"Outback Opal Hunters" A Barrel Full Of Nuts

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,120 NARRATOR: On Outback Opal Hunters... 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,000 LISA: Can't get out. 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,080 ..record breaking floods drown the opal fields... 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,160 The rain is changing this environment. 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,480 Got to really be careful that we're not going to 6 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:14,280 put ourselves in too much danger. 7 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,400 ..forcing the Digi Diggers to attempt new mining techniques 8 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,080 in a water swamped claim. 9 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,120 It's working pretty good. Like... 10 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,440 Whoa! Whoa!Oh, oh, oh! Josiah, careful! 11 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,160 We've not drilled here before 12 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,960 so we don't know whether the ground's really hard or not. 13 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,400 The Bushmen face unbreakable rock above ground... 14 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:37,160 What's that? What?A bolt fell out. 15 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,400 ..and battle to move machinery across sodden earth below. 16 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,520 Geez, that's wet. Whoa there... 17 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,320 COLIN: You all right down there, Matty? 18 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,000 Dropped a big bit of wall down here and got dusted out. 19 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:56,200 The Mooka Boys risk their lives in a derelict old timer's mine... 20 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:57,880 LEIF: Ooh, ooh! 21 00:00:57,960 --> 00:00:59,800 Definitely got colour in this material. 22 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,800 ..for their last chance to hit opal this season. 23 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:05,560 Hey! 24 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,160 This is just crumbling in down here, bro. 25 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,800 # ASH GRUNWALD: Money 26 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:13,960 # Money 27 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,720 # And fancy clothes # 28 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:26,074 29 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,320 We've just had a bit belt of rain come through Andamooka this last week. 30 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,120 It's still quite muddy. We got a bit of water in the hole. 31 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,560 But t here's some hard ground to sit the digger on 32 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,440 so we're going to keep working through for now. 33 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,080 We've found a bit of a virgin floor here left for us, 34 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,520 so, er, yeah, we're just digging it out gradually and, er, 35 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,880 hoping to find some opal. 36 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,200 Yeah, the level's really muddy now. 37 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,640 Going to be hard to see anything like this. 38 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,960 We've got no other options on the table at the moment. 39 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,040 All our other holes are all flooded out. 40 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:09,760 Definitely getting hot this season. 41 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:11,800 We've got a lot of humidity going on 42 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,520 which we're not really used to out here. 43 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,440 Oh. 44 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,800 Little bit of a slide here, man. Dig him out. 45 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,920 Got opal in it or just in that black stuff? 46 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,000 Got to get it, man. Hang on. 47 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,160 God, that's wet down there. 48 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,840 Yeah. I'm trying to push dirt in but just keep sinking. 49 00:02:30,920 --> 00:02:32,520 Got to check this just in case. 50 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,960 Getting annoying, man. It's been a long season. 51 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:37,640 Oh. 52 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,160 Oh. 53 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,680 The Mooka Boys, brothers Matt and Cozza Kathagen, 54 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,080 and team leader, Leif Tanzer, have reached season end 55 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,760 as brutal summer temperatures and extreme humidity 56 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,280 engulf the town of Andamooka. 57 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,360 Oh, this is my diary or my version of the opal bible 58 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,960 that I've been sort of keeping tabs on and, 59 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,040 erm, different spots and things we do. 60 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,080 Team leader Leif is making a last-ditch attempt 61 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,400 to find an opal producing mine, 62 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,080 leaving Matt and Cozza to pick over the remains of ground 63 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,040 that's been worked for decades. 64 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,560 Yeah, it's been a tough year out here in the desert. 65 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:28,280 We've had a fair few breakdowns, 66 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,240 you know, and er, the weather's not really letting up on us. 67 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,600 Every claim that we've got has been flooded out. 68 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,320 I think the next generation is a pretty important thing. 69 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,840 All the old fellas are saying that it's a dying industry 70 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,040 and that the younger people aren't interested 71 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:46,400 but in some sort of reality, like, you know, we are sort of the last ones. 72 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,240 The Mooka boys want to honour Leif's late father's legacy 73 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,720 by becoming successful opal miners in their own right 74 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,400 and passing the baton onto their children. 75 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,160 This year I got some good news at the start of the season 76 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,080 and I've actually got a baby on the way 77 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,000 which I was the last one to not have a family at the moment. 78 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:06,880 So that's why we're out here every day 79 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:08,800 grinding and pushing as hard as we can. 80 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,320 Certainly our dream and it'd be nice if it was the - 81 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,040 it could be a dream for the kids as well. 82 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,280 But we're running out of season 83 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,800 and it looks like we've got a whole lot more weather coming our way, so... 84 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,960 we don't have much more of a chance this year. 85 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,560 Yeah, it's time to call it I think. 86 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,640 Not even a cupful of opal out of it. 87 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,000 Oh, frickin hell. 88 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,360 We're done with this hole this year. 89 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,960 It's only going to get worse. Done. 90 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,480 Let's get out of here, man. Let's call Leif. 91 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,240 Oh, God, man. You all right? 92 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,160 Pick just slipped and copped me in the head. 93 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:53,960 Is it bad? Did I get it good? 94 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,920 Yeah, man. You've got a bit split on the top of your head. 95 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,600 Oh, it is good.I don't know. You might need a stitch. 96 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:02,560 I'm definitely done then. 97 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,200 ROD: Well, we're back at Ding Dong. 98 00:05:11,280 --> 00:05:13,040 Finally got the drill out of the bog. 99 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,520 So what we got the drill for is where the blower is 100 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:17,560 it's too far away from where we're working 101 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,600 so we've got to drill another hole, ream that hole out 102 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,360 and tow the blower up here and set the blower up above it 103 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:25,880 so that the blower's near where we're working. 104 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,960 All we got to do now is go down and get a compass reading and a measurement 105 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,160 where we want to put the hole down. 106 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,400 We've got to be pretty precise with it cos the digger's right there. 