"Outback Opal Hunters" A Glimmer of Hope

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:10,074 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,560 Just checking a few levels under here. 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,920 Just try and see what's going on. 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,880 What's going on back there, guys? You going all right?XAVIER: Just looking around. 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,600 Yeah, if you get a chip, no big swings of the peg. 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,880 Hear that? 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:28,640 There's some opal in there. 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,760 But I've got to get that out without this coming down on my head. 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:34,680 Everything's all so loose. 11 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,240 Could just come down and kill us in an instant. 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,120 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,400 Yeah, I'm chipping straight at the level now. 14 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:44,680 This brown stain is pure level. 15 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,160 We just want to see if there's some colour in here. 16 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:48,920 Like, we're finding bits and pieces 17 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,200 but we want something that's substantial. 18 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,800 Yeah, there's little shells in here and that just seam just in there, 19 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,480 you just want to smash it hard. 20 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,160 (DEBRIS CRASHING) 21 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,200 Get out! Get out, man! Get out. 22 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,040 NARRATOR: The brutal Australian Outback, 23 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,520 the driest inhabited land on Earth. 24 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,360 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 25 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,520 The worst drought in recorded history 26 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,520 finished about two years ago, 27 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,080 and since then it hasn't stopped (BLEEP) raining. 28 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:27,520 REPORTER: Residents in outback SA 29 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,800 have spent the last 24 hours stranded 30 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,800 with flash flooding cutting off access to entire towns. 31 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,000 Those that call this land home 32 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,640 are drowning under record breaking floods, 33 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,760 bringing new dangers to the sodden earth... 34 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,080 (RUMBLING)LISA: Whoa! Whoa!JOSIAH: Whoa! 35 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,520 ..and the opal hunters are on their knees. 36 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:52,600 JOE: The opal industry is ruthless. 37 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:54,640 The only old timers that have survived it, 38 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,440 you know, they've been through hell. 39 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,720 This is third degrees down through here, mate. 40 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,400 It is brutal. 41 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,520 For any hope to keep this way of life alive, 42 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,760 a new generation must join the hunt. 43 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,520 Stay!(HONKS HORN) 44 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,360 Bringing new blood, skills... 45 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,400 No matter what we find, we're going to get some value out of it. 46 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,200 That's good. ..and cutting-edge technology... 47 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,640 JOSIAH: Straight from the miner into the metaverse 48 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,160 and into the palm of your hand. Yeah, we got it all. 49 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,000 ..seeking the rainbow gem. 50 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:29,680 Gram for gram, 51 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,600 opal can be worth over 500 times more than gold. 52 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,400 OSCAR: That's been there for over a hundred million years 53 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,360 and I'm the first person to ever see it. 54 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,440 Oh, I could talk for days. 55 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:44,320 The hunt is just once you start, you just can't stop. 56 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,520 Oh, ow. 57 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,920 LUCA: It's an incredible feeling. Just beautiful. 58 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:51,600 SOFIA: Wait, whoa! ISAAC: Oh!Zac. 59 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,920 Livelihoods and the future of opal industry... 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:56,600 TY: Oh! Snake! 61 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,920 ..rests on the shoulders of those tough enough to face... 62 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,120 Woo-hoo! MARK: Oh, no! 63 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,600 ..Australia's... 64 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,720 This is unreal! We did it! 65 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:09,400 ..last... 66 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,320 Oh, yeah! 67 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,560 (LAUGHTER AND CHEERING) 68 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:15,240 ..frontier. 69 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,360 It's big and it's cheesy. 70 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,160 LISA: Woo. JOE: Woo-hoo! 71 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:21,240 (LAUGHS) Look at that! 72 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,920 # ASH GRUNWALD: Money 73 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,760 # Money 74 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,360 # And fancy clothes 75 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,320 # Telling you what to do 76 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,120 # To get back where to live 77 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,320 # Where's too cold 78 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,800 (MUSIC PLAYING) 79 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:55,240 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 80 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:01,280 MARK: Ah! 81 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,720 What went down? 82 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,520 You right? You right, mate? 83 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,400 That was (BLEEP) scary. You didn't get 84 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,840 any hit you or nothing? Na, just my eyes. 85 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:12,640 Dust in my eyes. Just dust.Yeah. 86 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,680 What the hell happened? 87 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:16,360 I just picked, man. 88 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,440 One pick -What, the roof come down? 89 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,720 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 90 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,640 Coober Pedy, 91 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,120 the opal capital of Australia... 92 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,480 ..where extreme heat and severe weather events 93 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,840 have forced residents to live underground, 94 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,080 and in the vast opal fields surrounding the town... 95 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,160 Oh, there we go, there we go. Oi, that's a tunnel, man. 96 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:48,880 (ROCKS CRASHING) Ah, you, ah. 97 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:50,640 Hey, hey, hey. 98 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,800 The Blacklighters, Mark I'Anson, 99 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,240 stepson Xavier, John Nassar and Paul Coon... 100 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,680 That is a pretty big tunnel, hey, going straight up the guts. 101 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,160 ..have finally broken through to 15-metre deep tunnels, 102 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,760 after an epic year-long mission 103 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:11,000 to access old timers' workings 104 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,080 with an open cut mine. 105 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:18,760 JOHN: Hooley dooly. 106 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:20,440 It's just a little worrying that 107 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,120 they might have already taken all the good stuff out. 108 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,200 To come out empty handed would just, um, shatter us. 109 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:27,920 We have to find the opal, 110 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:29,640 so, no opal, 111 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,520 whole cut worthless, wasted a year. 112 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,160 It's been over 35 grand now that we've invested in this cut. 113 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,400 We've really got to start seeing some results pretty soon. 114 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:42,080 Yeah, I know. 115 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,640 It definitely affects the families when we don't find opal. 116 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,280 To support everyone, the pressure's just massive. 117 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,440 Yeah, our season target this year, you know, 118 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,800 we did set it pretty at 350. 119 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,800 We're nearly halfway through the season 120 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,640 and we're not even halfway to the target. 121 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,280 You know I've been underground lots and lots of times, 122 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,200 and personally it's, you know, it's not that safe in there. 123 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:09,000 JOHN: It probably goes down 15 feet there. 124 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:10,720 Pulling one little rock out... 125 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:12,640 and the whole roof comes down on you. 126 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:14,480 A lot of people die like that. 127 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,880 (MUSIC PLAYING) 128 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:18,680 You got lucky you didn't bury yous - 129 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,240 yourselves, mate. All of yous. 130 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,360 I don't know if we should tell mum about this one, ay. 131 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,520 XAVIER: Probably not. Probably not. Definitely not. 132 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,440 Get the hell out of there. We got work to do. Yous...Yeah. 133 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:32,240 ..clowning around in there. 134 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,880 I think we that's why we work aboveground. 135 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,480 Opal can make you do crazy things. 136 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,560 (MUSIC PLAYING) 137 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:49,880 I reckon we've got to come through here 138 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:51,960 so we can get up to there with the digger. 139 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,160 A little bit uneven.Yeah. Little bit dodgy, you know. 140 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,800 Can't afford to break that machine. Need to get you in there doing that dig. 141 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:00,960 Yeah, I don't really want to do fill this up 142 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,480 cos I want to put the dirt in this hole, so. 143 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,360 Oh, man, it's not that bad. It's a digger. She'll be right. 144 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,920 Right. You're the operator. I'm the spotter. 145 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,640 Get this opal. 146 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,240 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 147 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,640 Andamooka, a tiny off-the- grid mining town, 148 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,200 population... 300. 149 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,640 The Mooka Boys, Matt and Cozza Kathagen, 150 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,680 are navigating a mountain of old diggings 151 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,200 at Horse Paddock opal field. 152 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,640 Yeah, spotting for Matty as he comes through. 153 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,600 Little bit of a gorge, you know, ah. 154 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,520 Their plan, to move their 20-tonne excavator 155 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,360 through an unstable, washed-out gorge 156 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:50,280 to work on a long-neglected claim they believe is still holding opal. 157 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,680 Ooh, come on. You can do it. 158 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,680 (MUSIC PLAYING) 159 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:00,720 Ooh. 160 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,760 Come on. 161 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,440 (INDISTINCT) 162 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,120 Is that all right? 163 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,960 Ooh.Whoa! Whoa!Hey. 164 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:17,960 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 165 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,200 After their main claim was swamped 166 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,240 by "once in a century" flooding... 167 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,840 We're not going to be mining here this season. Surely. 168 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,560 The Mooka Boys have been forced to comb through other old claims, 169 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,880 in the hopes of digging up enough opal 170 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,200 to keep their operation running. 171 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,000 We're always keen to work and that. 172 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,120 We more than put the (BLEEP) effort in. 173 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,400 If you haven't got the money, like, you know, you can only do so much. 174 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,480 So, yeah, we got the drill out, ah, trying to prove another whole new field out there, 175 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:51,400 but unfortunately, that's probably going to take some time. 176 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,960 So it's important that we try and find a bit of opal 177 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,640 while we're doing drilling as well. 178 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,520 And it turns out, I'm going to be a dad for the first time, 179 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,400 ah, which was a bit scary to hear at the start considering, 180 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,200 ah, the lives we live out here. 181 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,120 So a lot of extra added pressure for me. 182 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:08,920 We've all got families to look after, 183 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,600 we've got maintenance on the machinery to pay for, diesel. 184 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,840 We have a lot of irons in the fire to (BLEEP) keep this show going. 185 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,720 Now, they're looking to mine at Horse Paddock, 186 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,040 an 86-year-old opal field 187 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,960 at the edge of the Andamooka township. 188 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,280 The problem with Horse Paddock is, there's been a lot of claims here, 189 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,320 a lot of dozer cuts, but at the same time 190 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,200 they've left some small patches of virgin ground 191 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,440 which we're calling pillars. 192 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:37,600 The Mooka Boys will split forces... 193 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:41,160 I'm happy with this pillar here if we're going to go for it and he's happy. 194 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,960 ..with Matt and Cozza digging out the pillar they hope contains opal 195 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,320 and Leif operating the exploration rig. 196 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:53,880 I'm going to go get the drill ready, 197 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,200 and yeah, bring it up, have a look around. 198 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,080 The whole idea of all this was to keep it working. 199 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,800 Exactly what I thought. He'd be on the tipping point. 200 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:07,680 Well, now he's stuck. 201 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,520 The steep gradient and extra 1,400 kilograms of the digging buckets 202 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,960 has the excavator over-balancing. 203 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,360 Should have built a road. I'll just have to drop the buckets. 204 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,400 We wanted to get in here and start digging 205 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,160 as soon as we could and... 206 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,560 now he's dropping his buckets and carrying on down here, so. 207 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:30,440 I'll chuck the buckets behind me. 208 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:32,200 All right. 209 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,480 (MUSIC PLAYING) 210 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:42,160 Come on! Come on! 211 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:44,240 Ah! Buckets, man. 212 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,400 Stay up! Stay up! 213 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,800 (MUSIC PLAYING) 214 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:53,760 Come on! 215 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:57,320 You had one job. 216 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,120 One job! 217 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,960 (MUSIC PLAYING) 218 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:13,840 LES: Hey.MATTHEW: Whoa! 219 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,560 ROD: I lift the arm up, slew her a little over, 220 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,320 put her on the truck, 221 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,720 bring her back, then we'll lay her back down 222 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,800 and do the body of the crane. Get it up here as well. 223 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,760 There's so many things can wrong in doing this. 224 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:30,880 Righto. Up you go. Steady. 225 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:34,800 On the isolated, 226 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,600 century old Grawin Opal Fields 227 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:41,240 in New South Wales, the Bushmen... 228 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,680 It ain't easy, but then nothing in opal is easy. 229 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:48,760 ..Rod Manning, Les Walsh and Ty Gross 230 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:51,760 are about to haul their four-tonne super digger 231 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:55,240 out of failed mine, Slims. 232 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,200 Careful of that hole, Mick. MICK: Yeah. 233 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,720 They've enlisted Rod's cousin and fellow miner, 234 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,760 "Grubby" Mick, to help. 235 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,640 He's had Parkinson's for about 15 years probably. 236 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,320 A long, long time. 237 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,600 He gets by. He just works with it. 238 00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:13,080 He's a bit of an inspiration, really. 239 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,440 The Bushmen are using their 60-year-old junkyard crane, 240 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,720 Arnold, to do the lift. 241 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:22,040 We called it Arnold after Arnold Schwarzenegger. 242 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,440 We reckon it could lift anything. It's made up out of bits and pieces. 243 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:31,040 Sometimes it has a mind of its own. It'll just start winching. 244 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:33,040 I've got to keep one hand on the rope, 245 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,320 make sure I can feel it's creeping or not. 246 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,200 TY: Hang on! Hang on! 247 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,080 LES: Come down. 248 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,600 Down? Yeah, down. 249 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:50,400 What are you doing? 250 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,320 (LOUD BANG) 251 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,080 Oi! 252 00:12:57,840 --> 00:12:59,440 Hold it there, mate. 253 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,400 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 254 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,080 Hold it! 255 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,880 Don't know what happened then. 256 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,520 It's an awful lot of pressure on me at the moment. 257 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,480 This whole thing's just cost a fortune. 258 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:18,720 We've expanded big time with our operations 259 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,920 but with expansion comes way extra costs... 260 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,880 and way more problems. 261 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:28,880 And now having to shift claims. 262 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,120 This mine here, Slims, just hasn't worked out 263 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:33,960 the way we thought it was gonna. 264 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,200 We thought we'd find a lot of money down there 265 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,640 but all we've done is... 266 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,160 found heartbreak. 267 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,400 The ground's just way too hard to dig. 268 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,120 We can't dig down there so we got to get it out of there 269 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:47,880 and go to another claim. 270 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,240 The Bushmen have been forced to fork out $8,000 271 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,760 to buy another claim, Conrod. 272 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,040 If we don't find colour within the first week, 273 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,240 we run out of diesel. 274 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,240 This has to have some colour in it. 275 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,000 Also got the drill working. 276 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,160 Seven kilometres northeast 277 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,600 on an old opal field, Dead Dog Gully, 278 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,720 rookie team member, Ben Moses, 279 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,440 is on the hunt for a new opal patch 280 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,560 using their exploratory nine-inch auger drill. 281 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,120 This field was abandoned about 40 years ago. 282 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,400 We're hoping they've left a bit here for us. 283 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:36,560 We've just got to keep on scratching along to get some money. 284 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,160 The season target this year's 360 grand. 285 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,440 We've got to have everything go right to reach that target. 286 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,520 (MUSIC PLAYING) 287 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,760 When you get this pressure, the only answer to it is finding colour. 288 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,240 We got the digger and everything loaded on the truck. 289 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,360 Now all we got to do is take her over to the new claim. 290 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:08,160 Righto. We're going to load the body up now and, um, send it down to you 291 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:13,440 so just make sure you're well and truly out of that way.LES: OK. 292 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,960 You get no second chances with this stuff. 293 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,720 Just stay clear of that hole as much as you can. 294 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,440 Righto. That's it. 295 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,680 Now just make sure I'm lined up pretty good. 296 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,120 Probably go over a bit. 297 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:32,800 (LOUD BANG) 298 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:34,600 Out of the way! 299 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:39,240 Righto. Just stay clear. 300 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,040 Ah, Jesus. 301 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,080 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 302 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,320 (MUSIC PLAYING) 303 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,080 MARK: All right, let's do some ripping, man. 304 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,160 PAUL: Yeah, so we got the ripper out now. 305 00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,160 Putting it to work and it seems to be 306 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,120 chewing the dirt pretty well, so... 307 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,640 feels like it's cutting through it like a... 308 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:05,840 a butter knife. 309 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,640 Deep in their open cut 15 metres down, 310 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,160 the Blacklighters are tearing through the walls 311 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:14,720 of an abandoned, underground mine 312 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:18,920 in the hunt for opal rich dirt to feed their processing plant, 313 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,440 Opalzilla. 314 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,320 It's a 1984... 315 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,560 Hitachi 20-tonne excavator. 316 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:29,520 A butt load of hours on it. It's got no- 317 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,760 doesn't have a door, front window. 318 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:33,760 Hopefully, we can find that big pocket 319 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,920 before the... the old girl (BLEEP) the bed. 320 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,760 Oh, we're probably up around 35 grand now to get to this point 321 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,240 so it's a massive cut, massive job. 322 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,480 Yeah, it's getting hard to sleep at night now. 323 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,720 All that money out, nothing coming in. 324 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:55,840 Each time we go down, 325 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,400 the ramp's starting to get steeper to be able to get out the hole. 326 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,480 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 327 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,280 I've been working with the boys for, 328 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,640 yeah, around a year, year and a half. 329 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,040 I've definitely learnt a lot and... 330 00:17:12,120 --> 00:17:16,440 I guess I'm the designated dump truck driver now. 331 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,040 Starting to get pretty deep there. 332 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:25,920 Righto, Xavvy mate, take that one away. 333 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,000 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 334 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,480 (BLEEP) it's not liking it. 335 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,240 Whoa! 336 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:49,920 Xavier, you all right? 337 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,720 (MUSIC PLAYING) 338 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,560 I told you just to build a road, mate. 339 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,880 Far out! 340 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,080 Oh, look at that! 341 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:12,400 Ah. 342 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:15,600 The Mooka Boys are battling to get their excavator 343 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:19,280 and spare buckets through a washed out gorge. 344 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:22,280 Ah.The wrong angle of the dangle. 345 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,560 (LAUGHS) Sort of got it. 346 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:27,840 Ah, it's crooked. There you go. 347 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,320 Exactly what he's doing now is what I wanted him to do to start with. 348 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,040 Drop the other two buckets, make himself a road 349 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,160 and just drive through here. 350 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,800 Matt and Cozza are trying to reach a patch of virgin opal ground 351 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,680 deep in the Horse Paddock opal field. 352 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:50,800 Here we go. 353 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,400 (MUSIC PLAYING) 354 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,160 We've all taken pretty big chances, 355 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:58,120 ah, to be full time opal miners. 356 00:18:58,200 --> 00:18:59,920 We've all chucked in our regular jobs 357 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,840 and regular pay checks for this. 358 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,760 Been a pretty big struggle so we really need to find opal 359 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,080 if we want to do this full-time for the rest of our lives. 360 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,320 No one's ever had a look at this ground before 361 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,560 so, ah, yeah, we'll get into it and, ah, see what we can find. 362 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:16,560 (LOUD BANG) 363 00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:21,480 Looks like you broke through to a tunnel, mate. 364 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,040 A tunnel? Definitely looks like it. 365 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,280 That could be all of our virgin ground already gone. 366 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:31,200 Have a look, man. How big is it? 367 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,800 It looks about two metres deep. 368 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:38,880 Definitely not what we're looking for. 369 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,640 It's filled back in with some mud, so. 370 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:44,720 Yeah. We got one more chance. 371 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:49,400 If we dig on the other side and they've actually left us a little bit of material. 372 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,200 But our chances just got a whole lot less. 373 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,360 All right, so, now we're on this southern side of this, ah, pillar here. 374 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,840 Just going to go take it straight down in a trench 375 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:02,920 and see if that tunnel either ended, 376 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,600 or... it's opened right up 377 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:07,680 and there's no point digging here anymore. 378 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:10,480 No signs of tunnels yet. 379 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:12,440 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 380 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:17,560 Hey! There's your tunnel, bro. 381 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,040 Is it? Yeah, right there at your heel. 382 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,720 Yeah, so if you have a look down on the wall, 383 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,520 you can see the very clear difference 384 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,800 between the virgin ground on this side... 385 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,480 and all this old spoiled dirt on that side that we dug down on. 386 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,720 There's also a nice vertical run of gypsum coming up the wall. 387 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,680 You can sort of see it leaching out. 388 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:39,680 In a really rich opal ground, 389 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,720 the opal can actually push vertically up as well. 390 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,520 Yeah, no opal. No opal. 391 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,880 As long as we get past that tunnel in the floor, 392 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,320 we got a good chance of some opal here. Oh, whoa, buddy! 393 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,360 You're leaking oil, bro! Oh! (BLEEP)Heaps. 394 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:00,720 Whoa, ho, holy hell! 395 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:09,760 (MUSIC PLAYING) 396 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,640 That was about as close as it gets to a catastrophe. 397 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,880 Out of the way! 398 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:18,920 MICK: It's as close as you'd want to get. 399 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,320 Oh, Jesus. 400 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,640 Thank goodness I wasn't right over that hole. 401 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:25,520 It's hit the side of the hole and led, 402 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,880 otherwise that was freefalling all the way to the bottom. 403 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,760 TY: How close is that, Les, to just flying down there with us. 404 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,840 Well, it's only a split second... 405 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,880 if it falls straight... 406 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,200 and by the time it registers in your mind, 407 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,000 there goes your - your couple of seconds. 408 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:48,840 It'll kill you. 409 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,440 That could have been so - so serious, 410 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,560 it really could have been the end of us. 411 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,960 The legs have just caught on the top of the shaft, 412 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,560 enough to lean it into the blower to hold it there. 413 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:03,640 So someone was looking after us. 414 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,240 The Bushman's old crane, Arnold, 415 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,440 has failed, catastrophically. 416 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:11,280 Nothing's happening. 417 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:14,840 It's up to 75-year-old bush mechanic, Les, 418 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:16,640 to figure out what went wrong. 419 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,440 I don't know what we'll do. We have got no alternatives. 420 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,120 This is it. 421 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,440 Yeah, it sounds like something's probably gone inside it. 422 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:29,960 Mick. 423 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,560 With no way of lowering the digger, 424 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,560 the team can't mine their new claim. 425 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,560 It's real big stakes here, you know. This is our season. 426 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,840 If we don't make it this season, we're (BLEEP). 427 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,520 I don't know what we'll do. 428 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,800 Now the alternative is... 429 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,760 trying to find someone that's got a crane that'll lend it to us. 430 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,400 There's not too many cranes on the field at the moment 431 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,080 for some reason. 432 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:03,760 TY: We can't win a trick, mate. 433 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,120 (MUSIC PLAYING) 434 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,880 COLIN: You're kidding me. MATTHEW: Oh, man. 435 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,400 What the hell? 436 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,080 Oh! 437 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,600 A hydraulic hose break on the Mooka Boys' excavator 438 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,920 has stopped their dig dead. 439 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,800 Must have got a rock jammed between the hitch and the boom. 440 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,560 Look at that ding! 441 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,360 That's - oh, that's right on a fitting too. 442 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,040 Ah. 443 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:39,400 We're going to have to give Leif a call now. 444 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,960 Team leader and heavy machinery mechanic, Leif, 445 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,400 has been drilling for opal on another part 446 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,200 of the Horse Paddock field. 447 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,440 Ah, we got issues, bruv. Ah, we just done a quick hitch line. 448 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,480 Yeah.You'll have to come and have a look. 449 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:58,040 Sorry because we're dead in the water here right now. 450 00:23:58,120 --> 00:23:59,960 I'm just up with the drilling and that. 451 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,640 I'll shut it down and I'll bloody come and have a look. 452 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,880 Drill out of action and excavator down, 453 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,520 the Mooka Boys' desperate search for opal 454 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,200 to continue their season is floundering. 455 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,480 We're all at the end of our budgets, so... 456 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:19,400 every time that we need to fix something, it's sort of all we have. 457 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:21,640 What a mess. Yeah, sorry, man. 458 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,040 All I could see was oil and Cozzy screaming, man. 459 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:26,640 I didn't even see a rock in here, like.Yeah. 460 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:29,720 Having something break down, it always throws you back a bit, 461 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,880 and takes me away from what I'm doing up there too, so. 462 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,760 We might have to make a hose, ay. 463 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,720 We might be able to tape one of these screw on fittings here, 464 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,640 put onto this one. 465 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,480 (MUSIC PLAYING) 466 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,040 So we ended up finding a few old hoses 467 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:49,960 that were left lying around. 468 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:56,240 Cut the fittings off and making one like that. 469 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,840 Really handy having a heavy diesel mechanic on board of our team. 470 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,520 What's the old saying in the opal field? Was it guess once, cut once? 471 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:07,360 (LAUGHTER) 472 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,320 Fingers crossed, boys. 473 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,800 I'll stand to the side, ay. (LAUGHS) 474 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,560 (ENGINE STARTS) 475 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:27,640 You beauty!You beauty! Digging the floor out now. 476 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:29,920 Mooka Boys are back in business. 477 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,120 We're looking for some slabs of concrete here 478 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,880 cos we're getting a fair good price for it at the moment, 479 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:38,720 up to 2,000 bucks a kilo if, ah, it's good cracking material. 480 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:40,640 It's got all these tiny little pebbles, 481 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:42,320 they're level stones and stuff, 482 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,680 all stuck around the silica base. 483 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,320 Known as concrete, 484 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,600 the porous sandstone is made up of quartz granules 485 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:54,400 of differing size and density. 486 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,160 As the softer granules dissipate over millions of years, 487 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:03,520 the minute voids left behind are impregnated by silica rich water 488 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,120 to speckle the sandstone with opal. 489 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:10,240 You can see the level? 490 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,640 There's part of it back up here. You see the, like...Yeah. 491 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,040 ..comes here and it comes drops down. 492 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:18,080 (MUSIC PLAYING) 493 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,600 Is that the level right down there? I don't know but it's weird. 494 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,480 We need that colour, man. 495 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,640 (MUSIC PLAYING) 496 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,000 MARK: Oi, careful, man. What just happened then? 497 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:40,640 Your front wheels just locked up and slid. 498 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:42,640 Yeah, it's a bit heavy this one, ay. 499 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,080 Sixteen-year-old Xavier is struggling to drive 500 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,360 the Blacklighters' fully-loaded ten-tonne dump truck 501 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:55,160 out of their 15-metre deep open cut mine. 502 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,000 Just roll back slowly to the mound 503 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,760 and give it some more berries and try again. 504 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:01,520 Righto. 505 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:10,120 Don't really want to be messing up next to this hole here. 506 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,240 Give it the berries, mate. 507 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,880 (ENGINE REVVING) 508 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:19,520 That's it! Give it the berries! 509 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,640 Hey! Hey, hey, hey. 510 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:30,000 I don't think it's easy for anyone to just get in and drive that truck, 511 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:31,840 reverse it down into an open cut. 512 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:33,720 It's a hard job. 513 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,000 Even a seasoned campaigner and he's just nailing it. 514 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:39,880 So proud of him. 515 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,480 We're putting all the dirt through Opalzilla that we get out the cut. 516 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:51,080 If there's opal in the dirt, Opalzilla will 100 percent find it. 517 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,320 Opalzilla is the Blacklighters' custom-built noodling machine 518 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,640 and the main tool they use to hunt the white opal 519 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:02,760 Coober Pedy is famous for. 520 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:04,520 (MUSIC PLAYING) 521 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,240 Just chuck the dirt in one end. 522 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,040 The belt chucks it in the trommel, 523 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:21,080 goes onto a shaker deck, through the darkroom under the lights. 524 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,640 Travelling on a belt in the dark room, 525 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:27,520 ultraviolet lights react with the water content in the opal 526 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,400 causing it to fluoresce. 527 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,680 Are we going to get anything? Are we not? 528 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,160 This is the time where we're going to find out. 529 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,440 All opal from colourless potch 530 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,080 to rare high value red fluoresces equally 531 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,800 so every piece needs to be checked for colour. 532 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:54,400 Ah, today it's going a little bit slow so far 533 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,280 but definitely changing in the cut a little bit 534 00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,480 so I think that's good signs. 535 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:03,880 Oh ho! Here we go. 536 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:07,960 Starting to thicken up now. 537 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,840 You (BLEEP) beauty. Here we go. 538 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:18,560 Ooh! This is a thick nice patch chunky material here. 539 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,080 Starting to liven up. Are you there, Mark? 540 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:22,840 Yeah, mate, I'm here. 541 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,240 There's some absolute chunky bits coming through. 542 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,120 Oh, you beauty. 543 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,760 Ended up with pretty well a full bucket. 544 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:31,440 Pretty impressive day. 545 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,680 PAUL: What's he got here? (GROANS) 546 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:39,560 Looks heavy. Does look heavy. 547 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,960 (LAUGHTER) Ooh. 548 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,320 Some absolute chunks came through, man. 549 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,040 Look at that, man! 550 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,480 The Blacklighters have a parcel of crystal opal, 551 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,600 featuring the full spectrum of colours. 552 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,120 It's in the rough and there's 480 grams. 553 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:00,360 It's got some reds. 554 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:02,800 Ha-ha! Whoo! 555 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:04,520 Some absolute chunks. 556 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:06,920 Ha-ha! Whoo! 557 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:08,920 Well done, guys. (LAUGHTER) 558 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,600 That could be 100 grand there. That could be crazy. I - 559 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,120 Don't put numbers in your head now. No, settle down. 560 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,200 Settle down. Till we tumble it up... Hey...let's settle down. 561 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,440 Let's get this home and in the tumbler, ay. 562 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,480 That's a win, man. That is a win. 563 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:23,280 Woo-hoo! 564 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,720 (LINE RINGING) 565 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,920 BEN: Hello? 566 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:32,840 Hey, Benny. We're up the (BLEEP), mate. 567 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,920 We've just had a major catastrophe. 568 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,880 Everyone's OK. I nearly dropped the, ah, digger down the hole. 569 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:40,880 Oh, (BLEEP) hell. You're kidding? 570 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:44,560 She stopped on top of the hole, mate, but geez it was close. 571 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,680 And that's why I'm ringing you. Yeah.You said the other day 572 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:51,760 you run into another driller who also has a crane. Yeah.Who was that? 573 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,400 Mate, you know the old Frenchman over there, Jacques? 574 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,080 Oh, Jacques the Frenchman? I'll give him a buzz 575 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:00,520 and see if I can get onto him and get him over there, mate, ASAP. 576 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:04,600 After a near tragedy 577 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,160 when the Bushmen's vital four-tonne digger 578 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,840 almost plummeted 14 metres. 579 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:11,840 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 580 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:18,360 MICK: Good news. 581 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,040 LES: Yes, it looks like we got a helping hand. 582 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:24,720 Had a bit of a win. 583 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:26,560 Good old Jacques. 584 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,440 He's going to do the job for us. 585 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,840 That's all right. We pick him up. But (BLEEP) you're lucky. 586 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:35,640 Oh, very lucky. 587 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:38,760 I was just about to lower it and she just started freefalling. 588 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:42,520 He's got a crane on the back of his truck 589 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,320 so he's going to lower it down for us. 590 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:47,120 Righto. 591 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:49,960 Yeah, a bit of a relief. 592 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:53,720 I didn't know what we were going to do then but, yeah, 593 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,200 it's gone from a catastrophe to being OK. 594 00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:58,880 That's it. 595 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:02,120 It's on its way down, all right. 596 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,680 Yeah, Jacques saved us. 597 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,120 That could have been a season ender for us. 598 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:10,840 TY: Well, here she comes. 599 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,800 Whoa! Whoa! 600 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,560 Having good people on the fields. 601 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,080 When you got a problem they come and give you a hand 602 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,640 with no notice. It's pretty (BLEEP) good. 603 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,560 (ON RADIO) This is the last part coming down now, boys. 604 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,920 (MUSIC PLAYING) 605 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:36,280 Hook up all the way, mate. Hook up all the way. 606 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,160 (ON RADIO) You beauty!Yeah. 607 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:43,640 We finally got our digger assembled underground. 608 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:46,040 Everything's good up here. 609 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:48,880 Everything's good down here. 610 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:50,600 Time to find some colour. 611 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:53,320 Pay some bills. 612 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,800 First scrape of the new claim. 613 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,920 All the drama we've had, but here we are. 614 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:01,640 We're doing it. 615 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,080 Hydraulic-powered super diggers 616 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,680 are capable of 30 tonnes of breakout pressure... 617 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,840 Ground's good, actually.Yeah, look- good looking ground, ay. 618 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:18,440 ..able to gouge 60 tonnes of dirt a day from the mine face. 619 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,640 Tiny bit of trace. Yeah? 620 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:27,040 No colour in it, but just starting to come in there. 621 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,560 It's really good looking ground. We got a little blow over there. 622 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:33,640 A blow's like a... a gas explosion, I suppose, 623 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:35,680 it's happened deep, deep in the ground. 624 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:37,600 It's welled up and come up. 625 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:40,120 It's generally a reasonably good sign 626 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,720 for, ah, opal alongside it. 627 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,440 Come on, baby. 628 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:50,440 Show us your pretty colours. 629 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:55,760 Here she comes. She's got a little bit of colour there. 630 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:57,800 Little bit of colour? Yeah. 631 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,120 There's a nice bit of green. 632 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,600 Exactly right. Like you said, near that blow. 633 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,880 It's only very thin but it's... it's trace 634 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:09,280 and it's right where I thought it might come. 635 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,280 (MUSIC PLAYING) 636 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:17,480 COLIN: We're finding a level here. 637 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:19,920 MATTHEW: Yeah. And here at the floor. 638 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,640 So get you to take out at least another foot, two foot. 639 00:34:22,720 --> 00:34:24,440 Yep. 640 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,000 The Mooka Boys are finally seeing signs of opal 641 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:32,160 at the Horse Paddock claim. 642 00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:35,360 LEIF: Haven't seen a good looking level like this for a while, ay. 643 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,920 There's a real thin layer of potch here on this rock. 644 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,280 It's not much to look at but it's a good sign that the ground's active 645 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:43,560 and it's doing the right things to create opal. 646 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:48,720 Here we go. 647 00:34:51,240 --> 00:34:53,160 Oh, yeah, she's got colour in it, boys. 648 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:55,000 You got colour? Yeah, mate. 649 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,240 Bit of concrete but... Yeah. 650 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,080 It's clean too, ay. 651 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,840 Oh, they look like some half-decent pieces, too. 652 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:03,920 (MUSIC PLAYING) 653 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:09,000 Oh, man. Needs a clean, but I could see some good colour in that. 654 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,640 Concrete, old timers used to sell it for around 40 bucks a kilo, 655 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,640 and then, it went up to about 100, 656 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:18,440 and they thought that was good but the price we're pushing 657 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:21,160 up around 1,500 to two, 2,000 a kilo for the good stuff. 658 00:35:21,240 --> 00:35:23,080 It's getting harder and harder to find. 659 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:25,520 It's becoming popular because people like the idea 660 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,960 of doing the process and creating their own thing. 661 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:29,880 If we get a few more kilos of concrete, 662 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:31,640 we'll do all right here. 663 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:34,400 We could be into something. 664 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,800 We got colour. There's big sections of concrete. 665 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,120 It's opal. We found what we're here for.Yeah. 666 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:42,000 Big smiles all round. 667 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:44,000 (MUSIC PLAYING) 668 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:47,760 The team won't know for sure 669 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,720 if their concrete rocks hold valuable opal 670 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,440 until they treat them with a chemical process 671 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:55,520 known as cooking. 672 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:57,280 Hey, man.How are you? 673 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,320 How'd you go cutting those test pieces up? 674 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,200 Yeah, just swapped them over. I got the acid heating up 675 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:04,280 but um, yeah, they come up all right.Yeah. 676 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:06,080 You can see the colour already in it. 677 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,800 We'll see what Horse Paddock had. 678 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:12,680 Treatment is a process of filling the rock up with sugar. 679 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,440 We drop them into the acid and the acid reacts with the sugar in the pores 680 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,280 instantly carbonising the sugar and turning it black 681 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:23,160 which, ah, essentially, turns the host stone black in the concrete, 682 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:26,000 and makes those colours come out a lot nicer. 683 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:28,120 Something similar to black opal. 684 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,760 Now, a half hour wait. 685 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:35,160 Some of it cooks really well. It's really porous, 686 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:37,760 and sometimes it just might not turn out at all. 687 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:39,680 Safety first. 688 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:41,600 Yeah, we'll just give a quick rinse off 689 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,480 with the warm water we got there. 690 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:45,280 (MUSIC PLAYING) 691 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,560 Oh. 692 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:51,640 They look nice.So, yeah, that's a successful treat. 693 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:54,200 Definitely darkened it up. That's as good as it gets. 694 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:56,080 That's beautiful. 695 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:00,880 The Mooka Boys have top-grade concrete 696 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:03,160 weighing five kilograms. 697 00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:05,760 Partially treated, the process has revealed 698 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,640 a full rainbow of opalised silica in the stones. 699 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,680 Five kilos, that's ten grand. 700 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:15,920 I've had orders for this for six months, 701 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,120 so this'll go straight out the door, man. 702 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,760 The good news is is there's plenty more ground there. 703 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:22,440 Heaps of potential. 704 00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,200 I'm really happy. It's clean as too, 705 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:27,320 so it's going to cut some very nice gems, man. 706 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:29,480 I guess we can buy some steak this week, ay? 707 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:31,800 Yew! Steak dinner. 708 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:33,720 Mooka Boys! (LAUGHTER) 709 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:35,880 (MUSIC PLAYING) 710 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:46,560 (OBJECTS CLATTERING) 711 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,680 Just have a look at that, Ty. I reckon I saw some blue fall out of that seam there. 712 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:55,160 TY: Here's a little piece. There is? 713 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:58,080 It's only a tiny piece. Look at that. 714 00:37:58,160 --> 00:37:59,960 LES: That's a nice looking piece that. 715 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:02,120 (LAUGHING) Bloody good start, ay. 716 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:03,920 Good sign for this. 717 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:09,560 After setting up machinery in their new mine, Conrod, 718 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:14,320 the Bushmen's expanded team is finally operating at full capacity. 719 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,200 All good. Everything's working. 720 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,080 How good's that. 721 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:22,160 Got a copy there, Rod? 722 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:23,880 Yeah, mate. 723 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:25,720 Yeah, just got a message off Benny. 724 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,000 Drop everything and come down to the drill rig, 725 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:29,840 so I don't know what's going on. 726 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:33,240 Probably something's broken or whatever but, yeah. 727 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,200 The drama isn't over. 728 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:37,080 I'll bet you anything he's bogged. 729 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,040 (MUSIC PLAYING) 730 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,240 There he is over there, look. Oh, yeah. 731 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:47,840 Well, he's not bogged. The rig's, the mast's up. 732 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:49,600 How are we, boys? 733 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:51,920 I was thinking you must have had it bogged, Ben. 734 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:53,680 No, mate, she's not bogged. 735 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:56,400 Not bogged? What'd you break? I haven't broken anything. 736 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:58,760 Oh, haven't you?No. Well, why are we here? 737 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:05,480 Ooh. Ooh! (LAUGHS) 738 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:07,480 You serious? LES: That's good shit. 739 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,320 It's all colour. It's all colour. 740 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:13,760 Ooh. What a ball tearer. Look at that.(LAUGHS) Hey. 741 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:15,680 That's a nice piece on the bottom here. 742 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:19,680 TY: You'd cut most of those, too, will cut nice stones.And reds. 743 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:22,720 And it's a nice bright red. too. That's a gemmy red. 744 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,640 That's all out of not one hole? 745 00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:27,160 BEN: That all come out of this one hole here, mate. 746 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:32,960 Ben has drilled up grey-based and crystal seam opal, 747 00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,840 displaying the full spectrum of colours. 748 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:39,080 It's in the rough and there's 12 grams. 749 00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:40,920 (MUSIC PLAYING) 750 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:44,840 Mate, he's nailed it. He's hit the colour 751 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:46,520 and that's what it's all about. 752 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,320 Gives you goosebumps seeing stuff like that. 753 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,920 It's gem crystal and all the colours. 754 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,120 And the value's about 1,500 bucks. 755 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:57,000 I think 1,500's fair, mate. 756 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:58,800 You've done well, Ben. 757 00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,120 Happy with that one, boys, or what? More than happy with that, Ben. 758 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,520 We might be onto something here. Yeah, I think we might be, mate. 759 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,040 We'll peg this.Yep. 760 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,160 The old timers 45 years ago didn't get the lot of it, obviously. 761 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:13,360 No, looks like they might have left us a bit. 762 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:15,600 They've left us a bit. Good on you old fellas. 763 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,680 (LAUGHTER) We'll have a beer for yas. 764 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:21,800 You beauty! Hey! How good. 765 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,000 Well done, mate. Yeah, cheers, mate. 766 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:25,760 That's put a smile on our dial. 767 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:27,920 (LAUGHTER) 768 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:37,040 (MUSIC PLAYING) 769 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:44,960 MARK: All right. We know that's the best opal 770 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:47,480 he's ever going to have seen probably for years. 771 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:49,320 Seventeen ounces of yumminess. 772 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:51,760 We've got to be prepared to walk away. 773 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:53,840 Mark, Paul and Xavier 774 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,120 have travelled over 800 kilometres to Adelaide 775 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:02,080 to negotiate a last minute sale with opal buyer, Sinan Kocadag, 776 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:07,240 before he flies out to the Lightning Ridge Opal and Gem Festival. 777 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,640 SINAN: Hey! Hey, how you going, mate? 778 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,880 Good to see yas. XAVIER: Yeah, all right.Hey. 779 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:15,880 You rang me and said you got something special, so let's see it, mate. 780 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,840 PAUL: Have a look at that. It's not going to go cheap either, 781 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,640 so don't try your normal games. What have you got here? 782 00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:25,080 Seventeen troy ounces of absolute... 783 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:27,000 Yum, yum. ..chunks, mate. 784 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:28,680 Look at the colour in that one? 785 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,240 Like get that up close. It's a nice piece, Mark. 786 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:35,720 We want 170,000 and we'll - you can catch your plane. 787 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:37,400 It's as simple as that. 788 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:40,160 One-seventy?One-seventy. I can't do that. You know that. 789 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:42,160 Mate, look at this stuff. Check it out... 790 00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:44,800 check the gear out. Mate, look at this stuff. 791 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,080 That is insane. We're asking ten grand an ounce. 792 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:52,400 Mark, I... I've got 70, cash. I'll give you 70 now. 793 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,560 Ha ha! You know we can't sell that stuff for 70, mate. 794 00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:58,280 Ninety grand, cash.Na. I'll give you 90. Na.Na. 795 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:00,440 I'll give you 100 and it's final. That's it. 796 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,200 One-fifty, you know.No. Tw - that's taking 20 grand off. 797 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:05,360 If you want 150, you might as well walk out. 798 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:07,480 I'm not going to give you that. (SIGHS) 799 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:09,440 I'll come up another ten. 800 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:12,600 All right, well, you've got to catch your plane.I'll...We'll... 801 00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:14,280 One-forty, I can't do it. 802 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:16,240 You're lucky to get to see it first, ay. 803 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,400 We'll see you soon. We'll see you soon. We'll let you know. 804 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:22,560 Let's go, Xavvy. Come on, Xav. 805 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,240 XAVIER: Coming. SINAN: Mark!What, Sinan? 806 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:26,960 One-twenty. 807 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:28,840 (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) 808 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:30,760 PAUL: He's getting in the ballpark now. 809 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,400 See, he wants it.XAVIER: Yeah. He wants it. Let's go. 810 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:37,280 Sinan, you play games with my emotions, mate. SINAN: Yeah.You do. 811 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:39,280 You know how good that stuff is, ay. 812 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:42,320 Oh, it's good. That's what I'm saying and that's where I'm at. 813 00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,040 Is the 120 and I can't g - that's it. 814 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:48,440 One-twenty will work. All right, mate.Well done. Thank you very much. 815 00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:51,080 (MUSIC PLAYING) 816 00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:54,000 Guys, we have just leaned up, oh, yeah. 817 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:56,280 The 120, that's our biggest sale of the season. 818 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:58,840 That's just a massive, massive influx 819 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:00,800 of everything for everyone. 820 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,920 The machineries get a complete service, 821 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,200 everyone gets a few bucks in the bank and play on. 822 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:09,440 It means we're fearless now. We can just attack. 823 00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:11,320 (CHEERING AND LAUGHTER) 824 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,360 Subtitles by Deluxe 824 00:43:18,305 --> 00:44:18,678