"Outback Opal Hunters" Risky Business

1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,799 On Outback Opal Hunters... 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:09,159 Rookie Justin gambles thousands on buying his way out of trouble. 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,639 If I can't find opal in Coober Pedy, I may as well buy some. I'm gonna buy anything I can get. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,719 Opal Queen Kelly needs a big find underground... 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,519 We've bitten off a fair bit, maybe more than we can chew. 6 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,119 ..or risk going broke. The pressure's on. 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,359 And Aaron and Greg's Dragonfly claim might finally pay off. 8 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,439 Have a look at this, Aaron! What? 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,079 # ASH GRUNWALD: Money 10 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:38,439 # Money 11 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,839 # And fancy clothes 12 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,119 # Telling you what to do with the life we live 13 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,239 # And where to go # 14 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:05,399 Coober Pedy, South Australia, a bone-dry landscape 15 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,199 where temperatures can hit 47 degrees Celsius. 16 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,479 At his five-mile claim, Rookie Justin Lang 17 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,039 is chasing Coober Pedy speciality, White Opal, 18 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,079 worth up to $7,500 a gram. 19 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,599 That's beautiful! Stunning. 20 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,159 Oh, wow. Oh, my God. 21 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,039 But the harsh reality of recently becoming 22 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,879 a full-time opal miner is starting to sink in. 23 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:42,439 To try and find opal under the ground is a tough gig, 24 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:47,199 and I've got a whole lot more respect for miners now. It's not easy. 25 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,199 And Justin's mining partner Dan Becker 26 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,359 is back with his family over 700km away. 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,079 This is the first claim I've mined without Dan, 28 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,279 and it's been a really different experience. 29 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,839 You don't get to laugh with anyone, and you don't get to joke with anyone. 30 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,359 You're just sitting there by yourself, talking to yourself all day. 31 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,159 It, er, does become a bit lonely. 32 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:15,479 With a solo target of $75,000, and not a cent in profit, 33 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,639 Justin is losing money with every passing day. 34 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,519 Making matters worse, Justin has invested 35 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:28,079 over $35,000 on buying a second-hand excavator 36 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:29,799 and clearing his claim. 37 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,199 My aim for this claim was to pay off the excavator straight away, 38 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,279 but it didn't happen. 39 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,759 So, I'm $35,000 in the red. 40 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,439 All in all, I'm mostly disappointed in 41 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:47,079 how it's all turned out. What the hell am I doing out here? 42 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,159 Have I gone crazy? 43 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,759 I'm all this way for family, 44 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:53,959 sitting out here, spending all this money. 45 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,079 Not finding anything, there's no return. 46 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,919 Dan is not here to talk to. What have I done? 47 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,279 To get back on track, Justin has a new plan. 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,599 So, if I don't find opal, I'll buy it. 49 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:16,559 He's going to risk $13,000 buying some rough opal, 50 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:18,919 in the hope he can make a profit polishing it 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,999 and selling it on to a jeweller. 52 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,279 Most miners sell their opal rough 53 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,439 as it comes out of the ground, for a quick profit, 54 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,719 but if a miner has the skill and patience 55 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,239 to polish and cut their own stones, 56 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,839 they can potentially triple their money. 57 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,999 For skilled clockmaker Justin, 58 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,679 this could be a safe way of turning a profit. 59 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,199 The cash is key. So, I'm gonna take this, 60 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,279 and see if I can turn this into some, a nice big bag of opal. 61 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:57,239 Cash in hand, Justin heads to the remote town of Mintabie. 62 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,479 Nearly 300km north of Coober Pedy, 63 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:06,879 Mintabie produces a unique opal highly prized for its rich colour. 64 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:11,279 With its black backing, it can be worth up to $3,000 a carat 65 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,399 or a fifth of a gram. 66 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,639 Justin's hoping to pick up a bargain from a miner 67 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,559 keen to offload some stones before he quits the business. 68 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,519 I'm going to buy anything I can get, cos I know I can flip it, 69 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,279 and, you know, make my money back, and some. 70 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,479 Justin is driving into this remote desert outpost 71 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:44,759 with thousands of dollars in cash and no back-up. 72 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:52,074 Support us and become VIP member to remove all ads from www.OpenSubtitles.org 73 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:56,919 What you need to make opal is faults. 74 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,039 So, you need quite a big movement in the Earth. 75 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,119 In Lightning Ridge, outback New South Wales, 76 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,359 Kelly Tishler is battling a dry run of luck 77 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,439 eight metres underground. 78 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,879 We still have to try and move enough dirt which has hopefully got opal, 79 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,359 and actually try and track it down. Where is it? It could be just there. 80 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,439 This season, Kelly is teaming up 81 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,159 with brother-in-law Mark and mining partner Dwayne. 82 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:32,239 So far, they've chipped away $22,000 of their $150,000 target. 