107 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:40,280 I don't want to put that drill down on top of our digger. 108 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:41,960 We do not want to do that. 109 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,000 We've had enough problems this year without buggering up that. 110 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,720 What if we put it right there, Les? 111 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:50,840 LES: Yeah. As good a place as any. 112 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,600 Get you to stand right underneath the...Yeah...pink dot 113 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:55,280 and that way if I get this wrong, 114 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,080 I'm going to blame you for not standing in the right spot. 115 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,960 I take the blame for a lot of stuff. 116 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:01,760 Oh. Give us a break. 117 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,160 One-ninety, mate. 118 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,920 The compass reading is 190 degrees, 119 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,240 so I'll stand in front of this and head 190 degrees. 120 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:18,320 Thirty-two. One-ninety at 32 foot. 121 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,360 Yeah.You sure? 122 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,800 Still got the same reading to where you are there? 123 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,760 Yeah, you were a foot out. I was a foot out? Ah.Yeah, 124 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,640 because you weren't holding it right in the first place. 125 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,560 Yeah, see you got the wrong glasses on. 126 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,280 There's the problem. 127 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,760 What have you got now? 22 and ten. 128 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:38,600 Twenty-two and ten? Well, it's different again. 129 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:40,280 You said 11 before. 130 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,680 You're not playing with the end of the tape, are you? No. I'm in the exact same spot. 131 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,400 Hey, where's that hoist going? 132 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,840 Oh, someone must be thinking they can come down. 133 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,360 Well, who the hell would this be? 134 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:55,080 No idea. 135 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,160 In the flood devasted Outback, 136 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,400 the Bushmen, Rod Manning and Les Walsh 137 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:07,160 have limped through a season of failure. 138 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,160 That's cracked. 139 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,920 First hole, Benny. First hole. 140 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:17,200 Trial member, Ben Moses, has failed his probation period. 141 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,000 Young Benny, he probably found it a little bit tough 142 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,000 so he's trying to do a few other things and, 143 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,720 erm, he is a good bloke but he's just not a Bushmen. 144 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,240 And newest member, Ty Gross, 145 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,920 has been called away on a family emergency, 146 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,720 leaving Rod and Les to work one last mine, Ding Dong. 147 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,000 Oh, the hoses. 148 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,040 We're sucking from too far away 149 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,000 and it's, oh, blocking up all the time. 150 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,280 We need to move everything up to where we are. 151 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,160 We're way behind on our season total. 152 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:52,240 Our best chance of finding big money's here 153 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,880 cos there's - this is a black opal area. 154 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,600 Black opal, the rarest in the world, 155 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,960 is renowned for vibrant colour on a black base. 156 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,520 It can be worth up to $49,000 a gram. 157 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,960 To get a big hit and make some serious money, 158 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,960 we need some black. So this is where we're going. 159 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,560 We just have to keep shifting dirt, you know. 160 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:15,760 If you don't shift dirt, you don't find opal. 161 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,680 If you don't find opal, 162 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:19,920 you got no money. 163 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:23,440 Buggered if I know who this is. 164 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,080 Who we got here? 165 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,600 Surprise.Ty! Good day, boys. 166 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,240 Hey, you're back, mate. Yeah. Got back this morning. 167 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:34,760 Yeah.How's things? Good, mate. How are you? 168 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,080 Yeah, not too bad. How's Haidee? 169 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:38,840 She's getting there. Getting there? 170 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:40,840 Getting a bit better. That's good news. 171 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,600 Bloody glad to be out of that big smoke, that's for sure. 172 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:46,800 Back out in the bush. Yeah, good on you, mate. 173 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,600 Yeah, I've been away now for pretty close to a month. 174 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:51,280 My wife, Haidee, she - 175 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,160 we found out she had a brain tumour, 176 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,960 She's had surgery and... and the surgery was a success 177 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:57,960 so, that's great news. 178 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,840 She's a true fighter and she's the love of me life and... 179 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:03,320 all this opal mining stuff means nothing, you know, 180 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,320 compared to her safety and her wellbeing. 181 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,320 Yeah, it's good to have you back, Ty. 182 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,400 What we got to do now is, take our compass readings 183 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,200 and our tape measure readings, 184 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,680 find where we're going to put this hole down. 185 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,520 The Bushmen's blower, a giant vacuum, 186 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,760 has struggled to shift sodden waste dirt from the mine 187 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,800 through the 37 metres of pipe. 188 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,480 Rod and Les need to drill a new shaft 189 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:32,480 to reduce the pipe distance and increase suction power. 190 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,400 X marks the spot. 191 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,440 Move the drill above where we want to put it down, 192 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,240 and hopefully, we'll bust through 193 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,960 where that dot is on the ceiling, not over the top of the digger. 194 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,600 In parts of Grawin lie extremely hard layers of silcrete, 195 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:54,000 sand and gravel, cemented together by dissolved silica. 196 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:55,680 We've not drilled here before 197 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:59,200 so we don't know whether the ground's really hard or not. 198 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,320 The Bushmen's 40-year-old exploration rig 199 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,640 needs to penetrate this highly resistant layer with the Auger drill 200 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,520 before it can reach the mine ten metres below. 201 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,720 It's just grinding at the moment. 202 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,280 It's hit a really hard level of silcrete I'd say. 203 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,480 Silcrete's not good at all. 204 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:20,760 It can really jam your augers up. 205 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,600 This is our last hope. If we can't get the pipes down here, 206 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:28,880 what do we do? Got no choice. Got to go through. 207 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,040 What's that? See that? 208 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:34,800 What? A bolt fell out. 209 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,600 Where from do you know? Up there. 