? 382 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,640 We've decreased our chances of actually finding opal 383 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,400 by the end of the week. I'm frustrated. 384 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,560 Travelling at 180 kilometres per hour, 385 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:25,000 Stoney's desperately hunting for engine oil on Weona cattle station. 386 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,520 It is a bit of a wiry machine, 387 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,200 it did get a bit hot, and oil pressure was dropping. 388 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,680 This machine does use oil, it's not a new machine. 389 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,640 The team urgently need oil for their excavator, 390 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,040 to continue digging for signs of opal 391 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:43,160 on land they will lose access to in a week's time. 392 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,600 Got the clock ticking, we've only got so long 393 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,480 and then it's someone else's go. 394 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,960 Nothing worse than dripping oil, blow a hose or get a pinhole in it. 395 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,840 You're always putting oil in it, it all costs money. 396 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,400 Bloody bit of local knowledge, luckily. Bloody... 397 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,560 Frank and Paula Weona helped us out. I do a bit of work for 'em. 398 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,680 I thought he might have a bit of oil sitting around, so it's good. 399 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,840 The 20 litres of oil will give the team another day of digging. 400 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:44,360 But soon, extreme summer temperatures will shut down all work. 401 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,480 Sounds like he's coming, Col. Bit of luck he's got the oil. Yeah. 402 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:55,840 No worries. No worries, mate. 403 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:58,720 OK. 404 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,960 She's right, Col, we can make a start. 405 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:07,520 Cool. 406 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,640 They're searching for good opal colour, 407 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,840 from blues and greens to the rarest and most valuable, red. 408 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,720 We've just run into a little family here of rocks. 409 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,040 This one here come off the end of this one here. Have a look at this. 410 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,600 See if we can sneak a tooth behind here, pop that whole trunk out. 411 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,720 Hopefully, it'll come out and that will be sitting on top of it. 412 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,280 There we go. Beautiful. 413 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:44,600 This is sandstone and this is clay. 414 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,880 And the rocks are stuck up against the sandstone. 415 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,520 So, we've gotta try and separate without hurting them. 416 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,880 Gone a bit bloody boring here, mate. 417 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,800 We haven't seen any colour for a bit. 418 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,440 And it's getting a bit hot. Hammer's getting heavy. 419 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,280 Decent colour. Look at that one. 420 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:23,880 That's nice and bright. Bloody hell. 421 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,400 Yeah. Nice bit of blue-green, nice and thick, too. 422 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,720 So, maybe, there'll be more stuff as we go in, I reckon. 423 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,520 Off we go. They're all here. Right along there. Look at that. 424 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,600 Quite a big nest, eh? Yeah, yeah. 425 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:39,440 Oh, here we go. 426 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,040 I'm getting excited. 427 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,800 Wow, check that out, boys. 428 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,360 Whoa-ho! Look at this nice colour. 429 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:56,080 There's some little stones there. 430 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,200 Oi, look at this, fellas. Oh. 431 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:04,040 Bloody hell. Oh, it's red. 432 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,920 Red! Yeah! Red, mate, look at that. 433 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,400 There you go, that's how it happens. Oh, flashes to green one way. 434 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,480 One way green, one way red. 435 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:14,880 That's a kingstone, mate. That is a kingstone. 436 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,960 That's bloody beautiful. That's a gem. 437 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,360 Oh, looks pretty! It is red. 438 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:31,920 That is very good colour. That is beautiful. 439 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,000 That shows what this place is capable of. 440 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,360 Yesterday, I found a few little bits of trace. 441 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,240 I'm just gonna drop some cables down there now, 442 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,040 get a jackhammer and some lights down there. 443 00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:52,440 Have a bit of a dig and just see what it looks like. 444 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:58,280 At Dodgy's, Rod faces a $350 lease renewal fee. 445 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,840 Still short of his season target, he needs to prove it's worth keeping. 446 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,760 Now, you stay. Stay. 447 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,920 When you're doing it tough, that's hard money to come up with. 448 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,880 I've gotta sort of figure out if it's worth hanging on to. 449 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:19,040 Complicating matters, ratters have been stealing opal from the mine. 450 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,240 This is where they left that little bit of potch for me, so... 451 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,760 Hook in, I guess. 452 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:36,840 Where's the colour? 453 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,400 Some bloody junky ratter got it, I guess. 454 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:47,720 Look at that. They missed a bit. That's nice colour. 455 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,160 And that's obviously why they've been digging here. 456 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,080 That's enough to get the old heart beating quicker, I reckon. 457 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:58,040 It's a nice colour, I think we're gonna keep it. 458 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:00,960 That's enough to get me excited. 459 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,680 I think we'll keep it, we'll renew the lease. 