83 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,839 They are hunting Black Opal, the most prized opal on the planet 84 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,759 worth up to $35,000 for a fifth of a gram. 85 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:44,839 It's rarer than diamonds. 86 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,519 This is what you wanna see. The excitement you get, 87 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,079 the feeling you get makes you wanna keep goin', 88 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,839 go that extra mile and hopefully get some more. 89 00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:59,959 Hoping to repeat their success, 90 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,479 the team has decided to continue digging 91 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,639 where they ripped out their $22,000 haul. 92 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,599 Look, there is no rules, no-one can see through the ground, 93 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,919 so you just gotta follow the trace, really. 94 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,919 Somebody might think, "Oh, you're just down here burrowing away aimlessly." 95 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,799 No. There's a method to the madness. We've got a technique. 96 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:24,839 Key to their technique is their 800kg digging machine. 97 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,719 Razor-sharp claws rip through the clay soil 98 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,199 shifting ten tonnes of earth in an hour. 99 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:37,959 But opal is fragile. 100 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:43,159 Finding this prize takes skill, patience and a bit of luck. 101 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,519 One mistake can cost you a hundred grand. 102 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,799 It could shatter a stone. 103 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,239 The mined earth is fed into a series of pipes 104 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,879 that form part of an immense vacuum... 105 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,159 ..powered by what is known as a blower. 106 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,959 Every blower is sort of put together by different people, 107 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,279 most of 'em made up of a complete, sort of, mix of parts, 108 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,119 like old truck parts, truck motors, and different bits and pieces. 109 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,319 So this a two-speed off a old Bedford truck, 110 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,719 so, you know, that's probably 50 years old. 111 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,199 So, this machine is called a blower, but it should be called a sucker 112 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,359 because that's what it does. It sucks the dirt from off the floor 113 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,319 of the mine, and sucks it up the pipes 114 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,399 into this cylinder we call a hopper. 115 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:28,559 When that gets filled up with the opal clay, 116 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,639 it'll just drop into the back of the truck. 117 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,999 The dirt's then washed off in a converted cement mixer 118 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,159 called an agitator, and the stones that are left 119 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,239 are then checked for any opal. 120 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:46,919 In opal mining, success can quickly turn into financial failure. 121 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:53,479 The face that earned the team a cool $22,000 has dried up. 122 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,399 Get anything in it? That has to be the seam. 123 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,479 Yeah, not much of a story to tell here. No trace, no anything, really. 124 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,559 Just a few, sort of, hardballs, 125 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,799 it's actually what we call dog-stones. 126 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,639 Yeah, it doesn't look like anything that's gonna pay. 127 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,479 After several hours of digging, 128 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,519 they've found just one promising piece of dirt. 129 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,839 Kelly now has a tough decision to make, 130 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,239 whether to keep the team digging in the same place 131 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,879 or waste valuable time moving the digger to a new spot. 132 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:33,079 You can hear that blower going, so that's hundred-dollar notes going. 133 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,479 So, while that's going, it makes me incredibly nervous. 134 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,439 At Dragonfly open-cut mine, Opalton, 135 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,039 long-time partners Aaron Grotjahn and Greg Geran 136 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,719 are struggling to hit pay dirt. 137 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,719 They're hunting Queensland Boulder Opal 138 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,679 worth up to $20,000 a gram. That's a nice colour, eh? 139 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,159 Pretty hard to get the smile off your face when you break something nice, 140 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,839 because you've been looking for years for this stuff. 141 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:08,919 So far, this season, 142 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:13,839 they have just $10,000 of their $120,000 target. 143 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,839 To make matters worse, they're also a man down. 144 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:21,479 Yeah, it's a pity Col can't be here. 145 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:27,079 Col's very sick, so he's gonna stay in town and get better. 146 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,839 Until then, we keep doing what we're doing. 147 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,999 Aaron and Greg live simply, off the grid, 148 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,399 but they're struggling to make ends meet. 149 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,679 We've been battling out here for five years, 150 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,639 and we've been just, sort of, making probably wages, 151 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,199 just enough to eat and sort of keep trucking. 152 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,479 It's not a line. It's a pellet. 153 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:50,999 Every rock's one step closer to... That's right. 154 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,679 ..paying the bills, gettin' ahead. 155 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:59,039 For Aaron, Dragonfly is more than just a claim. 156 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,839 In the 1980s and '90s, it was owned by his dad, Arnold. 157 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,639 Yeah, I miss the old fella heaps. 158 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:13,719 He would've been here right now playing his squeeze-box 159 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,439 and didgeridoo, and takin' it easy. 160 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,879 Aaron and Greg are digging the last untouched section, 161 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,199 hoping it contains a fortune. 