210 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:39,960 Oh. 211 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,080 Never ends. Just never ends. 212 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,880 We've recently had a lot of rain so the mine is full of water. 213 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,960 I'm not sure if we are going to be able to mine there. 214 00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:59,680 The solar system is uncharged 215 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,440 cos we haven't had sun for a while. 216 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,960 I guess we just have to find an alternative for it 217 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,240 and mine in the open cut. 218 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,920 In Yowah, Queensland, 219 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,840 the Digi Diggers have been hit by the crippling floods 220 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:12,960 drowning the Australian Outback. 221 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,760 JOSIAH: We've got this huge band of Yowah nuts right here. 222 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,200 These nuts are only found in this region. 223 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,720 That's one there. They come in all shapes and sizes. 224 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,400 We've got really big ones, we've got really small ones. 225 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:26,360 And there's a huge demand for these nuts because one, 226 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:28,280 they could have opal in them, two, 227 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,800 they're just such a unique amazing piece of nature. 228 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,120 So we've got a lot of pressure on us this week. 229 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,000 The jewellers are coming from Brisbane 230 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,440 to buy some nuts off us so we've got to get to it. 231 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,160 We need to make some money. 232 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,160 We got to be careful working with the jackhammer and the picks 233 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,480 because it's just so easy to just smash or just go through a nut. 234 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:49,120 It's broken and it's not worth anything any more. 235 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,760 The rain's really softened all this material up 236 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:54,640 so it's really easy digging. 237 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,800 What?I just put the jackhammer straight through 238 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,760 one with a crystal centre. What?That. 239 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:08,800 I just smashed it. 240 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,760 Josiah Kotzur and Lisa Van Heijningen 241 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,400 have ambitious plans to sell opal in the metaverse 242 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,160 from an eco-friendly mine. 243 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:22,920 We're living the dream. We're mining on renewable energy 244 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,000 and we're finding opal. 245 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:30,920 As season ending summer storms and 45-degree temperatures approach, 246 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,960 they're watching 12 months of work and $100,000 in investment 247 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:37,960 sink beneath the flood waters. 248 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,120 We've had lots of rain, 249 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,080 so much that the underground mine has been flooded, 250 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,800 so it's just not a safe environment to mine in. 251 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,280 This year our season target is $60,000. 252 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:51,320 We're sitting on about 48,000 253 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,560 so we've still got a little way to go. 254 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,200 Josiah and Lisa's only glimmer of hope, 255 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:03,560 a small open cut mine on their 10,000-square metre claim. 256 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,520 The open cut, it's something that the previous owner dug out 257 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,880 and we know there's Yowah nuts in there. 258 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,360 Recent rains have exposed bands of Yowah nuts, 259 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,280 small ironstone boulders 260 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,720 filled with intricate opal patterns. 261 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:25,600 Incredibly rare, approximately one in one thousand contain opal. 262 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,480 Brisbane jewellers, they asked for uncracked nuts. 263 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:31,120 For us to deliver, we have to not crack these nuts. 264 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,480 Phhh - yeah, smashed into pieces. 265 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,640 That would have been amazing if it was one piece. 266 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,200 It's got, like, blues and purples and... 267 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:43,960 We can't risk smashing any. 268 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,040 So the jackhammer's not an option any more. 269 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,720 How are we going to get them? By hand, it's impossible. 270 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,000 This material around is quite soft and the nuts are quite hard, 271 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,600 so, it'd be cool if you could just somehow, like, 272 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:56,600 take out all the soil around it. 273 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,440 Why don't we water blast it? That might work actually. 274 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:02,160 High pressure water blaster.Yeah. 275 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:04,600 It'll just, like, erode all the soil around it 276 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:06,840 and the nuts should just roll out of the wall. 277 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,800 BOTH: Let's do it. Whoo! 278 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,520 Those clouds are coming over, Lis. 279 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,880 Looks like it's going to rain soon. Yeah, we've get these nuts out. 280 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,680 We can't get held up any longer. 281 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,320 COLIN: Not looking too good for the Mooka Boys 282 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,000 here in the field at the moment. 283 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:27,920 So we're going to give Leif a call 284 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,360 see if he's got anything else in the book or, er, 285 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,240 it's over for us. 286 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,040 Hey, Cozzy.Yeah, bro? Either Leif's ears are burning 287 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,880 or he's got a spy camera on us but he just sent us a text. 288 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,120 Yeah, righto. What'd he say? "Pack up at Horse Paddock, boys. 289 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,040 Head on over to Steven's. I've got a surprise for you." 290 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:45,760 All right. That worked out well. 291 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,680 Yeah. Well, you want to get cleaned up then and we'll go and see him. 292 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,160 Steven's Opal Field is almost a century old. 293 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,280 Famous for producing high quality crystal opal, 294 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,520 its claims are fiercely guarded by old timers, 295 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,240 who have mined them over the decades. 296 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,200 Hey, hey! 297 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,000 How you going, mate? Oi. 298 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,840 Bloody hell, so what's this surprise? 299 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:12,480 Bill said to catch up with you guys, come up here and give him a call. He's got some news for us. 300 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:14,200 Yeah, right. All right. Here we go. 301 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,000 Mr Bill is an old family friend. 302 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:20,000 He's pretty much like a father to me since dad's passed on. 303 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,000 He just sort of always looked out for me 304 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:23,680 after the old boy left, ah. 305 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,680 BILL: How you going? Mr Bill, how are ya? 306 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,760 Good.How you going, Bill? 307 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,240 Yeah, we're up here at Steven's and you were saying 308 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,120 you wanted to tell us about the place. 309 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,240 OK, well, you know the plains there. 310 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,600 I'm working further down so I'd like you boys to... to have a go at it.Yeah. 311 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:42,280 And, er, I want you boys to dig some opal out of it. 312 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,240 Ah, that'd be awesome. 