460 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:06,560 You can always guarantee if you got ratters in a mine, 461 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:08,640 you've got colour in the mine. 462 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:16,520 These weren't here yesterday. 463 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,840 These definitely weren't here yesterday, and neither was this. 464 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:27,280 See, that's fresh. 465 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:31,480 Someone's been down here last night cos that wasn't there yesterday. 466 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,800 Cos we were in here, I would have saw it. 467 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,240 Last night, they were here. The only way to stop them 468 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,760 is to be here when they are here, so I'm coming back tonight, stuff 'em. 469 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,640 Well, the ratters are active. They're about. 470 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,480 All I can do is go out to the claim and find myself a box tree 471 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,440 to sit underneath and wait, and see if they turn up or not. 472 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:58,360 Let's do this. 473 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,800 With partner Les still away, Rod's staking out the claim alone. 474 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,280 The way I gotta do it is get out there, 475 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,760 hide this away in the scrub a little bit, 476 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,480 just find a tree and sit underneath the tree and wait. 477 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,320 Can't have any lights or anything on. 478 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,920 I gotta be a bit smart, a bit careful. 479 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,840 A pick handle ain't much good against a shotgun. 480 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,520 They won't see us from here, I don't think. 481 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,480 You don't know whether they're going to turn up. 482 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,240 You don't know whether it's one bloke or four blokes. 483 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,320 You don't know whether they've got guns. 484 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,800 You just have to wait and see what happens. 485 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,560 I'd sooner cop a flogging 486 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,960 than let someone steal off me. 487 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:51,600 I've copped floggings before. You heal, you'll get over em. 488 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,000 But you don't heal or get over being a dog, 489 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:57,520 and laying down and letting people walk all over you. 490 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,560 Hello, here we go. 491 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,560 They're there. Look. 492 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,760 Nah! I think that's just one of the boys going home from the pub. 493 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,560 I think we might put that one down to a false alarm. 494 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,040 Ooh, that sounds like a car. 495 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:39,720 Yeah, this is it. Righto. 496 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,000 This is it, fellas. This is it. 497 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,560 Hey, you thieving ! Better run! 498 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,400 You, mate! Oi, oi, squitter! 499 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,680 I saw ya! 500 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:05,480 Don't rush, cos I know who you are. 501 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,560 He's just a little grub. 502 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:10,440 I can pay him a visit. 503 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,440 That's the end of our ratter problem. 504 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,720 To secure Dodgy's claim, Rod needs to sell the opal he found 505 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:27,000 to help pay for the $350 renewal fee. 506 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,440 Whenever I get some reasonable stones 507 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,080 that are only little and don't cost much money, 508 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:36,160 I run 'em down to Sandra. She's very easy to deal with. 509 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:39,600 You home, Sandra? Come on in. 510 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,000 I've got something for ya. Oh, beauty. 511 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,240 I've been waiting, I need a little bit of extra. 512 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:48,680 They're not spectacular, but I think you might be able to do something with them. 513 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,480 Yep. There's a couple of them. 514 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:55,240 There's a couple of little ones you can do something with. Yeah, that one I can. Definitely. 515 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:58,400 You'll get a couple of rings out 'em and maybe a pendant. 516 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,280 That's a nice one. 517 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,480 That should come up actually quite nice. Yeah. 518 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,000 What are you looking at for the whole lot? 519 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:09,560 Oh, I don't know, Sandra. I reckon, to you, $300. 520 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:11,640 A bit of work in that one. 521 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:14,440 Hm, $300? 522 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,440 What do you wanna give me? 523 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,280 I reckon about $250. $250? 524 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,200 Well, I say it's fair, $250. 525 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:25,360 That will do me. I'm happy with that. 526 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:28,080 $250 is done. Good on ya, Sandra. Thank you very much. 527 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,240 Yeah, I'll even chuck a tin in. 528 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:36,000 With $250 from the sale, 529 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,080 Rod has enough money to renew the lease on the mine. 530 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,160 I'm pretty happy, to tell you the truth. 531 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,040 Old Les is away, so he's missed out 532 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,880 on a bit of bloody excitement and a bit of fun. 533 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:51,080 But with us renewing the lease and going back there to work... 534 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,960 To get that bit of colour, I didn't do very much digging at all. 535 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:56,960 So another good sign. 536 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,120 Hold on! Where are we going? 537 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,360 How flash is that, eh? 538 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:07,520 Wow! I know how to treat a girl. 539 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:10,360 This looks good. That's beautiful. 540 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,800 Love you. Love you, too. 541 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:15,600 Best wife I've ever had. 542 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,200 It's smashed. I'll have to try him later. 543 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:35,240 Very frustrating. 