162 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,919 Our dad left us a bit of opal to dig up. 163 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,479 This might just be the trace. Bit of luck, the pocket's yet to come. 164 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:33,559 We never know, mate. We never know. 165 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,039 We'll lock that up, mate. Let's do some diggin'. 166 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,719 Yeah, and do some facing. 167 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,239 It's good to get something in the drum. Let's go and dig. 168 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,119 There's only 10% left, Dad used to say. And he's right, 169 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,199 but it might be a good 10%. 170 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,759 We haven't really found a pocket yet, 171 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,359 but we just gotta keep battling on and hope that we stumble 172 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,239 into a pocket or decent rock or whatever. 173 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,679 Usually, when you're just about to give up or try somewhere else, 174 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,199 there it'll be. 175 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,559 You gotta be determined to find the stuff. 176 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,879 There, you've got it. Oi, pluck that one out. 177 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:32,159 Boulder Opal exists in the hard, dark ironstone rocks 178 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,839 among the lightly-coloured sandstone. 179 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,599 It's formed when silica-rich water seeping underground 180 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,439 pools in cracks in the impervious rocks, 181 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:50,919 and over millions of years, hardens into opal. 182 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:56,799 The more dirt you shift, the more chance you have of finding it. 183 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,119 Come on. 184 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:20,759 I'm gonna take a gamble on this and keep digging. 185 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,439 If the gamble doesn't pay off soon, 186 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:27,999 Aaron and Greg will run out of cash to keep the claim going. 187 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,519 Opal country. I love it. 188 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:42,879 You know, I get really excited coming out here, 189 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,119 because I can feel the opal, I can... 190 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,199 You can just feel it in your veins. 191 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,359 Justin's heading to the remote town of Mintabie, 192 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,319 hoping to pick up some rough opal he can then sell on at a profit. 193 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,239 In its heyday, when it was first discovered, 194 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,679 Mintabie produced more opal than Coober Pedy. 195 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:06,279 So, that says something, if Coober Pedy is the opal capital of the world. 196 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:11,759 But Mintabie will soon be a town no longer. 197 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:14,239 The land it stands on has been handed back 198 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,559 to the traditional Aboriginal owners. 199 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,199 In just a few months, it's due to close. 200 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,279 Miners are fast disappearing, 201 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,319 and Mintabie opal is becoming increasingly sought after. 202 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:29,839 They're shutting the town down, unfortunately. 203 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:32,199 So, all the mining will eventually stop, 204 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,439 and the production of their opal will no longer be available. 205 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,199 Justin has arranged to meet one of the last opal miners 206 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,399 in Mintabie, Jamie Wilson. 207 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,879 I've made a really good connection with Jamie. 208 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,919 You know, it's really a privilege to be able to buy from him 209 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,919 because you can't get Mintabie opal, it's very rare. 210 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,359 Good to see you. Hey, glad you could make it. Yeah. 211 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,519 Yeah, I know, it looks like you've got a huge bloody set-up here. 212 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:05,079 Centre point of Jamie's operation is a machine called a Noodler. 213 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,999 Justin is keen to take a closer look. 214 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:15,599 From the back, first, down to there. 215 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:18,319 I've never ever seen a noodling machine work before. 216 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,519 You gotta sort of see how it works, and maybe 217 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,919 I get something like that in Coober Pedy one day. 218 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,279 A noodler is used to examine freshly-mined earth for opal. 219 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,239 Its key feature is its black light room. 220 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,239 Let's have a look. You gotta be quick gettin' in. 221 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,319 It's fascinating. 222 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,119 As the earth passes along a conveyor belt, 223 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,879 the ultra-violet light will cause any opal to fluoresce, 224 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,279 making it simple to separate from the other stones. 225 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,439 So, you pick up anything that glows, 226 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,639 and you chuck it in the bucket, and then, at the end of the day... 227 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,439 There you go, like that one there, that's glowing, that's opal. 228 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,479 Time to get serious, and do the deal. 229 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,879 I wanna make this trip worthwhile, all this way to come to Mintabie, 230 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:10,959 I've gotta think about the cost involved 231 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,679 in being up here for a day, and the fuel to get up here, 232 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,879 so I've got to make money out of this parcel, 233 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,959 otherwise it's another loss. Game on. 234 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,719 Here we go, we're at his camp up on top of the ridge. 235 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:34,239 If Justin can buy good-quality rough opal, 236 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,519 flipping it could triple his money. 237 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,679 Over 1,000km to the east... 238 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,519 The trace has sort of dried off, innit? Yeah. 239 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,239 Eight metres below the surface, 240 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,399 Kelly's team have nothing to show for their hard work. 241 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:00,359 They need to keep moving as much dirt as they can. 242 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:06,039 Time's running out. Mark and Dwayne supplement their income 243 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,119 by working in coal mines, 244 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,559 and their shifts start in less than 24 hours. 