313 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,360 Yeah, thanks. Thank you, Bill.Thank you. 314 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,880 And, thank you, mate. Thank you. Bye.Right, we'll talk soon. 315 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,320 Oh, yeah. This will change our luck, hey. 316 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,320 We might have a bit of luck finally. 317 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,880 Mr Bill's claim, Last Chance, 318 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,680 has not been mined for over a decade. 319 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,080 The opal level lies 20 metres deep 320 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:05,920 in a vast network of crumbling tunnels. 321 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,360 And to help them out, Mr Bill has allowed the Mooka Boys 322 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:11,840 to sell any opal they find. 323 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,520 Oh, that's a deep shaft. It's a really long hole, this one. 324 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,960 A lot of the shafts around here are only about 20-30 foot 325 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,600 but this one's about 60 foot so it'd be the equivalent 326 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:23,800 of trying to climb up a four-storey building. 327 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,280 You ready to rock? Yeah.Miners' away. 328 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,080 Got it?Yeah. 329 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,040 Sweet. A lot of these holes haven't been opened for a long time. 330 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,760 You've got to worry about the air quality a little bit 331 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,640 and I tend to worry a little bit cos I'm actually asthmatic 332 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,320 so I've to be careful what we do cos that can kick in at any time. 333 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:50,040 Oh. Here. 334 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,320 All right. That was a good one. 335 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,040 It's a well worked mine. 336 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,240 As you can see here, the old fellas have just 337 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,600 stacked up all the dead concrete. 338 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,400 A lot of bits and pieces which they couldn't use back then 339 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,960 but we can definitely do something with now. 340 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,800 Concrete is opal scattered inside a pale host rock 341 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,120 making it difficult to see. 342 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,400 Treatment with sulfuric acid and sugar darkens the host rock 343 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,520 exposing the colour and increasing the value. 344 00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:23,960 Ooh, ooh, ooh. 345 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,440 The air not too thick for you? How you going? 346 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,600 Yeah, it is pretty rough, mate, but I should be all right. 347 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:35,480 Oh. 348 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:38,360 You grab some fresh air I think. 349 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,120 You all right down there, Matty? 350 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,400 Les!Yeah? I need ya. 351 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,240 Pin come out. 352 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,240 A vital pin on the Bushmen's Auger drill has shaken loose. 353 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,680 Without the pin, the Bushmen have no hope 354 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,200 of completing the new blower pipe shaft for their mine. 355 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:05,960 We need to get you to go up there, 356 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:08,680 push the Auger in as I lower that head down. 357 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,360 Don't drop the hammer on me.No. 358 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:16,320 As a former rigger climbing agricultural infrastructure, 359 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,840 Les has over 30 years of experience working from heights. 360 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:22,880 Hold that. 361 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,920 Lift it up a bit. Hey? 362 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,600 Lift it up a bit. 363 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:33,600 Was that loose, you reckon? No.All right. 364 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,040 That's it.You got him. Yeah, she's in. 365 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:42,360 Thanks, Les. 366 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,000 All in a day's work. All in a day's work. 367 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:53,760 Yeah, got it back up and running. The old bloke put the pin back in. 368 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,160 Oh, mate, it seems like nothing's easy out here. 369 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,400 There's always something rearing its head up to make a drama. 370 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,400 They just got to do it. 371 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,960 The drill's struggling going through this ironstone and silcrete, 372 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,760 but hopefully she should be all right. 373 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,360 It's not good for your drill when it's like this. 374 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,160 Each one of those bullets, 375 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:15,880 the cutting teeth's worth about thirty bucks. 376 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,680 So, when it's like this, you can grind out 377 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,840 $100 to $200 worth of dirt to get a hole down. 378 00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:29,200 These don't look too bad. 379 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,360 It's just extremely hard, just gotta keep on going. 380 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,320 There's nothing more we can do. 381 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,320 Keep the pressure on it. 382 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,040 Whoa! There we go. 383 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:04,200 Just broke through. 384 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,720 Might go down and just see where we're at down there. 385 00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:12,480 Ah, look at that. Spot on. Look. 386 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:14,640 And no pink paint left. How good's that. 387 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,600 Digger's over there and safe. 388 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:18,520 We didn't put it through the back wall. 389 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,600 We put it exactly where we wanted it to go. 390 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,600 Starting to get good at this. 391 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,160 Yeah, phase one complete. Only got half a dozen more to go 392 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:30,880 before we can start digging. 393 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,080 Righto. We got to get the blower up here, fellas. 394 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,040 Hold it there, Ty. Yeah, she's all lined up now. 395 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:43,440 All we've got to do is drop the hoses down 396 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,160 and we're away. 397 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,640 We're on the deck. I'll go down and have a look. 398 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:01,880 You beauty. 399 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:05,960 The new position of the blower pipes, 400 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:10,240 reducing their length and increasing suction power... Turn her on, Les. 401 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:14,000 ..means the Bushmen's ability to move more dirt and find opal 402 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:15,760 is massively increased. 403 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,200 It'll be good to get some colour out of this wall. 404 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:19,880 We desperately need some money. 405 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,920 If we don't find none, we're at bloody dire straits. 406 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,680 It's boggy. 407 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,120 This water, it's still coming down pretty strong. 408 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,240 Actually, I think it's getting worse. 409 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:31,600 See, we had rain about four days ago, 410 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,840 and straight after the rain it wasn't so bad. 411 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,760 Now it's getting worse so it's soaking in somewhere 412 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,280 and travelling through where we're working. 413 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,280 And it is starting to flood down here. 414 00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:43,480 We got water here. 415 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,280 Don't know where it's going. 416 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:53,920 She's a bit wet looking, mate. 417 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,520 Yeah, I got to get the digger lined up here, 418 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,960 and one side's really low and wet and boggy. 419 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:05,000 If I get one wheel go down too far I'm going to tip this on its side, 420 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,480 and these are horrible to try and stand up. 421 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,600 Especially in all this mud. 422 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,880 Ooh. She's on a lean, Les. 423 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,560 This weighs, you know, a few tonne and they're not light. 424 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,080 Once they start to go, 425 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,040 there's no stopping them. 426 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:38,360 Whoa! Ooh, look at this. 427 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,160 Yeah, we've had a whole bunch of rain 428 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,560 and this open cut's starting to fill up. 429 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,160 Yeah, it's like a big swimming pool. 430 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:49,080 After smashing an opal filled Yowah nut with a jackhammer, 431 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,040 the Digi Diggers have come up with a new strategy 432 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:56,000 to extract more opal-bearing nuts from the mine face. 433 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,240 Josiah has had this, er, amazing idea 434 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,240 of trying to get the nuts out with a water blaster. 435 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,000 So what's the plan? So, yeah, we'll just run a hose down 436 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,400 from the tank into the pressure blaster, 437 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,360 power from the solar system, 438 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,200 into the pressure blaster and we blast. We grab nuts. 439 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,240 I don't know how much rain's coming but we've got a lot coming. 440 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,080 We've had weather warnings all week. 441 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,240 Hopefully, we can get in and get these nuts, 442 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,040 get out of here before it fills up. 443 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,080 All right.You ready? Going to get pretty muddy. 444 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,880 Whoo-hoo! 445 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,320 Looks like, er, we're ready to try the idea out. 446 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,040 Er, the water blaster's working, 447 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:46,720 we're plugged in to the power and the water so, let's give it a go. 448 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,560 Oh, it's going to get messy. 449 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,440 The water blaster or pressure washer 450 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:56,440 is capable of delivering six litres of water per minute 451 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,400 with 123 kilograms per square centimetre 452 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,280 of hydraulic pressure. 453 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,840 It's working pretty good. Like, just eating around, 454 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,280 eating all the soil around the - the nuts 455 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:13,520 which is perfect really. 456 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,520 We got to be careful with this wall because the soil is not hard here, 457 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,760 it might not be hard there either. 458 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,760 Yeah. Yeah, we'll just keep an eye on it. 459 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,280 Just got to try and find a... 460 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:30,240 a good way to do this. 461 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,960 So I'm really happy with what the water blaster's doing, 462 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,800 but, er, the rain is changing this environment. 463 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,520 The walls are getting softer. 464 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,560 We've got to be careful not to put ourselves in too much danger. 465 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,720 These walls, they can just let go, and tell you what, 466 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,400 you wouldn't want to be under them when they let go. 467 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,320 We need to get that bucket, Lisa. 468 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,520 I'll get the bucket. 469 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:56,640 Oh, no, and it's full of nuts as well, but... 470 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,840 You've have to pick it up. There should be a handle on it. 471 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:02,800 Yeah, but it's too hard. 472 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:04,880 Don't lose the nuts. I know. 473 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,520 I'll get it out. 474 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,120 OK. I got it. 475 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,200 Job.The Brissy jewellers, 476 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,120 they want to buy a large volume off us 477 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,920 so we've got to prepare a 44-gallon drum full of Yowah nuts. 478 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:20,760 Got some more nuts. 479 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,040 And the bucket is more than halfway full 480 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,240 so, we are on our way. 481 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:32,480 Oh. 482 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,600 The side's coming down. Whoa! Whoa!Whoa! 483 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,720 Josiah, careful! Far out. 484 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,200 Just took a big bit of wall down here and got dusted out. 485 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,240 Did I leave my puffer up on the dash, man? 486 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,560 Me asthma kicking in. I'll go have a look. 487 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,200 Whoo. 488 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:57,560 In the final days of the season, 489 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,720 Matt Kathagen is struggling with excess dust 490 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,920 in a mine unworked for over ten years. 491 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,520 Matty's having an asthma attack down there I think. 492 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:08,240 He's dropped a bit of wall. 493 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:10,160 I've got it here. I'm going to drop it. 494 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,600 Yeah, drop it down, man. Ready? 495 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:16,880 Here. 496 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:22,960 That hasn't happened before down the hole. 497 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,320 I've seen him younger. He had a few asthma attacks but, 498 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,080 he has got asthma and it's something 499 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:29,920 that we really need to worry about. 500 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,120 I don't want to get stuck down here 501 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:39,000 I'll get out, swap over with Cozzy. 502 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:40,840 Yeah, don't risk it, man. 503 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:42,720 Bloody hell. I want to find that opal. 504 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:44,440 It's here somewhere. 505 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:46,200 Right, right to come up, Matty? 506 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,040 All right, mate, you're out the hole. 507 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,200 See yas. Bye. 508 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:51,880 Oh. 509 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,280 Just stale air, man. 510 00:26:57,360 --> 00:26:59,520 Stale down there? 511 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:01,200 We swapped Matty and Cozza out. 512 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,000 The air quality cos it's quite moist, 513 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,400 the air's got thick and dense so it can be an issue without ventilation. 514 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:08,320 Going down. 515 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:11,800 I fill the hole up, don't I? 516 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,200 Whoo-hoo! 517 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,080 Hey, up under here. 518 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:21,760 It's only thin, but look. 519 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:23,560 Oh, yeah. It's in the concrete. 520 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,280 Here, here, here, here. Yeah. 521 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:27,160 Look, all through it. 522 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,120 See the colour of concrete and it's made a bit of crystal here, 523 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,920 it could go up into the concrete and make a crystal ball 524 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,840 or just sit on top of them as well. 525 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,520 We'll under gouge it a bit 526 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,480 and just get the jackhammer back up here and drop the level. 527 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:49,360 Yeah, lucky Matty's not down here with all this dust. 528 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,520 Is he all right? How's he going? Yeah, no, he's all right, man. 529 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:54,720 He'll just chill out up there. 530 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,080 Stay on the winch controls for now. 531 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,560 Get a bit more airflow down here before he comes back down.Yeah. 532 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,200 This big band of concrete's going all the way back in, 533 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,840 so, what we'll do is take this corner out, 534 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:08,000 hopefully don't fall on our head.Ha. 535 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,000 Whoo. 536 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:14,280 Look at that, bro. Red flash in that. 537 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,040 Oh, yeah, that's colour. 538 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:19,160 Nice bit of red flash through that top piece. 539 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:21,000 See that broad flash in there. 540 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,800 Definitely got colour in this material. 541 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,200 I'll go throw these in that bucket.Yeah. 542 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:27,880 Here goes. 543 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:39,840 Hey! 544 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:41,800 The whole place is coming down. 545 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,480 Man... 546 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:45,600 This is just crumbling in down here, bro. 547 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,240 ROD: Geez, that's wet.TY: Yep. So what have got to do, Rod? 548 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,320 I'm going to have to come over this side a little bit. 549 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,080 The Bushmen's four-tonne super digger 550 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,320 needs to be manhandled across unstable ground 551 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,240 to reach an opal bearing mine face. 552 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,200 This sloping mud, I'm scared I'm going to tip it. 553 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:14,880 Bit dangerous down there though. 554 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,200 Ahh. It is a bit dangerous down there. 555 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,080 Whoa-a-a-a-a there. 556 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,240 LES: Woo hoo! Don't frighten me like that. 557 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,040 Yeah, I might be able to make that work, Les. 558 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:46,080 Finally digging. 559 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,000 It's been an awful long time getting to this stage. 560 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,480 Yeah, she's starting to get a bit of a bit of trace in here. 561 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:01,360 There's a bit of gemmy stuff, Rod. A bit of trace in there. 562 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,360 Coming along back this way. There's a bit of green there. 563 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:06,920 That's starting to develop all right, Ty.Yeah. 564 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,960 We might just have a bit of a jackhammer look, ay?Yeah. 565 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,640 Tell you what, Ty, that's looking all right, mate. 566 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,480 Yeah, look at that. Starting to get a bit gemmy. That's getting gemmy. 567 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:23,800 We just might have a couple of dollars here. 568 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:25,720 It's not looking too bad. 569 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:27,640 The way things are going at the moment, 570 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:29,520 we don't want to miss a thing. 571 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,840 Yeah, so Rod's just un - undercutting this seam here 572 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,400 so we can get it out with the jackhammer. 573 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,080 If you don't undercut it, you try and jackhammer it out 574 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:41,280 and it just comes out in small pieces so. 575 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,680 You've got to be careful with the big digger. 576 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,280 Wait up! Whoa! There's red. 577 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:54,000 Look at this. 578 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:55,800 Yes!Where? 579 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,000 Bit of red here, too, look, Les! 580 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,160 Whoo-hoo! Yes! 581 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,040 Look at that. That seam comes all the way down here. 582 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,880 Yeah. It's red and black. 583 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,080 A big piece? You bloody beauty. 584 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,040 Look at the size of this chunk and there she's sitting there. 585 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:15,160 And there's still some in the wall. 586 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,920 Hey, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo! 587 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:30,120 We just busted a really nice stone.Oh. 588 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,280 Jackhammer went through it. 589 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,280 But that's just the way our luck's running at the moment. 590 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,160 JOSIAH: The side's coming down. LISA: Whoa! Whoa!Whoa! 591 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:48,840 Far out. 592 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,320 I think this this rain's, like, dislodging, like... 593 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,200 Yeah, look at that crack there, er, as well. 594 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:56,800 If you just look over there, there's kind of a hole. 595 00:31:56,880 --> 00:32:00,080 That's where the rocks came from and you see them laying down. 596 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:04,080 It's like ph - a couple of tonnes. That's quite deadly. 597 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:09,040 As record breaking floods hit Outback Queensland, 598 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:13,440 the Digi Diggers are relying on an untested water blasting technique 599 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:17,000 to expose opal-bearing Yowah nuts. 600 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:19,600 Is there another nut band? There - there are. 601 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,640 There's another, it continues back over that way. 602 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:26,400 It's not as deep, but there - there is nuts there. 603 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:28,960 All right, so, shall we check that section out? 604 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:33,120 Yeah.Maybe we can continue there, move the gear. 605 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:35,040 The last thing we want is a collapse 606 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,600 and for any of us to get injured, so we've just moved 607 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:39,760 and we're going to start mining these, er... 608 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,440 these nuts over here. 609 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,920 We've got to get a 44-gallon drum of nuts 610 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,840 ready for these Brisbane buyers tomorrow before they arrive, 611 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,240 so we've got to get cracking and we've got to make this work. 612 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:52,520 All right, Josiah, let's do this. Do it.Woo. 613 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:56,000 Yeah, boy. 614 00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,880 Big boy there. 615 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:02,560 Yeah. It's working. 616 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:06,720 It's a little bit dirty though. 617 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:08,560 Yeah, I know. 618 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:12,880 I'll put them in the bucket. 619 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,240 I think it's a very effective way of getting the nuts out. 620 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:17,960 All right. 621 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:23,200 The weather is still annoying and it's just getting cold now so... 622 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,480 we don't have another option though. We've got to continue working. 623 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:33,800 Whoa. Oh. 624 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,280 Wait. That's got colour in it. 625 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,560 Wow, it's gorgeous. Whoa! 626 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:40,560 This is gorgeous. Whoa! 627 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,720 Clean split, too. Must have been hit when they first dug this out 628 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:45,400 with the excavator or something. 629 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,400 That's very good, that's a good sign. 630 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:49,320 We've got colour. 631 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,120 This is the last one. 632 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:01,840 Oh, these are the big ones. 633 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,560 Well...There we go. ..that was hard work but we did it. 634 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:07,640 Whoo! Yes. 635 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,560 Brissy boys, we are ready We're ready. 636 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,360 LEIF: Pull your boots out. I'll help you go through. 637 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,360 COLIN: Er, I'm out.Ready? There you go.Yeah, let it go.Oh. 638 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,160 What do you reckon, we call it quits? 639 00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:25,160 We get out of here for the day?Yeah. 640 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:28,200 Bit of a close call down there. All the ledges have dried out, 641 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,000 had some water but they've dried out 642 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:32,200 and turned into crumbly stuff so, 643 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:35,440 yeah, every bit... bit that we're touching just starts to fall down. 644 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,640 Er, we found a bit of material which is good. 645 00:34:37,720 --> 00:34:40,240 Yeah, we got a few buckets to take up, you know. 646 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,240 Still well below their season target, 647 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,240 the Mooka Boys' final opal haul for the season 648 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:48,920 is ready to be valued. 649 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,600 You going for that material as we're bringing it up? 650 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:54,640 Mate, we've brought up heaps. Come over here have a look.Yeah. 651 00:34:54,720 --> 00:34:59,000 We've, er, mate, there's, er, well, over a hundred kilos here. 652 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,120 Most of this material is green-blue stuff. 653 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:02,920 It's better than medium grade.Yeah. 654 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,040 Six-hundred bucks a kilo all day long. 655 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:10,280 The Mooka Boys have concrete opal ready for an acid treatment 656 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,320 to enhance the blue-green colour in the host rock. 657 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:17,600 It's in the rough and there's 100 kilograms. 658 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:19,760 So a hundred kilos of sellable stuff. 659 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,120 Six hundred a kilo? $60,000. 660 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:26,960 Whoa! Yeah, boys. That's it. 661 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,080 Absolutely. 662 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:31,240 Yeah, look, we got buyers for the big stuff. 663 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:32,960 We also had another idea. 664 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:36,000 Well, we've got lots of little bits and bobs left over.Yeah. 665 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:38,640 I'm thinking why don't we end the season with a bang. 666 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:40,400 Put up a show. 667 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:44,320 Put some chickens on a spit and, er, we'll have ourselves a live auction. 668 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,640 Few cans and a chicken, oh, yeah. Beautiful. 669 00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:48,560 Ha ha. 670 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,840 All right. You ready, boys? Live video, here we go. 671 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,720 Hey, guys, how you going? 672 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:57,520 Mooka Boys here. How yas doing? 673 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,160 Let's, er, get in the bus. Let's get into it, ay, 674 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:02,000 and start getting some opal out. 675 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,360 This season was pretty hard but it come with lessons for us all. 676 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:07,200 Cozzy on the timer tonight. 677 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,360 Three minutes on the clock. Let's go. First auction for the night. 678 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:12,760 Number one, it's important that we make the best 679 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:17,000 of every day we've got out here. Let's do it.All right. 680 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:18,720 We want to relive that dream 681 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:21,280 and we've just got to keep pushing harder and harder. 682 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:23,040 Matty has some news for everyone. 683 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,320 I do have some news, guys. We're having a girl. 684 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,400 No, you are, you are. I'm having a girl. 685 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,800 Me and my beautiful girlfriend, Nikita, are having a girl, guys. 686 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:32,480 I've got a family on the way. 687 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,840 I've got a lot more to look out for now so... 688 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:37,760 Hopefully, we can continue on and build our resources and... 689 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,240 and leave a legacy. 690 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,960 I'm pretty happy with this season. I think it went well. 691 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:45,560 You can't expect everything to go smoothly. 692 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:47,320 You can't appreciate the good times 693 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:49,240 if everything goes right. Look at that. 694 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,480 We had a lot of rain, mishaps, breakdowns, 695 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:54,240 so, you know, we didn't really have the luck on our side. 696 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:56,120 How's that chicken going? Oh, yeah. 697 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,920 We're going to keep mining. This is - this is what we do. 698 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,800 We've got Cozza with the chicken there coming in.Oh, nice. 699 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:04,080 What we've achieved this season I'm happy with, 700 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,320 we've, er, pulled some investors, we've met a whole heap of people. 701 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,800 Oh, that's good chicken, man. Yeah.That's great. 702 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:12,120 I know how to cook, mate. I didn't get this big 703 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,400 not knowing how to cook. 704 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:16,760 Everything's looking good for the Mooka Boys. 705 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:19,680 Last chance. Shaft. Cheers.Cheers, boys. 706 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:21,520 Good boys. 707 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,280 TY: Look at that. 708 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:34,760 ROD: Could have been a nice stone but. 709 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:37,360 That just cost us money, Rod. 710 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,400 It happens, Ty. It happens. 711 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:43,760 The jackhammer just come down and just slipped and hit the gem, 712 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,400 so, we need to slow down a little bit now. 713 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,040 Good thing is we might still have some more behind it. 714 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:51,160 We might still have a stone up in here. 715 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:07,320 Oh, there's colour in this, look. There's red in that.Yeah. 716 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,960 Look at that. Up the top. Green. 717 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:11,800 Greens and reds. 718 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:13,800 That's our stone. 719 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:17,880 Hey, hang on. LES: Hang on. 720 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:19,680 We just had a bit of movement. 721 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,480 I noticed the line fall out of the roof. 722 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:25,840 It's just one of those things, you know. Like, 723 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:30,240 after a hundred years of doing this, you just notice little things. 724 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:35,160 What have we got, Rod? Oh, I just heard a bit of noise, 725 00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:39,840 we had a band of little pieces falling out of the roof. 726 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:42,280 We just opened up a fairly big area here, 727 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,320 so let's get out of here, Ty. 728 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:46,280 I'm hearing ya. 729 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:54,360 With only a meagre haul dug from a now unsafe mine, 730 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:58,600 Rod wants to rub what they found, increasing its value, 731 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:02,800 but the delicate process also risks destroying the opal. 732 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,400 We sell our gem in carats which is a weight, 733 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:11,680 so you want to try and keep them as heavy as you possibly can. 734 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:13,680 They've got to look as best that they can 735 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,960 and still be as heavy as they can. 736 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,960 Nice colour there but it's got too much sand in him. 737 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:22,240 One swipe on a wheel 738 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:25,520 can take off five, six, seven hundred dollars. 