Travel to Australia, and watch this real life documentary, of people mining the Opal gemstone.
See our other videos, for the latest, HIGHEST QUALITY episodes of the Australian series Aussie Gold Hunters, Gem Hunters Down Under and MORE!
See our other videos, for the latest, HIGHEST QUALITY episodes of the Australian series Aussie Gold Hunters, Gem Hunters Down Under and MORE!
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TVTranscript
00:00On Outback Opal Hunters, the tunnel rats are under threat from poison gas.
00:07If he's down there for too long and passes out, I'll probably kill him.
00:10Apprentice Sam steps up.
00:12Look out mate!
00:14Get out of the way!
00:16To get a new mine up and running.
00:18And rookie miners The Palms go deep underground for the very first time.
00:25That ceiling looks a bit dodged.
00:28It's just falling off when I'm touching it.
00:52The end is coming very close for us.
00:55To know that finally, after 20 years, I'm on Opal, and I'm on good ground,
01:01and then I have to leave that behind, that's what's pissing me off the most.
01:05Minterby, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert.
01:09Summer temperatures consistently climb above 40 degrees.
01:15So now we'll drill some holes and do a blast.
01:20Tunnel rats Rodney Pearce, Son Baden and partner Lees are in a race to find Opal.
01:27Their chosen mining technique, explosives.
01:31First bomb, in the hole.
01:33They've set three bombs.
01:35We'll fire them, we'll head into a safe zone, we'll count them going off.
01:40It's just so important to make sure that every single bomb's going off.
01:45If you're going in there and there could be an unfired explosive in there,
01:49it could actually go off, which is deadly.
01:56I only heard two.
01:59Looks like we've got a misfire.
02:03Could be anything. It could be a little cut in the fuse.
02:06Leesie, just stay here. I'm going to go down there and check on that misfire.
02:11Once I know what's going on, I'll let yous know.
02:14If I have to blow it out, I'll have to blow it out.
02:16Dad, you stay there too.
02:19If the fuse is burnt, that creates heat.
02:23And if there's still heat within that explosive, the explosive can go off at any time.
02:30It's very dangerous.
02:35The tunnel rats are hunting Mintubee crystal opal, one of the world's most sought after.
02:42Still short of their seasoned target,
02:45the tunnel rats have just two months before Mintubee is permanently shut down.
02:51If I don't get at least $200,000, I'm stuffed. Dad's stuffed. We're screwed.
02:57We need money to be able to buy another place, another home.
03:07Right, son?
03:09Yeah, I found it.
03:11All right, I've got the misfire out of the hole.
03:26The bomb is now disarmed.
03:29Faulty fuse.
03:32Yeah. Good.
03:34I'm just making another bomb to put in the hole, so all good to roll.
03:39The home-made bombs contain enough ammonium nitrate explosive
03:43to blast through a metre of solid rock.
03:57All right-o. Lighting out.
04:00All right-o. Lighting out.
04:15Well done. All good. That was a good one.
04:18We're heading out to an old claim of ours at an area called Hidden Valley.
04:23We're going to pull the digger out of there and take it out to Aloha where we need it to keep mining.
04:30In the remote outback of New South Wales,
04:33Pete Cook and his 20-year-old apprentice, Sam Westra,
04:37are getting ready to do some heavy lifting.
04:41Yeah, so what we'll do, I'll just get the crane set up over the hole.
04:44I just hope it's going to lift it.
04:46Well, we will find out.
04:48Little has been found in their Hidden Valley claim.
04:51In an effort to rescue their Caesar, they're cutting their losses
04:55and hauling their one-tonne hydraulic digger out of Hidden Valley
04:59and into their Aloha claim.
05:01We still can't get a hold of Pete Cook.
05:04We've got to get a hold of Sam Westra.
05:07And into their Aloha claim.
05:09We still probably haven't had a claim that's consistently producing good money.
05:15The claim at Aloha is our best chance now to pull out some gems.
05:20Damage their only digger or get it stuck in the narrow shaft
05:24and their season will be as good as over.
05:27Hopefully it'll fit. I think it'll be a pretty tight squeeze trying to get it out, so we'll see.
05:32I'm going to back this as close to the edge of the hole as I can
05:37so we can hook the crane onto it.
05:39Hopefully the crane's got enough guts to pull it out.
05:43Don't put yourself in that hole.
05:45I don't want to have to pick you up out with the crane.
05:50They're hunting for one of the most valuable gems on the planet.
05:54Black opal, worth up to $43,000 a gram.
06:01If we don't find any opal this year, you'd have to have a bit of a think
06:05about whether you continued on.
06:07At the end of the day, I could be earning more money doing something else.
06:11I'd miss him if he left, though it would be a shame.
06:15I really hope we find some opal so that he can stay.
06:18Moving to their Aloha claim could be the last chance to hit their target.
06:23But first, they need to get the digger up the two-metre-wide mine shaft
06:28using their three-decades-old crane.
06:32I'm going to have to go up and then when the weight comes on
06:35it's just going to swing in and then take the full weight on the crane.
06:42There's still plenty of room for a disaster.
06:45Righty-ho, well, you're good to go.
06:52At one tonne, the ungainly digger is at the limit of the crane's capacity.
06:58It's coming.
07:05Cable up!
07:12There we go.
07:13How's that?
07:14Yeah, keep going!
07:18I can hear that crane struggling a bit.
07:21It struggles with the weight a little bit. It's right on its limit.
07:26It's a pretty awkward load for Pete, so I'll get up there quick
07:30and give him a hand to get it on the back of the truck.
07:43Is that the oil leaking out, is it?
07:45Yeah, we'll see. Look at the pissing out under there.
07:48That crane's blowing up.
07:50It must have blown something on the winch.
07:53There's a locking valve and that's supposed to hold the winch in place.
07:57I'm out, mate!
08:00Get out of the way!
08:06Down!
08:09That's nearly uncontrollable, that.
08:11Right, well, it's on there and we won't move it until it's fixed.
08:15A little bit touch and go there for the moment.
08:18You can see I've got oil pissing out underneath, so I'm very glad
08:21it didn't happen as we were pulling up out of the hole.
08:24That could have been a bit of a disaster.
08:33Whatever we've been doing, I've always had in my mind that this is where...
08:36Where we're coming to.
08:38We're going to be miners.
08:40We are going to be miners.
08:42Well, when I say we, I mean you.
08:44Are you going to do a bit of digging?
08:46Yeah, when you find the opal, I'll dig it out.
08:48Oh, yeah, I see. Deal.
08:51Ex-school teacher Carl Grice and jewellery maker Mary Macmillan
08:55have finally reached the scorching desert plains of Whitecliffs
08:59in remote New South Wales.
09:03It suddenly feels really real.
09:05I just hope it's what we've dreamed it to be.
09:07Three months ago, they sold their home,
09:10packed up their entire lives into a camper van
09:13and travelled across the country on their first ever quest for opal.
09:17We literally have sold everything apart from what's in the van.
09:21This isn't just a holiday for us.
09:23We need to make money from opal.
09:25So far, the rookies have struggled in the harsh outback.
09:29And now they're hoping their luck will change
09:32in the oldest opal field in Australia.
09:38Population, 200.
09:40Really? Oh, yeah.
09:42202.
09:44We chose Whitecliffs over one of the bigger fields
09:47partly because we've seen some of the opal that comes from here
09:50and it's absolutely beautiful.
09:52The Poms are hunting for the stunning pineapple opals
09:55that Whitecliffs is famous for,
09:57worth up to $500,000 apiece.
10:02Can't wait to get started.
10:04To help them, they've enlisted veteran local miner Graham Doughton.
10:11Welcome to Whitecliffs. Thanks, mate. Good to see you.
10:13How are you going?
10:14We've been very fortunate to have been in contact with Graham.
10:18He's a second-generation opal miner here in Whitecliffs,
10:20a bit of a local legend, and he's helped organise our claim.
10:23I've sorted out a bit of ground for him,
10:25part of the old historic opal field.
10:28What's special about this spot?
10:30I do know that there's actually been opal come out of just that section over there.
10:33So that's just on the edge of your claim.
10:35Oh, I can't wait. Can't wait to get in there.
10:38It's an old hole.
10:40You know, dug out over 120-odd years ago.
10:43This is a good option as a starter
10:45because your level is going to be somewhere between 20 and 30 feet.
10:48So we've just saved 20 feet of digging already, then.
10:50And 20 feet of the worst ground
10:52that you possibly don't want to actually go through yourself.
10:55Oh, superb. So we could be digging quite soon, then.
10:58Have you brought anything with you at all?
11:00I've got a spade and a bucket.
11:02OK, so you actually sound very unprepared at the moment.
11:05So you're really going to have to start from scratch
11:08and just put all of your gear together.
11:10You're going to have to go back and get...
11:12That's fair enough.
11:15Just pop down the shop and grab everything.
11:17Well, the shop where I'd be probably recommending will be Dubbo.
11:21How far is that?
11:23650km.
11:25650km?!
11:27This is why I asked.
11:29Did you bring anything with you just to save you that drive?
11:31You're kidding!
11:33A bit unprepared, Carl.
11:35Right, OK. I thought we were done with the long drives.
11:38I'm annoyed at myself for not doing my research before I turned up.
11:41I just assumed there would be mining equipment available here.
11:45That's going to take us a day to drive there and a day to drive back.
11:48I did suggest to Carl a few times
11:50maybe we should pop in and just grab something.
11:52But Carl said,
11:54don't worry, everything will be for sale there.
11:56What have you actually got?
11:58We've got hand tools.
12:00You haven't got any leads?
12:02One.
12:04OK, so you're going to need a couple of 25s.
12:06You're going to need at least two lights.
12:08We haven't got a jackhammer either.
12:10OK, a jackhammer.
12:12This is just all the basic stuff you probably could have brought with you.
12:14I'm worried about them at this stage.
12:16We're out here in Wycliffe's. This is serious mining country.
12:18You know, you can't toy around with this.
12:20I can't set up the mine and now I've got to drive,
12:22I think, 1,300km round trip
12:24to the nearest store to buy something.
12:26It's not what we need.
12:28It's extra money, it's extra time.
12:30Yeah, I'm not happy about it.
12:37My lack of preparation is poor.
12:39Now we've got to drive a very long way
12:41just to get some equipment.
12:44WHIRRING
12:49The gases after your blasts,
12:51it's nitrous oxide.
12:53It can actually cause
12:55big problems for your lungs.
12:57120m into their grasshopper mine,
12:59the tunnel rats
13:01are carrying out safety checks
13:03before they can let off more blasts.
13:05So what I'm doing is
13:07just sometimes
13:09I'll just create a bit of smoke
13:11or see which way that flame's going.
13:14So I'll know that the smoke's going to come this way.
13:16It's always good to know
13:18the direction of where your gas is coming from
13:20because sometimes, yeah, it'll just get locked up somewhere.
13:23That's one.
13:25Three.
13:27That all?
13:31Three.
13:33Two.
13:35One.
13:39As we get down deeper into the mine,
13:41the gases are taking a lot longer to clear.
13:43Very, very, very harmful to the lungs.
13:45It'll chop your lungs out.
13:47I can still smell it. It's musty.
13:49Like real stale.
13:51Yeah, we should go.
13:53Exposure to nitrogen dioxide
13:55fumes can cause respiratory
13:57problems, rapid heart rate,
13:59seizures and even death.
14:03It's taking longer to clear. Like Dad's saying,
14:05you know, you'd be lucky to put two sets of shots off for a day.
14:07That's bad.
14:09Back in the day, we used to put six or seven
14:12shots off, no worries at all.
14:16After a two-hour delay,
14:18Baden and Lees try and return
14:20to the mine face.
14:22No. That's stinky.
14:24No.
14:26So we can't just waste time,
14:28take three or four hours to clear out.
14:30Time's money for us at the moment.
14:32Baden!
14:34He can't help himself.
14:36Worst case scenario,
14:38if he's down there for too long and passes out,
14:40it'll probably kill him.
14:42Get out of there!
14:44Stinky?
14:46Yeah, it's too bad.
14:48I'm glad I wasn't down there for any longer.
14:50I'm already starting to get a bit of a
14:52head spin.
14:54I feel a little bit tired on the chest and feel
14:56just that little bit dizzy, so that's
14:58a good indication that I was down there
15:00for way too long.
15:02If the tunnel rats are to continue
15:04mining safely, they need to
15:06ventilate the tunnels.
15:09I'm definitely going to have to drill holes.
15:11I just can't wait that much longer anymore.
15:21That's not looking real good, that crane.
15:23That's not safe to use like that.
15:25Always something.
15:27The tyres or wheels, it'll cost
15:29you time and money.
15:31It's just not safe.
15:33At Hidden Valley,
15:35Pete and Sam have serious crane
15:37problems.
15:39It's pretty bad that way that winch
15:41is playing up, so we can't
15:43take it out to Alloa the way it is.
15:45It'll end up in a disaster.
15:47Yeah, mate, I agree.
15:49It was all going way too smooth.
15:51The crane is
15:53critical for lowering their one-ton
15:55digger 20 metres into their
15:57Alloa mine.
15:59It's difficult to see. I don't know how the hell you can get at it.
16:01It's giving me a headache no matter what, I think.
16:04Plan B
16:06is I've got another old
16:08crane truck that I use on another
16:10machine. It's unregistered,
16:12so I can't drive it out to Alloa, but what
16:14I might do is I'll put it on
16:16the back of this truck.
16:18It'll be a truck on a
16:20truck, so
16:22that'll be a fair old load.
16:24So, mate, see if
16:26we can get this old girl out of
16:28retirement, get her running.
16:30Yeah, mate, hopefully it won't be too much
16:33mucking around. Chuck a couple of batteries and bleed it up
16:35and it should start up.
16:37Pete's old crane has been
16:39abandoned five kilometres away
16:41at a disused claim.
16:43The truck itself
16:45is about worn out. The crane still seems
16:47to be okay.
16:49And that's the bit that we need.
16:51So we'll transport
16:53it out to Alloa.
16:55You've got these old gear. It's all
16:57come here to die, really.
16:59So you've just got to make the best out of what you've got,
17:01basically. Just patch it up, keep it going.
17:08Yeah, that's on the back there.
17:10Only just, but it made it.
17:12Now we'll head back to the shed
17:14and put the digger and the
17:16power pack on the back of the
17:18top truck. Next step,
17:20get that digger down the hole.
17:22We'll be ready to go tomorrow
17:24or the day after.
17:28But the next day
17:30there's bad news.
17:34Oh no.
17:36What have you done?
17:38I've wrecked my shoulder.
17:40How'd you do it? I've lifted
17:42the jerry can of fuel up and it's just
17:44gone bang. It's just exploded.
17:46I knew I'd torn something.
17:48It was excruciating pain.
17:50I can't climb ladders. I can't go underground.
17:52Several
17:54weeks before it's back to good again.
17:56It's a pain. Yeah, it's a nuisance.
18:00Ahhhh.
18:06I thought we were done with all these long drives
18:08for now. I thought we'd literally get our
18:10gear and be down the shaft.
18:12In Whitecliffs, rookie
18:14miners Carl and Mary have been
18:16forced to make a costly and
18:18time-consuming detour.
18:20My lack of planning has cost
18:22us a lot. A 1300
18:24kilometre round trip
18:26to buy vital mining equipment
18:28they forgot to bring with them.
18:32Now they need to show mining mentor
18:34Graham they're serious about
18:36getting started. Good morning.
18:38We are back. You're back from Dubbo.
18:40Good to see you mate. Bit of a long drive.
18:42Yeah it was. But I think we've got everything
18:44now. We've got everything on the list.
18:46You know you get carried away in these hardware shops.
18:48Yep. Got the jenny. Got the jackhammer.
18:50Most important. Got some lights.
18:52Cables. Need some hooks for pulling
18:54the opal out of the wall. That's how confident I am.
18:56Oh way to go. I think we've covered it all.
18:58The POM's unexpected
19:00shopping trip has cost them
19:02$3,000.
19:04Most of our pot of money
19:06has gone. We really need to
19:08get the mine set up
19:10and crack on and find some opal now.
19:12At the moment we've just got a hole
19:14in the ground and a shaft which
19:16was built 100 years ago maybe.
19:18So today we're going to have to build
19:20a metal collar which is a frame around
19:22the top of that shaft to make it secure.
19:24These holes are really deep.
19:26I measured the one that we're going to use
19:28at 27 feet.
19:30And the sides are very
19:32very steep to it where all the rubble is.
19:34So it's a little bit sketchy around there.
19:36And the collar has got to
19:38support the entire
19:40shaft. It's going to be our entry and exit.
19:42So it has to be secure. It has to be safe.
19:44You're a machine.
19:46I'm going to sit back and watch you.
19:48I'm not going to feel right
19:50if I don't work a sweat off today.
20:00Are you alright?
20:04Snug as a bug.
20:06It's a bit hairy watching Carl
20:08see close to a hole.
20:10It is a big drop here.
20:12So just be
20:14really careful.
20:26Look at that.
20:28Spot on mate.
20:34Let me just get the next one.
20:42I'm really excited
20:44now. Yeah, I can't wait to get down there
20:46and have a look what's there.
20:48The reality is we've got our own mine.
20:50We're going to start digging in there.
20:52And I can't wait to find that first piece of opal
20:54that I can cut and marry and set.
20:56Because that's our dream.
20:58And our dream is very very close now.
21:00Keep it steady.
21:02Now keep your toes in.
21:04Push that ladder out.
21:06Keep it out.
21:08I see, yeah.
21:11It's a bit wobbly.
21:15Crikey.
21:17I think this ladder's
21:19as old as the mineshaft.
21:23I'm at the bottom.
21:25How's it looking
21:27down there Carl?
21:29Blimey.
21:31The walls are a bit crumbly.
21:33How's the ceiling looking?
21:35I mean you need to really just check that first.
21:37The roof is a bit as well.
21:39Oh blimey.
21:41It's just falling off when I'm touching it.
21:43The 100 year old mineshaft
21:45leads to a network of tight tunnels.
21:47I'm going to go in there.
21:49Filled with tonnes of unstable
21:51dirt and rocks.
21:53It's like
21:55a maze down here.
21:57Oh, that ceiling looks a bit
21:59dodged. Get your legs out Carl.
22:09Well, I'm not really
22:11having much luck out there.
22:13Only due to the gas.
22:15Yeah, I'm not surprised.
22:17It's taken ages.
22:19Poison gas has forced the tunnel rats
22:21out of their grasshopper mine.
22:23Losing them half a day's mining
22:25as they race to find Opal
22:27before being evicted.
22:29Got to get rid of that smoke
22:31and the only way I know how to do it
22:33is to get the drill up
22:35and to drill
22:37some holes for ventilation.
22:39Is the old girl ready to go?
22:41Yep, I've
22:43done a bit of service on it
22:45and tuned it up.
22:47Their hopes rest
22:49on a 13 tonne investigator rig
22:51to drill the critical ventilation
22:53hole. But it's weight
22:55makes the 50 year old army truck
22:57it sits on unable to tackle
22:59the 5 kilometre of sand dunes
23:01in it's way.
23:03I'm probably going to have to pull you
23:05through that sand dune
23:07with the dozer. Oh, I would say so.
23:09We're not going to get through.
23:11We don't need to get it anywhere, we just
23:13tow it around with our bulldozer. We've got a D9H
23:15so it pretty much tows anything.
23:21With 410 horsepower
23:23the D9H gets
23:25to work.
23:27Everything
23:29went well,
23:31dozer went well,
23:33we can start drilling the hole.
23:37The plan
23:39is to drill a new shaft
23:41through 20 metres of sand and rock
23:43to release the trapped toxic gas.
23:49The gas will just get sucked out
23:51once it's out, I'll go straight back
23:53into work.
23:55We'll have to put 75 foot on
23:57to break through.
23:59That's all the augers
24:01that we've got to break through.
24:05After just 6 metres
24:07they hit hard iron stone
24:09cap rock that could destroy
24:11the tungsten steel teeth
24:13on the drill head.
24:17It's gone through.
24:19They thought the drill
24:21felt like it was moving a little bit
24:23skewy, so I think
24:25they want to pull it back up
24:27and just check the teeth on the bottom
24:29and make sure nothing's broken.
24:31Stuffed.
24:33All stuffed.
24:35Chewed out all the bullets on their drill head.
24:37Like to change out the bullets.
24:43It's going to be a tough job.
24:45Chewed out on their drill head.
24:47Like to change out the bullets.
24:51That's bad.
24:58The ground we call it a cap rock
25:00it's just so damn hard.
25:02So abrasive to machinery.
25:04Very, very hard.
25:06But in the rush to replace the teeth
25:08Baden's forgotten to wear
25:10protective equipment.
25:12What got you?
25:14A bit of metal.
25:16Had a little bit of a shard
25:18fly back, hit me on the eye.
25:20Just hold it on it
25:22for a while.
25:24It could have been really bad if it was in my eyeball
25:26but luckily enough it decided to go
25:28into me cheek instead.
25:30Give it another crack now we've got
25:32teeth, proper teeth on the head
25:34so we'll just give it another shot.
25:36Should drill better this time.
25:38After a 5 hour
25:40operation, it's time to
25:42check if they've drilled in the right spot.
25:44There's our hole.
25:46We said a bit there before didn't we?
25:48There, right there.
25:50Where we are here, this is where a lot of gas
25:52used to get trapped.
25:54Since this hole's been put in, the gas comes straight up here.
25:56So yeah, we're pretty happy
25:58the way it's worked out.
26:00It'll definitely help us get in here a lot quicker.
26:02So, we start getting back to work.
26:04It's just a pain in the neck.
26:06It really is. It's a bit of a blow.
26:08A tough mining season has finally caught up with Pete.
26:10His injured shoulder
26:12could derail their plans
26:14to get their digger into their last workable mine,
26:16Alloa.
26:18Hopefully it's a dampener on the plans a bit,
26:20don't you?
26:22It does.
26:24It does.
26:26It does.
26:28It does.
26:30It does.
26:32Hopefully it's a dampener on the plans a bit, don't you?
26:34It does.
26:36But I reckon we can still do it.
26:38Still put the digger down.
26:40Yeah.
26:42To keep their season alive,
26:44Apprentice Sam must take on the responsibility
26:46for their underground operations.
26:48Just keep lading it down.
26:50Down there is good.
26:52We can throw in the tower for four months
26:54or we can keep moving.
26:56Just means they've got to learn a bit quicker.
26:58You've just got to get in and give it a crack.
27:00Righto.
27:02Me and Pete, we've just got to keep going.
27:04Poor old Sam.
27:06He's going to have to just
27:08step up to the plate a bit
27:10and shoulder a heavier load.
27:14At the mine site,
27:16fellow Lightning Ridge miners
27:18Gav and Tim have been called in
27:20to provide Sam with some backup.
27:22Ladders?
27:24Rip them out?
27:26Well, if we do, it makes it easier.
27:28There's no reason they should be there.
27:30If we can get them all in one go, that'd be good.
27:32I'll give it a go.
27:34On the surface, Pete and Tim will operate
27:36the crane and lower the one-ton
27:38digger down the 20-metre shaft,
27:40while Sam and Gav
27:42must guide it in and reassemble
27:44it below.
27:46This worries me.
27:48It's all got to come out.
27:52The roof's got to be the sleep unit.
27:54It's not in the greatest state.
27:56And, yeah, we're just worried
27:58bringing the digger down, it might knock
28:00parts of this roof out.
28:02See that?
28:04Well, that could fall down
28:06then on top of us,
28:08on top of our heads. I know we've got hard hats on,
28:10but it still can sprain
28:12or break your neck.
28:14Wouldn't want our roof to cave in, that's for sure.
28:16The ceiling
28:18could be very soft and crumbly.
28:20Rookie opal miner
28:22Carl Grice is underground
28:24for the very first time.
28:26Boy, I mean, this place looks old.
28:28Opened up in the late 1800s
28:30and unused for decades,
28:32the mine is treacherous.
28:34The walls are a bit crumbly.
28:36You're out of the way, coming down.
28:38We've got to get it down.
28:40We've got to get it down.
28:42We've got to get it down.
28:44You're out of the way, coming down.
28:48Mining veteran Graham Doughton
28:50has found this claim for the poms.
28:52But until now,
28:54he hasn't been able to check the conditions
28:56underground.
29:00It's an old hole.
29:02And it hasn't
29:04been overly worked yet, so
29:06you've got plenty of direction to go off this.
29:08Just watch for any of these
29:10cracks just opening up a little bit
29:12anywhere.
29:14If you don't dig anything out too big
29:16down here, you're not going to have any dramas.
29:18It's actually a good hole for you to start on this one.
29:20How's it looking?
29:22Superbly. Yeah, it looks good.
29:26While the mine's got the green light,
29:28it still needs lots of
29:30work. There's quite a lot of
29:32backfill in there, a lot of old rubble.
29:34So that needs to come out before we can
29:36dig anything fresh. Critical to
29:38getting the dirt out is this
29:40350 kilogram tipping machine,
29:42costing the poms yet another
29:44$1,500.
29:46So the tip is really, really important for us.
29:48That's going to bring
29:50all the dirt up for us.
29:54You're going to grab a leg, you're going to walk them in, you're going to spear them
29:56into the ground.
30:04Oh, enough!
30:10Just lock him off there
30:12somewhere. Now it's obviously
30:14very unstable. What we're
30:16doing now is potentially a little bit dangerous
30:18because obviously if it falls down,
30:20it could clout one of us.
30:22Drag it just a little bit.
30:26Let's start putting the ladder together.
30:30This 18 metre ladder will allow
30:32a bucket of dirt to run up and
30:34down the mine shaft.
30:36There we go.
30:40Ready?
30:42One, two, three.
30:44After half a day's hard
30:46graft, it's time to put the
30:4850-year-old tipper to the test.
31:02Finally, you're ready to start
31:04digging, start listing dirt.
31:06Oh, fantastic. Thanks, mate.
31:08No worries.
31:16Hey, he's already punched through.
31:18We'll definitely get out of the way now because the sand's
31:20going to come down and it's in the dust to see it.
31:22Move out of the way and be safe.
31:28That's enough for me.
31:30The Tunnel Rats' new ventilation shaft is
31:32finally in place, but it will still
31:34take time to disperse all the toxic
31:36gas. We won't be able to do any
31:38underground mining, so
31:40until then, we'll have to do
31:42something else.
31:44While they wait, Rodney has
31:46a surprise plan B to
31:48find opal.
31:50Well, I've got a
31:52confession to make that while you're
31:54away, I used to dump
31:5620 litre containers of
31:58opal and stuff down a
32:00drill hole. Why did you do that?
32:02Because I had
32:04nowhere here to hide it. I didn't know what else
32:06to do with it, so I shoved it down a drill
32:08hole. I've had my camp broken
32:10into. I didn't want to
32:12run the risk of
32:14that happening again.
32:16So I thought, well, I'm going to
32:18put it down a hole. Oh, the old legs
32:20marks the spot. Exactly. So you buried
32:22your treasure. Exactly. I've been calling it
32:24my little bank, keeping it my little secret.
32:26That's called better than a kick in the teeth.
32:28How about we go and get it? How about it?
32:30You know, Dad
32:32is classed an old school miner.
32:34The old school miners, they
32:36do old school mining things
32:38like that.
32:40Alright, we'll follow you
32:42and, yeah,
32:44go and get it out.
32:52Well, I'm looking forward to seeing some colour
32:54come out of that hole, that's for sure.
33:00With
33:04countless drill holes to choose from,
33:06the team must rely on Rodney's
33:08memory to find the right one.
33:14That's what I remember.
33:16Yeah, I'm pretty sure
33:18it is. Well, it could be that one.
33:22We'll try this one first.
33:24Rodney's been struggling, definitely struggling.
33:26You can see it in him. He's getting very forgetful.
33:28He's not remembering to do
33:30lots of things.
33:32Yeah, we'll see how we go.
33:34Hopefully it's all lined up.
33:36There's like
33:38a piece of cardboard or something down there
33:40I can see. When we started putting
33:42the drill down and materials
33:44started coming up, I saw a bit of paper
33:46and all this kind of thing.
33:48I'm thinking, what the hell, we're drilling up a rubbish
33:50pit.
33:52And then lo and behold,
33:54that's got colour in it.
33:56Look at that.
33:58Opal and potch and all that
34:00sud coming up.
34:02That's a big bit of green.
34:04Some of them quite valuable.
34:06Dad,
34:08what the hell are you doing burying that?
34:10Look at that one. That's gorgeous.
34:12That's nice.
34:14Once it started coming up, there were just
34:16some quite big chunky bits and it was
34:18a lot of dark material.
34:20Oh yeah, that's nice.
34:22Oh, I'm stoked. That's awesome.
34:24That's a nice stone.
34:26That's probably another $300 stone.
34:28$400. The old
34:30X-Marxer spot did the job.
34:32How many more of these holes have you got?
34:36I knew that
34:38there was opal down there, but I didn't realise
34:40there was that much opal down there.
34:42For the tunnel rats,
34:44Rodney's hidden stash
34:46has delivered an unexpected haul.
34:48Over four kilos
34:50of rough opal.
34:54See that?
34:56Wouldn't want our roof cave in,
34:58that's for sure.
35:0020 metres below
35:02the parched outback,
35:04Rookie Sam is having to step up,
35:06installing a one tonne digger
35:08in the new aloe mine.
35:10Bringing the digger down might
35:12knock bits of the roof out
35:14with the state it's in.
35:16It's going to be quite a challenge.
35:18It's going to be quite a challenge.
35:20It's going to be quite a challenge.
35:22On the surface,
35:24injured Pete's relying on
35:26just one working arm
35:28and his 30-year-old crane
35:30to make the tricky descent.
35:32Rightio!
35:34Go down a bit there.
35:38Yes, and wheels are
35:40just touching the edge,
35:42so that'll help guide it.
35:44Rightio!
35:46Rightio!
35:48Rightio!
35:50Rightio!
35:56Oh, it's going to go close.
35:58Rightio!
36:00Rightio!
36:04There's always something,
36:06isn't there?
36:08The truck's radiator
36:10has sprung a leak, stopping the crane.
36:12Pete!
36:14Yeah?
36:16Lower it down a bit more.
36:18Just stop the truck to put some water in.
36:20And that's our water.
36:22That's it.
36:24The 500-kilo digger arm still needs to be lowered,
36:26but if the truck runs out of water,
36:28the engine will overheat
36:30and destroy itself within minutes.
36:32Righto, rock's coming down
36:34and the digger arm coming down.
36:38Rightio!
36:42Yeah.
36:44Alright.
36:46Rightio.
36:48Down gently.
36:52Keep going.
36:54Down a bit?
36:56Yeah.
37:02It's got to be in two pieces,
37:04and then one piece has to be suspended
37:06and reassembled at the bottom of the hole.
37:08And you need millimetre control
37:10over the crane to do that successfully.
37:12How's that?
37:14A little bit more.
37:16Too much.
37:18Too much on me.
37:20Slow, slow, we're getting close.
37:22I want the pin there close.
37:24Just put him in, yeah.
37:26That twist, that's it.
37:28That's it, that's it.
37:30You want it to go in, mate?
37:32So it falls in itself.
37:34That's good. All good.
37:36Tools copped the battery.
37:38Lucky it wasn't one of our legs
37:40or something.
37:42So that's the digger down,
37:44all ready to go.
37:46Unfortunately with Pete's shoulder,
37:48he won't be coming down,
37:50but we can finally get digging.
37:52It'll be my first time operating it,
37:54but we'll see how we go.
37:56Hopefully dig some gems out.
37:58So it'll be another first for me,
38:00running things on my own.
38:02With his first major test over,
38:04Sam's future is looking up.
38:06Good on you, Sam, for your car.
38:08You did well.
38:10All right, guys.
38:12Beer o'clock, eh?
38:14I think it's getting damn close.
38:24Finally, you're ready
38:26to start digging,
38:28start lifting dirt.
38:30In Whitecliffs,
38:32the Poms are one step closer
38:34to finding Opal in their new mine.
38:36I think you'd better get started, mate.
38:38With their 50-year-old tipper
38:40up and running,
38:42Carl can finally fulfill a lifelong dream.
38:44Ever since being a little kid,
38:46I've wanted to find treasure.
38:48If I started out wanting to be a pirate,
38:50that wasn't an option.
38:52But certainly finding Opal is an option.
38:54So to find that in the ground
38:56and be the first person to see it
38:58would definitely be a dream come true.
39:00Guys, I'm going to pull the cord.
39:02Rightio, we're watching.
39:04There she goes.
39:06When this thing comes down,
39:08you can imagine the weight in there.
39:12Stand clear down there.
39:16There it goes.
39:18Perfect.
39:20It was the perfect tip.
39:22A perfect tip.
39:24What about a perfect tip?
39:26Let the mining begin.
39:32This is where our dream meets reality.
39:36So the task at hand at the moment
39:38is to dig down another two or three feet
39:40before I can start to make any progress
39:42forwards towards the face
39:44to really chase the Opal.
39:46So there's a lot of work to be done
39:48before I can actually even hunt for Opal.
39:52So the next step on the process
39:54is to find some Opal
39:56and make some jewelry with it.
40:02We need to get going.
40:04Let's go find some Opal now.
40:16Yesterday, we drilled up
40:18all this material.
40:20I'd say about 150 ounces of Opal.
40:22Desperate for all the Opal
40:24they can find before eviction,
40:26the tunnel rats have dug up
40:28Rodney's buried treasure.
40:30Pays the bills, mate.
40:32They're counting on Lise
40:34to maximise its value on the cutting wheel.
40:36We managed to
40:38sort through a little bit last night
40:40and plucked out
40:42as you can see, quite a few big chunks.
40:44I'm going to give
40:46this one a rub in particular
40:48because it's really quite bright.
40:56In the past, when they've found Opal
40:58they've just, you know,
41:00separated it maybe into certain grades
41:02and then just sold it as rough.
41:04The dollar difference between
41:06the rough parcel and the finished product
41:08is on levels
41:10like this. You've essentially
41:12sold yourself out by selling it in rough form.
41:14But Lise has only
41:16one month's cutting experience.
41:18Can you have a little
41:20squiz at this one?
41:22So that brighter bar was that
41:24orangey one. I've got maybe
41:26half a mil of play there, so should I go
41:28down lower or not? I'd probably just
41:30leave it. If I rub stuff
41:32I can bring that to him and then we can
41:34critique it and then we can finish them off together
41:36and just learn
41:38the processes from start to finish.
41:40This is all just in
41:42this morning's cuttings. So that's
41:44what we got out of the hole. There's plenty more to go through.
41:46That's just fantastic. You can't
41:48get much better than that really, just digging it
41:50out of a bloody drill hole.
41:52But will Lise's handiwork
41:54impress veteran miner Rodney?
41:56Did you get a bit of gear?
41:58Yeah, I got a bit. I can't wait to see it.
42:00This is what we've been doing.
42:02A little bit.
42:04Do you want to show
42:06Dad? Little goodies.
42:08Made a little goody bag to show you.
42:10Oh wow.
42:12They're lovely.
42:14Well that was worth digging up, wasn't it?
42:16Well done boys and girls. Top job.
42:18Pulled out the treasure chest.
42:20My own opinion, what I think it's worth.
42:22Nothing worse than 10 grand.
42:2410 grand is what it is.
42:26At least.
42:28Rodney's treasure trove
42:30is made up of mintaby opal,
42:32milky white with blues and greens.
42:34They have 12
42:36grands, worth an estimated
42:38$10,000, bringing them
42:40even closer to the amount they need
42:42to secure a new future.
42:4610 grand's pretty good for a day's work.
42:48I don't think anyone would complain.
42:50Fantastic to see
42:52that colour again.
42:54Can you just
42:56step back and think,
42:58is there any other hole that you might have
43:00dumped over there?
43:02No. Are you sure?
43:04No, that's it. If you're happy with that,
43:06I'm happy with that.
43:08There might be opal miners there,
43:10they just do it for a job.
43:12But for us it's the passion to be able to
43:14hold your own opal and go, you know what,
43:16I've found it.
43:22I've found it.