544 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,880 On the penultimate day of their mining season, 545 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:40,680 the Cheals' truck, 546 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,960 full of potentially opal-bearing dirt, is busted. 547 00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:50,520 She snapped off. 548 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,880 The nearest town for a new tie rod end 549 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,120 is Walgett, 80 kilometres away. 550 00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,440 But first, Chris has to get the broken one off. 551 00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:06,040 That's not coming out. That's not gonna in a hurry. 552 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,680 So me brother's trying to track one down in Walgett. 553 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:13,480 He said he will come up, give us a hand to get it out. 554 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,560 This is what he does, you know. 555 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,360 He fixes trucks and tractors and whatever else. 556 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,240 He's a pretty handy mechanic. 557 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,640 How are you going, brother? Good. Thanks for coming up. 558 00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:25,720 Uncle Jeffo just arrived. 559 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:27,840 He's got a new tie bar, crowbar, everything. 560 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,640 We'll try to get the old one off. We had a bit of trouble earlier. 561 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:33,640 But he's the expert, so he can hopefully sort something out. 562 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,560 And then we'll get the new one on and hopefully get going. 563 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,320 It's off now. We drop this one out and snap the other one. 564 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,800 Getting this out here, so we'll take this back to the workshop, 565 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,120 undo 'em down there, and fix it all up. 566 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:55,800 Frustrating, but we'll just try and get back tonight 567 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:57,880 and get it finished off. 568 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:06,720 The Cheals return from Walgett 569 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,520 with the parts they need to fix the truck. 570 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:13,000 I'll need one of you on one side to hold it up. 571 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,800 Keep it out of the dirt. We'll start the truck. 572 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,000 I'll get someone in on the steering wheel. 573 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,800 Just go right hand down. Just slow. Turn. 574 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:28,360 Turn. 575 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:31,360 Whoa! Whoa! 576 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:36,480 Good days. 577 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,160 We got it on. Only took a few minutes. Still got light. 578 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,320 Righto. Pack that up. 579 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,840 Yeah, I am happy. Let's just hope... 580 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,320 we have a good, smooth day tomorrow, you know? 581 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:59,480 With the truck fixed, the Cheals can finally deliver the 15 tonnes of dirt 582 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:03,920 and with it, the hope of Chris being able to pay off crippling debt. 583 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:08,600 We're here, just about to start our last tail out of the season. 584 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,400 We had that breakdown yesterday which wrecked the whole day for us. 585 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,040 We were all very disappointed. 586 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:16,040 Hopefully, we can finish the season on a high. 587 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:20,280 The agitator, a giant, water-filled rotating drum, 588 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:24,160 strips dirt from the sandstone, revealing any opal. 589 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:27,080 For us three to find opal together would be pretty special 590 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:29,160 so hopefully that's the case. 591 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,440 Geez, look at that colour. Ah. 592 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:40,840 I got him. That is bright. 593 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,320 Holy... Look at the colour in that. 594 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:46,960 That's nice, eh? 595 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,480 Yeah, just started picking up really, really nice colour, 596 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,960 so, yeah, it's looking good, it's a good start. 597 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:57,400 Blue-purple stone. 598 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,480 Check that one out. Oh. 599 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,080 Nice colour on black, too. 600 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,920 That's a nice colour. Oh! 601 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,480 Look at that. They're OK. See that one? 602 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,000 Got one, Oscar, look at that one. 603 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:12,640 Yeah, that's bright. 604 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,200 Could cut a decent stone out of that, it's flashy. 605 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:19,120 I think we got another little payday there. 606 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:20,480 Fella. 607 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:22,760 Guys. 608 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:24,840 My man. 609 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,000 The Cheals have found black opal, 610 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:32,400 predominantly blue-green, with flashes of red and yellow. 611 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:35,840 It's in the rough, and there's an estimated 200 grams. 612 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,360 Fair bit of material. 613 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:41,240 What do you reckon, how much? 614 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,160 There's definitely five grand in the rough there. 615 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:48,800 And if a few of these rub up, we'll get ten grand. 616 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:50,800 We'll get ten grand for it. Yeah, I reckon. 617 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:53,640 After a basic polish, 618 00:38:53,720 --> 00:38:57,600 the Cheals have an estimated $10,000 worth of opal. 619 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:01,080 Their 70% share brings their season total 620 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,400 to $29,400. 621 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,760 The prospects are a lot better going into next year 622 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:09,280 than what they were at the start of it for me, that's for sure. 623 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:13,000 When we got that bit of opal, I felt the weight of the world lifting off me, 624 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:16,440 because I knew it allowed me to just breathe a bit easier. 625 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:19,920 I had cost going out. Pressure came off me in that instant, really. 