245 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:16,999 On the surface, a problem. 246 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,159 The blower sucking out the dirt has stopped working. 247 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,799 Because we're a small-scale operation, we don't have 248 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,279 loads of equipment or loads of dollars, 249 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,479 and when you've got problem like this, everything shuts down. 250 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:42,559 Now, is that on or off? 251 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,359 We've got a problem with the two-speed on the motor 252 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,479 that puts the throttle up and down, 253 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:52,559 so it's fallen to pieces at the moment. 254 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,159 If the motor stays revved up, 255 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,999 the hopper won't drop, so you'll start feeding dirt 256 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,599 through your fans, which will wear your fans out, 257 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,759 and you'll never get any dirt on the truck. We can't work without this. 258 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:13,239 Without the blower, Kelly's operation grinds to a halt. 259 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:25,439 If they can't fix the blower, their opal mining will stop for over a week. 260 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,719 This is the last day. Last day. 261 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,599 Today is our last day before we have to go back 262 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,159 to our real job, so it needs to get fixed. 263 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:44,519 Mintabie, South Australia... 264 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:46,599 Let's go in and have a look at some opal. 265 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,879 Jeff? 266 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,719 Rookie Justin's hoping to make a quick buck, 267 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,639 buying and selling rough opal from veteran miner Jamie. 268 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:00,799 Here, you can have that. 269 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,399 All right, what's in here? 20 ounces of potch. 270 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:10,519 20 ounces of potch. Most miners grade their rough opal for sale 271 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,759 with "A" being the best quality opal and "C" the lowest. 272 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,159 So, this is what you found in the last trip 273 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,119 or this last week? Yep. 274 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,519 That's the last session we'd done. All right. 275 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:29,359 OK, so, you've got, erm, A, B and C. 276 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,439 So, you've got eight ounces of "A", 12 of "B", and 28 of "C". 277 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,279 Let's look at "A" first. 278 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:39,719 There are lots of little tricks in the opal-buying trade. 279 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:43,559 Some people will mix really good opal with crap opal 280 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,319 and then try and ask for a premium because there's some good stones in there. 281 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,959 They will not sort the opal or class the opal properly, 282 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,279 so it makes it a bit more confusing. 283 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:56,519 Just, so I know what I'm looking at, how much are you wanting for, 284 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,279 er, the parcel or... Obviously, what have you got on "A"? 285 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,719 For "A", we've got... 286 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,199 ..1,150 an ounce. 1,150 an ounce? Yeah. 287 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,119 Wow. 288 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,199 There's all these little tricks of the trade that can come out. 289 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,679 So, you've just gotta be aware of those things 290 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,239 and follow your gut, and if it doesn't feel right, 291 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:23,679 get out and look at somewhere else. 292 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:27,039 The opal quality is very important, you've gotta look for 293 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:29,839 the little, tiny fracture lines in between, 294 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,319 like, on the edge of the opal, so you wanna see it like glass. 295 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,519 So, what are we looking at, the total? We work out the price. 296 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,279 When I'm holding that bag of opal, 297 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:42,199 I'll put the price that I will let it go for. 298 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,199 Yep. You know, like, any less than that, 299 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,119 I'd rather just keep it. The opal buyers, I do the hedging 300 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:53,399 because they wanna barter with me, and I don't barter, I just go, "No, it's cool." 301 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:56,879 I think he's a really nice bloke, but at the end of the day, 302 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,759 he's gonna get the most for him, so he can keep mining. 303 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,559 You've gotta be on your game, you've gotta make sure 304 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,679 that you're not gonna get ripped off. You've gotta be, you know, 305 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,239 clued-up enough. And unfortunately, 306 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,999 I'm right at the, er, rookie-stage of things, 307 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,519 where I don't really know a lot about this industry. 308 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,479 What are you thinking for the price, what have you got on it? 309 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,159 Well, that's what it comes to. 14? Yep. 310 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:22,759 Ooh! We can round that down a little bit. 311 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,959 It is quite... It is quite steep. 312 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,439 I'm not sure if I really wanna get it. 313 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,719 Where we're digging, that dip should be nice. 314 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,119 Yeah, it looks like something might happen. 315 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,679 You gotta make money doing this stuff, Greg, or we... 316 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,199 We've put a lot of work into it and... That's right. 317 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,359 With their Dragonfly claim not paying off, 318 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:04,359 Aaron and Greg have returned to their off-grid camp for help. 319 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:10,439 Tesla Cedric has mined in these parts for over 40 years. 320 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,399 Tesla. Good day, good day, boys. Good day. 321 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,839 Tesla. We call him the Mighty Tesla. 322 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,359 He's been around here a long time. Tesla. Greg. 323 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,839 I've known him ever since I could remember, like, 324 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,999 he worked at the Dragonfly with Dad, that's where they pulled that money out. 325 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,999 Three or four hundred thousand. He's a bit of a legend. 326 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,279 Aaron and Greg hope he can tell them 327 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:35,039 where to dig next. We're doing a job 328 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:37,879 up at the top. They're gettin', gettin' a bit of colour. 329 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,679 Ah, right, up at Dragonfly? Yeah. Oh, yeah. 330 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,959 Old Dragonfly, huh? You dug there a few times, eh? 331 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,639 Yeah. Yeah, he dug there with his father. 332 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,919 Yeah, where'd youse dig up there? 333 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,799 Far end. Next to the other peg. 334 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,279 Yep. There was the most beautiful opal there, 335 00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,919 like, three-foot deep. Aye. 336 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,879 So, when your father come back, he just jumped for the joy, 337 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,959 he couldn't believe it. Yep. 338 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,679 There was opal every hour you put in. 339 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,799 Sadly, your father broke best one, you know? Yeah. 340 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,839 He was impatient, and whack... 341 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:20,799 Woosh, I pulled excavator out, I walk out, I finish. 342 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,399 There's a lot of stuff still there, too, I reckon. Yeah. 343 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:30,879 I look, nobody went deep. 344 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,599 See you, Tesla. See you later, young man. Thanks for popping in, mate. 345 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,079 See you later, Henry. See youse, eh. See youse. See you later. Good luck. 346 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,279 Tesla was telling me no-one's dug the deep level out the front. 347 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,959 It's never been touched. They just took the shallow level. 348 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:49,399 The deep level is all still there, and we're digging it now. 349 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,679 I'll drive. Yep. 350 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:56,119 With the encouraging news that they're in the right spot, 351 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,919 the boys waste no time getting back out to the claim, 352 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:01,999 and back to work. 353 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,959 Holy kaloo. Look, colour. 354 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,079 Colour in the skin. I was looking there 355 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,719 going, "Dead," but it's in the skin. 356 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,879 Nice colour, too. It's looking... 357 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,959 Imagine one of them... Trying, mate, she's trying. 358 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,639 One of them loaded, mate. It's payday. 359 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,399 Oh, I might've wrecked her. 360 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,599 More for Phillip? 361 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,679 Yeah. Opal's trying to get into them bigger, harder rocks, 362 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,879 is what we want. Here, mate. 363 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,279 Knock her out, mate. Knock her out. 364 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,999 That's opal mining. The ground's gonna make a mistake. 365 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,479 Boulders and everything has gotta be in the right spot, 366 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,759 and you can get one loading up. 367 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:04,959 Yeah. 368 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,919 These rocks here are getting a bit harder, aren't they? They are. 369 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,679 Have a look at this, Aaron. Oh, what! 370 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,119 Now, that's opal, aye. 371 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:41,359 Wow, have a look at that! Wow. 372 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,919 Have a look at this, Aaron! Oh, what? 373 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,679 Have a look at that! Wow! 374 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:05,359 That's what this is all about. Look at this. 375 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,079 Look at that. Now, that's proper opal, mate. 376 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,359 That might be the king stone, aye? 377 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,639 Now, that's what it's all about, Greg. Yeah, that's right, aye. 378 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:18,159 Pinfire. You're a beauty! 379 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,359 That's a beautiful rock, isn't it? Oh, look at the pattern in it. 380 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,959 Now, that is opal, mate. That just made our day. That's what we've been looking for. 381 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,279 You might move a hundred tonne, or millions of tonnes of soil, but... 382 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:31,679 Beautiful colour, isn't it? There's no sun. 383 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:33,959 There's no sun. That's how good this opal is. 384 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:36,519 Good opal looks at you, you don't have to look at it. 385 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,759 Beautiful opal. We'll give her a slice later. 386 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,199 Doesn't that make you smile? 387 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,079 Yeah, that makes you smile, Greg. 388 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,959 I told you, that the good opal will make me smile, mate. 389 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,079 Who's the losers now? That's right. 390 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,159 Winners are grinners. 391 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,919 Champion Ruby. 392 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,079 Hey! Hey! 393 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:05,759 Dad will be happy now. 394 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,079 He'd be very happy. That's where he wanted us to dig. 395 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,079 He'd be proud of me, proud of us. 396 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,839 Keen to see if the opal runs right through the stone, 397 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,079 they head back to camp to cut it open. 398 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,079 Yee-hah, grandma. Yee-hah, grandma. 399 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:27,879 It's good to see. 400 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,639 Takes the burden off everything, too. You're like, you know you can keep going. 401 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,239 When you see things like that, it picks you up a bit, eh? 402 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,159 It's a nice Boulder Opal. We're gonna saw it up in a minute, 403 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:41,959 and hopefully, it's got a lot more in it. 404 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,239 We're gonna have to find the thin blade. 405 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,119 Ah, it's a beautiful colour, Aaron. 406 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,719 The boys will have to cut their precious rocks 407 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,119 using a masonry cutter and diamond-tipped blade. 408 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,519 If the opal runs all the way through the stone, 409 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,999 it could more than double its value. 410 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,519 The problem is that it's not picking that up 411 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:17,919 to lift that off. Yeah. 412 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,599 Kelly, Mark and Dwayne are marooned above ground 413 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,999 trying to fix a home-made blower vital to shift their mined earth. 414 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,159 You just gotta be a bit of a bush mechanic. 415 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,639 Gotta be able to fix anything, patch everything up, 416 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,599 and just keep it going, just to get it through a bit further. 417 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,639 One thing doesn't go, then you don't go. 418 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,479 It's the boys' last day on the opal hunt 419 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,039 before returning to their shift work as coal miners. 420 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:47,839 If they can't get the machine repaired, 421 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,919 their season will stall for another week. 422 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,999 Oh, we're gonna give it a run. 423 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,399 That's not right, but we'll just see how it goes. 424 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,519 You'll be all right. You just gotta be a delicate operator. 425 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,839 The blower is working, but they've lost valuable time. 426 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,159 There are now only a few hours left in the day. 427 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:27,839 The pressure's on. We have to find it in here. 428 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:29,919 We have to find it. 429 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,519 Finally, a glimmer of hope. 430 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,599 Look at the colour of that. 431 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,839 Oh . Another one. 432 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,639 When you're underground, you get a little slicker of colour, 433 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:01,119 it's like, oi, oi, oi! Here we go! 434 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,239 That is a nice colour. It's a beautiful colour. 435 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,439 That's when you get that little shot of adrenaline. 436 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,919 I think, here she goes, this is brilliant. 437 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:15,799 I don't care if it turns to crap. Right now, it's pretty good. Woohoo. Bloody beautiful. 438 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,639 Can we get paid today? 439 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,679 We might get a bit of pay dirt. 440 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:28,239 It looks like good black opal, the world's most expensive, 441 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:33,919 worth as much as $35,000 for a fifth of a gram, retail. 442 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,919 But rough like this, straight out of the ground, 443 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,799 it could be worth just a tenth of that, 444 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,359 and Kelly will need all her cutting and polishing skills 445 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,999 to increase the stone's value. 446 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,479 Good day at the office. Let's go. All right. 447 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,919 But first, they need to wash the 20 tonnes of rock 448 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,359 they've sucked up, to see if there's any opal 449 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:02,439 they've missed underground. 450 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,359 It could be an opal bonanza... 451 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:12,639 ..or just a worthless pile of rocks. 452 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,319 It's a make-or-break moment for Greg and Aaron. 453 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:21,479 With a diamond-edged blade, Greg's cutting through 454 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:24,879 their best rock to see if there's more opal inside. 455 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,599 If you face a stone, you got one stone. 456 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,039 If you pop it open, you get to double it up. 457 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,119 You can get twice the amount of money. 458 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,879 Watch your hand in there. Yeah. 459 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,079 We've made a run. 460 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,919 Wow. 461 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,719 That's a gem. That's a gem, mate. BOTH: That's a gem. 462 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,599 It's got a bit of a caramel part, but that don't matter. 463 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:12,479 That's a beautiful colour, Greg. Isn't it? BOTH: Every colour. 464 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,919 What about there? Looks like it's running so far. 465 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,439 It's got a little bit of potch here and there, but cuts 466 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,439 beautiful little stones out of it. This could be the boys' 467 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:26,119 biggest find for years, and they're keen to get it valued. 468 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,279 Thanks, Dad. Left you 10%. 469 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:37,399 Margaret Geran is an opal cutter and wholesaler 470 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:40,199 with a special relationship to Greg. 471 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,479 Margaret is my sister. 472 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,159 She's come to value the boys' find. 473 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,919 Yeah, she cuts opal and sells it for the last 20 years or more. 474 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,439 There's money there. That's what we're chasing. 475 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,439 Beautiful. Look at that. How many carats there? My God. 476 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,399 You'll get somethin' out of that, and this bit. Yeah. 477 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,079 It's a beautiful stone. 478 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:06,079 I see top-quality gem crystal opal. Beautiful, big faces. 479 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,999 What is... What you reckon potentially we've got here? 480 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,159 I think it's 80. Look at that. It's just incredible. 481 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,439 $80,000. For Aaron and Greg, 482 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:31,799 it's one of the biggest single finds the boys have made in years. 483 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,399 It's a huge result, bringing their total so far 484 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:37,639 to $90,000. 485 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,319 The patterns are there, you don't have to move it. 486 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,839 You don't need the sun. It's gem, it's crystal. 487 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,839 This is why Queensland Boulder Opal is the best opal. 488 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:52,199 Good on you, Greg. No worries. Good on you, Marg. No worries. Thank you, boys. 489 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:58,399 Yeah, I'm very happy for everybody, especially Aaron. 490 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,479 Ah, he's been battling. 491 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,839 But, erm, he'll be all right now. 492 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,919 Dad will be happy now. That's where he always wanted us 493 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,639 to dig and he got that far. 494 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:14,119 He left that 10%, and it's lookin' all right so far. 495 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:18,679 Picked me up a little bit today. Picked me right up, actually. 496 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,399 I gotta have one beer, mate. One beer for the opal. 497 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,879 Only one beer for the opal. A pity Col wasn't here with us, mate. 498 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,919 Well done. Well done, Greg. Cheers! I'd say cheers to the opal. 499 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,159 Kelly is on her way to meet Mark and Dwayne 500 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,639 at their agitator. 501 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,919 We need something in this tail out, like even a couple of thousand. 502 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,079 Even if it's to cover some fuel, would be great. 503 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:54,119 Anything is better than nothing. If the opal Gods gives us something, we'll be happy. 504 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:59,239 Like a big washing machine, the agitator washes the clay dirt 505 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,679 off the stones, making it easier to spot any opal 506 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:04,759 they may have missed underground. 507 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,719 There is a lot of time and effort that goes into a tail out. 508 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,159 If you're blessed, you've got opal, and if you're not, you got nothing. 509 00:34:12,240 --> 00:34:14,239 Nada. 510 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,239 Now, for the moment of truth. Here it comes. 511 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:19,319 Here comes the mining chute. 512 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,079 When you have the tail out, you gotta be watching all the rocks, 513 00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:26,639 and see if there is a little flicker of colour in it, 514 00:34:26,720 --> 00:34:29,799 because it can still hide, even after it's been washed. 515 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:33,799 If it goes down the chute and goes over the side, it's gone forever. 516 00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,119 So, you wanna make sure you don't miss anything. 517 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:41,959 We've had tail outs, three-four hour-long tail outs, 518 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,359 no colour. That's a pretty hard pill to swallow, 519 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:47,439 because you get nothing. 520 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,879 The team are down to the last pile of stones. 521 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:56,879 If they don't find anything here, 522 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,599 they'll just have the half a dozen stones found underground. 523 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:10,839 There's colour in here. Nice colour. 524 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,159 Whoa! Whoa! A lot more than what we expected. 525 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,479 As soon as you see a bit of colour, you know, 526 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:33,999 initially you go, "Oh, shit. Wow." Then you get that little butterflies, 527 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:36,759 and you think, "Oh, yeah, this is gonna be all right." 528 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,519 And then, on closer inspection, it might be full of sand, 529 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,119 or the colour bar might not run all the way around. 530 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:46,399 It's... It's a problem I'd rather have than not, 531 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,239 is having opal in a bucket, but then I look at it, 532 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,079 and I think, "Well, what's it really gonna cut out of it?" 533 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:56,719 20 tonnes of dirt has been reduced to just a handful of stones. 534 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:03,559 Kelly has one last play to boost their tally for the week. 535 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:15,279 In Mintabie, Rookie miner Justin's trying to buy 536 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,359 a packet of rough opal, 537 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,839 hoping he can polish it and sell it on at a profit. 538 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,399 But Jamie is driving a hard bargain. 539 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:30,919 He's asked for $14,000 for three parcels. 540 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,239 Give me a minute. I'll let you do a bit of math. So, let me think outside. 541 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,639 Take your own time. Yep. All right. 542 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:40,559 We'll drop $500 on that one. 543 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:48,039 So, that makes it 14. 14 all up for the lot. 544 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,279 All right. I'll have a quick, little think outside. Give me one sec. 545 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:55,919 I know they know I've come all this way 546 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,639 to look at this opal. I'm not looking at any other opal, 547 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:00,799 so they might be jacking it up a little bit. 548 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,079 It's a very long way to come to not get opal. 549 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:05,799 So, I'm going home with that parcel. 550 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:11,319 All righty. 551 00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,839 All right, I've had a good think. Mm-hm. 552 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,279 We had a bit of a chat, too. Yeah? 553 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:31,759 Yeah. We decided we're gonna raise the price of that now. 554 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,199 No, we're gonna stick to our guns on that, anyway. 555 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,039 13 grand for the lot. 556 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,319 If you can take 12, I'll do it. 557 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,679 Tsk. I can't really, man. 558 00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,879 I can't go any less than 13. 559 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,319 I've already dropped a shitload off for these. 560 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:08,479 I would love it for less. 561 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:12,879 All right, I'll meet you in the middle. 562 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:19,639 Twelve and a half. 12.5. Yep. 563 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:23,959 All right, I think we've got a deal. All right. 564 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,919 Twelve and a half. Deal. Sounds good. Thank you. Thanks, Jeff. 565 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:33,239 $12,500 for three parcels of rare Mintabie opal 566 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,679 weighing 48 ounces. 567 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:38,759 I can't wait to get back home and get it on the cutting wheels, 568 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:42,399 and to just start seeing what these stones are gonna show up as. 569 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,079 Early estimate's, I think, I definitely will make my money back, 570 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,319 so it's not gonna be a loss. It cost me $12,500, 571 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,559 and I'm gonna try and turn it into $40,000, as a minimum. 572 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,159 Back in Coober Pedy, 573 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:02,959 Justin's keen to show off his stash to mentor John Dunstan. 574 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:06,399 There's two Cs and two Bs. 575 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,839 Mm. I see. How much did you pay for this? 576 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:20,839 Twelve and a half. My God. 577 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:24,319 Bit... Bit too dear? Oh, my. 578 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,879 If you bought this opal to resell it and make a quick turnover, 579 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:34,559 you'd lose money. Oh, really? Mm. Wow. 580 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,679 There's nothing jumping out at me here. 581 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:40,999 It's... It's all low-grade stuff. 582 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:43,279 No, it didn't feel very good hearing 583 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:46,439 that the parcel wasn't as worth as much as I thought. 584 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:48,759 But I felt under pressure because I drove 585 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,079 all that way up there to get the opal. 586 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,919 Little bit disappointed in myself that I probably didn't see the signs. 587 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,159 If you buy three, four opal parcels, 588 00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:02,119 one will be a dud. So, the others have to cover for it. 589 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,199 That's normally how it goes. 590 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:06,439 So, Justin's just bought a dud. 591 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:09,199 You know, when you're buying opal, 592 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:13,599 you have a couple of winners, and you have a loser. 593 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,239 They're not all winners. Yeah. So this one's... I'd class it as a loser. 594 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,159 Personally, with Jamie, you know, some people would go, 595 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:24,519 "Oh, I don't trust him any more," but, no, I think, for me to be able 596 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:26,599 to learn the ropes of this industry, 597 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:28,999 I've got to make a couple of blues now and again. 598 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:31,159 I had to make a quick split-second decision, 599 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:34,079 say yes or no, and I said yes, and it was just too much. 600 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,559 But I wanted that opal, and I wasn't gonna leave Mintabie without it. 601 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:43,119 Justin's first foray into opal buying will bring in zero profit, 602 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:48,399 and he's no closer to this season's solo target of $75,000. 603 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,839 Even if I was broke on the bones of my arse, 604 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,319 and I could just afford a pick and a shovel, 605 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:57,199 well, I'll dig holes by hand. 606 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,119 Just gonna trim him up, and make him a bit better shape, 607 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:08,199 to maximise the profits. 608 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,439 The less you give the boys a chance to whinge about it, 609 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:14,319 and reveal... Look at that, it's a beautiful pattern. 610 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:19,199 ..how beautiful she is, the better price, in theory, you should get. 611 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:25,039 In Lightning Ridge, Kelly's hard work has produced some promising opal. 612 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:30,519 There's another nice, little crystal in here I gotta find. 613 00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:35,919 I'm quite surprised with this. It's quite nice, that's a nice stone. 614 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,999 It's got a nice roll, colour-play. 615 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:40,959 This one had sand in it. I thought it wasn't gonna come out. 616 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,879 But it's, yeah, come up not too bad, jelly bean. 617 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,399 A deformed jelly bean... 618 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,479 All right, I've gotta bag it up. 619 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,719 Right, Carl, you better pay for this parcel, cos I'm comin' to getcha. 620 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:02,159 Kelly's parcel of 21 stones is mainly medium-value crystal opal 621 00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:07,159 of varying colour, with a few expensive black opals. 622 00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:10,279 They're rubbed clean, but they're small. 623 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,119 For Kelly's haul this week, she's hoping to get 624 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:17,919 $7,000 for the lot from local buyer Carl Babbage. 625 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:23,639 There's a couple of nice rubs there. Reasonably clean, too. 626 00:42:23,720 --> 00:42:25,959 I'm not feeling big dollars yet. 627 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:38,599 There's some nice colour, I'm not seeing a lot of meat in there, though. 628 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,479 I reckon 5,000 bucks pulls it up. That's what I reckon. 629 00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:46,599 All right. I was hoping for seven. 630 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:51,319 Yeah, er, seven's going, unfortunately, a little bit 631 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,279 beyond what I was thinking. Throw me out your best price. 632 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:58,959 Er, five and a half, six, something like that. 633 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:01,959 Is that a five and a half or a six? Ah... 634 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,519 OK, six. 635 00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:09,479 Yep, all right, OK. You all right? 636 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:12,679 Six grand? Put it there. All right, thank you. No, thank you. 637 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:19,559 Kelly's sale brings her total so far up to $28,000. 638 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:23,079 Yeah, well, we've moved it on. Erm, probably, you know, 639 00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,239 would've liked a little bit more, but he's been pretty consistent 640 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:29,719 in buying and coming close, to our mark, so had to churn it over. 641 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:33,879 So, yeah, done. We've covered cost, so that's the main thing. 642 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:37,279 Opal mining, to me, is not about the money. 643 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,959 While it shows you that little bit of beautiful colour, 644 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:42,639 and it exposes itself to you, you could just go, "Yeah, 645 00:43:42,720 --> 00:43:45,279 this is brilliant." I don't care if it turns to crap. 646 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,519 Right now, it's pretty good. 647 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:50,759 subtitles by Deluxe 647 00:43:51,305 --> 00:44:51,265 Support us and become VIP member to remove all ads from www.OpenSubtitles.org