739 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,640 Na. Won't face. The colour bar's too thin. 740 00:39:28,720 --> 00:39:32,880 I just go straight through it. So that one's a no go. 741 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:34,800 I'll have a quick look at this last one 742 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:36,800 to see whether it's going to do anything. 743 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:39,720 If this hasn't got something in it, then it's a bust for us. 744 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:41,400 We've made absolutely nothing 745 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,000 cos the rest of it ain't much chop so... 746 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:45,760 here we go. 747 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:54,160 Oh. That's nice. 748 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:57,440 Oh, look at this. 749 00:39:57,520 --> 00:39:59,800 Pickle me grandmother, that's beautiful. 750 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:01,800 Who'd have thought that was in that piece 751 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:03,840 of ordinary looking rough. 752 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,040 Old Les will be beside himself when he sees this. 753 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,600 The Bushmen have an exquisite rare black opal 754 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:15,280 featuring the full spectrum of colours. 755 00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:17,120 It's been partially rubbed 756 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:19,840 weighing one point three grams. 757 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:22,520 Hey, Ty, Les. Yeah? 758 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:24,840 Come over here, boys. What have you got? 759 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:26,680 Stick your hand out. 760 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,560 That's all right. So that was that black piece. 761 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:31,800 That was the black one. Unreal. 762 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:34,800 Nice piece of stone that.Yeah. She's got some colour in it. 763 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:37,360 Well, we ought to weigh it. 764 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:40,040 Here we go. 765 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:42,080 Ha ha! What is she? 766 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:43,800 Six-point-five. 767 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:46,000 What do we reckon we'll get for that a carat? 768 00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:48,680 Got to be fifteen hundred to two grand easy. 769 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:52,320 I couldn't agree more. Yeah. I'd go two grand, Ty. 770 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,120 Two grand a carat. Twelve K. 771 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,720 Ha ha, Les! That sounds better. 772 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,800 Twelve grand.It sounds good. 773 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:02,840 Stones with that much red in them on black 774 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,320 don't come around all that often, do they?No. 775 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,360 Geez, you can never get sick of looking at this stuff, can ya? 776 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,400 No. Not when it shines up like that. 777 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:12,320 That's a beautiful stone.Yeah. 778 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:20,000 All right, so back in Yowah again. 779 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:23,880 Apparently, Josiah and Lisa have a barrel of nuts. 780 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:26,640 OK. So they've told us a price on it? 781 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:29,040 Yeah, like I said six grand. 782 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:31,480 High-end jewellers, Matthew and Adrian, 783 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:35,840 have travelled almost 1,000 kilometres from their workshop in Brisbane 784 00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:39,200 to negotiate a sale on a 200-litre drum 785 00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:41,720 full of Yowah nuts. 786 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,120 So these are the nuts? Yeah, so this is the nuts. 787 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:46,800 Been a lot of mud, sweat and tears getting these.Yeah. 788 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:48,480 ..in this barrel. 789 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:52,240 Oh, even getting here, like, the floods with all the rain that's come through 790 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,040 was a bit hairy in a few places but. 791 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:55,760 Yeah, you're lucky the sun's out. 792 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:57,480 Can I have a look? Yeah, go for it. 793 00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,160 Yeah. Too easy. LISA: Yeah. 794 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:01,640 Some nice big pieces in here. Yeah, a mix of stuff. 795 00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:03,720 Obviously, you know, you've found something 796 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:05,680 to make it worth, erm, worth coming out. 797 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,120 Yeah, we pulled out this. It came out of the wall 798 00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:10,840 alongside all the rest of them. Oh, OK.Yeah. 799 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:12,520 Look at that. That's promising. 800 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:14,240 Bit of blue, bit of green in there. 801 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:16,640 There's some decent colour. A nice bit of matrix. 802 00:42:16,720 --> 00:42:19,080 Mm. You guys were saying six grand? 803 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:22,320 Yeah, $6,000 for the drum. For the drum.Yeah. 804 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:24,000 Seeing colour in this stone, 805 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,360 that would be a guarantee for us to go home with 806 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,280 cos we can cut something out of that. 807 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,680 Yeah. That one's not included. 808 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:33,160 Is it possible to include it in the barrel at all? 809 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:35,520 For six grand? For six grand.No.No? 810 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:38,320 Look, the thing is we believe this is worth way more. 811 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:41,720 But I mean, as you know, like, you can buy an entire barrel 812 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:44,280 of nuts like this and there could be nothing in them. 813 00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,320 Would you consider adding any extra to it? 814 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,760 You want the barrel and the nut?Yeah, I think so. 815 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:51,480 Seven grand.Seven grand. For the lot?For the lot. 816 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:53,720 Do you want to go have a quick discussion? 817 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,880 What do you reckon? We could have money this afternoon. 818 00:42:57,960 --> 00:42:59,600 It has to be fair for us. 819 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:01,920 At the end, we're just giving all our opal away. 820 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:03,920 We've got to value ourselves as well. 821 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:08,600 Really, er, $6,750. That's as high as we can go. 822 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,360 I'll take $6,750. Take $6,750?Yeah.Yeah? 823 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:18,480 No worries.Cool. No worries. Thank you. 824 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:21,400 I'm quite happy with the result. 825 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:23,840 It's cash. We can work in the metaverse with that. 826 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:26,880 We can get some stuff done so, it's good, it's a good deal. 827 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:30,840 Would have liked a bit more but it's quick cash so, let's go. 828 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:34,320 We definitely met somewhere in the middle which is good for both parties. 829 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,760 We're excited to get back and see what's in there. 830 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,240 See ya, guys.See ya.See you later. See you later. 831 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:41,520 I reckon it's beer o'clock. 832 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:43,680 Well, to life. Life. 833 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,000 Opals and the sun. 834 00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:48,120 Cheers. 835 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,280 Subtitles by Deluxe 835 00:43:53,305 --> 00:44:53,208