626 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:23,880 I feel proud. Dad never really asked, though. 627 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,920 He asked me to come up here and give him a hand 628 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:28,400 and got it done. 629 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:30,000 We're happy as can be now. 630 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:35,080 Finding over 20 grand, it definitely helps me next year, 631 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:39,560 there's a lot of expenses with uni and college, and just living in Sydney and stuff next year. 632 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,760 In all the breaks we get, I'll be out here giving him a hand, 633 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,920 cos I love it, he loves it, it's good to do it together. 634 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:49,320 I'm really happy. It was a good end of the season, 635 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,440 knowing I've got country that's worthwhile digging in front of me. 636 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:54,520 We'll be back next year. 637 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:04,920 If I can't see any colour, I'll throw it there. 638 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,920 If I see some colour, I throw it here. Right. Yeah. 639 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,840 Col, Greg and Stoney are about to lose 640 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:14,080 access to land on their exploration permit. 641 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:16,760 They want to be convinced the site has potential 642 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:18,680 for high-end boulder opal. 643 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:21,840 Ah, yeah. This is a six-inch trim saw. 644 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,560 Very thin blade. Very good for cutting opal. 645 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,080 What do you reckon, this one, eh? Yeah, get into them, I reckon. 646 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:31,560 What they find in these ironstone rocks 647 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:33,640 will decide if they stake a claim 648 00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:36,600 and start a bigger operation next season, 649 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:40,760 or abandon it, wasting four days' mining and thousands of dollars. 650 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,360 Let the saw answer your questions. 651 00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:45,440 And some do and some don't. 652 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:46,960 I'll do this one. 653 00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:53,840 Greg's had 40 years cutting experience. 654 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,240 But one slip of the saw could destroy the opal. 655 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,360 Oh, there we go. 656 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:07,760 That's a weight. That's what we're looking for, boys. 657 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:09,840 Ooh, look at that. 658 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:11,960 Yeah, big chunks. Nice colour. 659 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,240 Bloody nice. Good stuff. 660 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,000 See how this one looks, Greg. Yeah. 661 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:23,040 This one's kingstone. It's the best quality opal. 662 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:26,040 Hopefully, it runs in here, and it'll be good. 663 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,400 I hope we pick it up on the first cut. 664 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,480 The kingstone shows rare red opal on the face. 665 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:38,160 If it continues inside, it could be worth tens of thousands of dollars. 666 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,000 Let's see if there's something there. 667 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:45,320 No, it didn't run there. Ah! 668 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:50,560 When I sawed it, the first saw cut didn't show any more opal. 669 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:56,280 Greg tries a second cut straight through the middle of the stone. 670 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:58,360 We're getting close. 671 00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:00,960 Won't be long. 672 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:04,520 Here we go. Here we go. 673 00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:10,320 That's runnin'. Runnin'! 674 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,480 Runnin'! Goes from side to side. 675 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,440 The most beautiful colour inside. I can see it now, yeah. 676 00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:20,120 That's definitely one chunky stone. 677 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:25,280 That's what it's all about, eh? Yeah. Meant to be, Stoney. 678 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:27,600 She's worth a few bucks. Don't worry about that. 679 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:31,040 Definitely. That gives hope. We must keep digging. 680 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,800 They have high quality boulder opal, 681 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:39,640 ranging from prized red through to mid-value blues and greens. 682 00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:42,920 It's been sawn, and there's five kilograms. 683 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,360 Potentially, between those two bits, there could be, like, ten grand. 684 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:48,960 Yeah. And then the other stuff that's with it, 685 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:51,040 I'm thinking around 15 plus. 686 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:54,360 We definitely didn't dig a dud. There's more to dig. 687 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:58,360 With an estimated value of over $15,000, 688 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,360 this opal find is the proof the team need 689 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:04,400 to stake a claim, and together, set up a mine. 690 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,960 It's great to know that area's producing that material. 691 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:11,960 Good commercial stuff as well. A lot more gems to come yet. 692 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,480 Good on you, Greggy. It was a pleasure. I enjoyed it. 693 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:17,720 Off to a good start. Good on ya. Good on ya. 694 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:21,480 Yeah, no, it looks good, eh? 695 00:43:21,560 --> 00:43:23,560 You can't not be happy with that. 696 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:27,200 That ground is doing all the things that it should do to produce Opal. 697 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:30,320 It's been great working with the team. 698 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,400 I've got a good feeling about this one. 699 00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:34,480 Things are coming together for a reason. 700 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:37,520 And that's so we can find some opal, and be successful. 701 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,520 It's already paid off. I think, in time, 702 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:44,160 we'll find a lot more of that type of material. 703 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:47,880 We are off to a very good start. Opal will flow. 703 00:43:48,305 --> 00:44:48,464 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm