Opal Hunters S05 E02

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Travel to Australia, and watch this real life documentary, of people mining the Opal gemstone.

Season 5 has 8 episodes.

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Transcript
00:00On Outback Opal Hunters, the Bushmen are back together, but with a new plane, new machinery
00:09and new partners.
00:10If you don't produce, they're not going to be patient with you forever.
00:13They're under more pressure than ever before.
00:19Pete and Sam start the season with a high risk engineering challenge that could hold
00:26the key to more Opal.
00:31And in their desperate hunt for Opal to pay off mounting debts, the Boulder Boys push
00:39some big machines beyond their capabilities.
00:43Whoa!
00:44What?
00:45I'm stuck.
00:46This is real hard sandstone, this stuff, and most diggers won't dig it, that's why they've
01:14gone to one of these super diggers.
01:16The power of this thing is just bloody phenomenal.
01:20That ram there, that's probably four, maybe five times more powerful than my digger, the
01:27one I've been using over at Bondi.
01:28It's a lot heavier, bigger, twin post.
01:31God, it lands you like an old mullet of christening.
01:37God, I should go home.
01:40Had enough already.
01:41No, you haven't.
01:43It hasn't gotten fun yet.
01:45Rod Manning and Les Watts, Opal mining partners for over a decade.
01:50This is hard work, never ends.
01:53It's always a pile of dirt on the ground.
01:56It is hard work on the double, but you can't have it easy all the time.
02:01He's the toughest bag full of cultures, he really is.
02:04You know, he's 74 years old.
02:07He burned all the skin off both arms and both legs and his chest, and here he is a few months
02:12later ready and raring to go.
02:15Late last season, an explosion put Les in hospital and nearly ended their partnership.
02:22Spark hit the top of the tin, and whoosh, and I copped it.
02:28I don't know whether it's being on a good diet or being really healthy, but it's healed
02:34up really bloody good and quickly.
02:39The Bushmen have started work on a 50 by 50 metre claim called Ploughboys.
02:45New partners and mine owners, the Hutchisons, have offered Rod a 50-50 share of any opal
02:51found.
02:52But now that Les is back, Rod will split his percentage.
02:57Of course I can't leave Les behind, you know.
02:59We've been together through thick and thin, so I'm going to get 25% and Les will get 25%.
03:06The deal is pretty bloody good actually.
03:08They supply all the air and all the diesel.
03:12All I've got to do is dig the opal out.
03:15$80,000 come out of just here.
03:18This section coming down through here, $200,000.
03:23We've got a future with these fellas, and it's something that we've never had before,
03:28which does bring a bit of pressure because we've got to produce to get that future.
03:33All right, are we right Les?
03:35Yeah, up and at it.
03:37Working with a new and powerful super digger in a proven mine, for the Bushmen, this is
03:42their best chance ever to strike it big.
03:45We've set ourselves a big target this year.
03:49We're going to set a target of $200,000.
03:52That's going to be mine and Les' share.
03:54$100,000 each, there's no excuses.
03:57We've got good gear, we've got a good mine.
04:00There's a lot of pressure on us to find bloody opal because we need it,
04:04but our partners need it too because they've invested all this money.
04:08If you don't produce, they're not going to be patient with you forever.
04:15I've been behind a few super diggers, but I think this is probably the best I've ever seen.
04:19Plenty of power is a beauty.
04:22The only drawback is you've got to be a little bit careful because of the power.
04:27If you've got something like this over you, you may not get out of the way in time.
04:30It's just going to send you.
04:33I just want to move forward a bit and get a bit more of that roof before we clean it right up.
04:39One of the things I like most about it is my roof.
04:42No more rocks falling on me head.
04:50Oh, Jesus Christ!
04:52Oh, please pull the roof down!
04:54Run away!
04:57From that beam to that beam, what were we?
05:0130, 20.
05:04Today is a big day.
05:06It's the first step of getting this mega wash plant up and running.
05:10Let's start rigging those chains up.
05:14In Lightning Ridge,
05:16Pete Cook and Sam Westra are setting up a precision move
05:20for a new $10,000 project.
05:23For these agitators to work properly,
05:25you've got to have them set up level.
05:27It's got to be exactly the right distance from the conveyor
05:30so the dirt goes into the agi and not misses it.
05:33So, yeah, getting the measurements right is crucial.
05:36The agi, or agitator,
05:38is a three-tonne converted cement mixer
05:41that processes opal dirt.
05:43Pete's big plan is to get four or five agis here.
05:46Pete already has four.
05:48Pete's big plan is to get four or five agis here.
05:51Pete already has one working agitator on site,
05:55which tumbles and washes away dirt,
05:57leaving only potential opal-bearing stone behind.
06:01At the moment, I can squeeze 15 cubic metres of dirt into the agi.
06:06Usually it'll take a day per truck to wash the dirt down.
06:09This season, Pete wants to expand his wash plant capacity five times,
06:14creating a mega wash plant
06:16and cash in on a growing demand for agis.
06:19I'll contract wash for other miners on percentage.
06:23So if I've got five agis,
06:25I can get 75 cubic metres a day processed.
06:28It's as simple as the more dirt you wash,
06:31the more chance you've got of finding opal.
06:34We're nearly ready to do this lift.
06:37It's a bit precarious.
06:39Moving the second agi into position
06:42requires two excavators working in unison.
06:46If Sam's pulling and I'm pushing instead of vice versa,
06:50it'll all go pear-shaped.
06:52It'd be a disaster if we drop it.
06:56All good?
06:57OK, straight up.
07:01It's going to be an agitator being picked up each end by the excavators,
07:05so we've got to do that in unison.
07:08Going round.
07:10Yeah.
07:14I'm going to go up a little bit more.
07:16Righto.
07:17OK, start going in.
07:19We haven't practised it or anything,
07:21so we'll just get it right first go.
07:24Looking good.
07:25Looking good.
07:26It's crucial to get it on here.
07:28We've got to get it in the right spot.
07:30Oh, you've got to come out, mate.
07:32Not quite that hectic.
07:34I'm going to just go in a little bit.
07:37Because it's a big bit of kit to be fucking around with.
07:42Prop yours up a bit, Sam.
07:46Steady, boy, steady.
07:49Right, just at that balance point, up a fraction.
07:57Righto.
07:58The eagle has landed.
08:03Right.
08:04Right.
08:07It's all well and good having five edges here,
08:09but if you're not moving dirt and not finding an opal,
08:11well, there's not much point.
08:14Pete and Sam are chasing the most valuable opal in the world,
08:18Black Opal.
08:20Last season, the partnership hit an all-time low.
08:24It was a pretty hard season.
08:26Pete did his shoulder.
08:28We went backwards in the money department.
08:31Not much at all, mate.
08:33It was shit, isn't it, really?
08:36Definitely crossed my mind just to go to a normal nine till five job.
08:40I can't see Sam sticking around if we don't find any money.
08:43This season's all or nothing for me.
08:46Don't find anything.
08:48It's hard to justify to keep going.
08:50We need more opal to get some more cash to finish this place off.
08:54So we're going to go hard.
08:56Season target.
08:58Going big this year?
08:59Yeah, big, mate, going huge.
09:01We go for 100.
09:02All right, 100,000 then.
09:04We can do it.
09:05Yeah, I reckon.
09:11First dig of the season, mate.
09:13See if we can pay for this bloody agent.
09:15Yeah, well, there's your own ten grand tied up there without any trouble.
09:20The key to their agitators bringing in opal,
09:23their Alawa mine, 20 kilometres outside Lightning Ridge.
09:27Until they start contract washing for other miners,
09:30all their opal has to come from here.
09:34The hole's probably about 60, 65 foot to the bottom.
09:38Wouldn't want to fall down there.
09:41Righto.
09:43We've got two drives that we would call them,
09:46one in each direction.
09:48So we have one machine working in one section,
09:51digging the dirt, while Pete uses the bogger,
09:54and then we swap.
09:57The bogger carries the mined dirt to the hoist.
10:02This hoist takes the dirt up into the back of our truck.
10:05The hope is the dirt contains knobbies,
10:08small nodules of opal caked in chalky dirt.
10:12It's pretty rare to see knobbies as you're digging.
10:14Usually you've got to wait till you've washed all the dirt down.
10:20Oh, for Christ's sakes.
10:22Sam, there's a break in the ladder.
10:25Something's damaged it or something.
10:27All right, I'll go up and I'll have a look.
10:40Oh, yeah.
10:41That's just snapped the weld there, mate.
10:44If we get the fucking cord on that,
10:46it'll just destroy the whole hoist.
10:55Oh.
11:01Dad was a bit of a hoarder.
11:03We've tidied it up a lot,
11:04but I just want to get everything down the shed
11:06and then I'll start cleaning up the house properly.
11:08Aaron Grotchen's dream to own his late father's house
11:12has finally become reality.
11:14Yeah, I just brought Dad to state
11:16and in the process of cleaning it up,
11:18want to open it up as a bit of a museum.
11:21Aaron's father, Arno, was a legendary local opal miner
11:26as well as an innovative artist.
11:28Yeah, pretty cool artwork.
11:31Look a lot better cleaned up.
11:33That's the goal, present all Dad's artwork
11:36and let the tourists come through and have a look.
11:38That was Dad's last artwork.
11:41Yeah, a lot of people look at it and think it's rubbish,
11:43but it's pretty cool, I reckon.
11:46Yeah, it's a lot of artwork down in the shed as well.
11:49He made artwork out of everything
11:51and I think people want to see it.
11:53But last season's haul of opal
11:55wasn't enough to secure the house.
11:58I didn't quite have the funds to buy the house
12:00and a good mate of mine, Eric,
12:02helped me out with the rest of the money to buy the estate.
12:05I needed about 80 grand.
12:07For the money I loaned, I was a little bit stressed out.
12:09I do got to find opal.
12:11Whoa, bloody hell.
12:13We're on colour, all right.
12:15Last season, Aaron and his mining partner, Ron Selig,
12:18found over $100,000 worth of opal.
12:21It's not a bad week's work.
12:23But flooding...
12:24Look at that, Ron.
12:25Bloody hell.
12:26..and machinery breakdowns...
12:28Did they just...
12:29..stalled their operation.
12:31Now, owing $80,000
12:33to his friend and fellow opal miner, Eric Hume,
12:37Aaron desperately needs a way to repay his debts.
12:44Me and Ron have done a bit of a deal.
12:46With Eric, we're partners.
12:48Me and Ron are on 15% each.
12:52I've got to pay Eric back with the opal I find,
12:55so it's up to me and Ron to find a bit of opal.
12:58As part of the deal, Aaron and Ron will work Eric's claim
13:02while he's away for much of the season.
13:04The perfect goal this year would be
13:06to pay my whole loan off and find $150,000 worth of opal.
13:10Known as Badlands,
13:12Eric's lease is three hours from the nearest town, Winton.
13:16They call it the Badlands because it's the middle of nowhere.
13:19I'm going to take Ron down and show him
13:21where we want to start digging.
13:26That's a little bit there, see?
13:28There's a bit of trace in there.
13:30You reckon?
13:33Look at that, blue.
13:34There you go.
13:35See?
13:36Yeah, it is, too.
13:37These are old workings from probably over 30 years ago.
13:40I've done a bit here, but this little strip here
13:42hasn't been done.
13:43We may be thinking of bringing the bigger excavator over here
13:46and start a face here.
13:50At almost half a square kilometre and covering two leases,
13:54Badlands has been mined on and off for over four decades.
13:59That's where the previous people here found their big money.
14:02Found a $970,000 parcel.
14:05Just there, yeah.
14:07We're not far away.
14:08From there across to there is all virgin.
14:11Hasn't been touched, so we've got a good chance.
14:14With their new claim comes a new camp,
14:17which Eric has started to build.
14:19Home sweet home, nonny.
14:21Oh, doesn't that look good.
14:23Hey.
14:24You need some dollars coming in, Ron.
14:26Yep.
14:27Well, every week you're not producing
14:29every week worth.
14:30Well, I'm going under anyway.
14:32I hope you have a little bit of luck
14:34and get enough to just keep your nose above water.
14:37Aaron's got the opportunity
14:39to give back what Eric's generously given him
14:42and he's got a ball and chain on
14:44and he wears it proudly.
14:54Oh!
14:55Christ, bro!
14:57F***!
14:58Oh!
15:01The wheel come down on me foot.
15:03Top roof relams let go.
15:06So all the weight of the digger
15:08all come down and it dropped
15:10and I had my foot up underneath it.
15:12These boots are safety boots with a steel cap around them.
15:15If you're not real careful,
15:17you'll cut your toes off.
15:23It's one of the problems of pushing too hard.
15:25You do silly things like that
15:27when you're not thinking.
15:29Because you're hurrying
15:31and that's when accidents happen.
15:33So what do you reckon?
15:36Let's get out of here, eh?
15:37Yeah, let's go out and have a cup of coffee.
15:41What we do out here is,
15:43it is dangerous.
15:45There's lots of accidents, you know.
15:47We've had deaths, we've had injuries.
15:49It does make you stop and think for a while.
15:52After a close call with a two-tonne digger,
15:55Rod and Les are heading home for a break.
15:58Life as an opal miner, it certainly ain't easy.
16:01It'll kick your arse,
16:03but you gotta keep getting up,
16:05getting yourself up.
16:06Rod lives off the grid,
16:0870 kilometres from the nearest town,
16:10with his wife of 23 years, Amanda.
16:13I've been trying to do something
16:15for me camp where I live,
16:17for me and Amanda,
16:18for bloody years.
16:20Basically, we live in a corrugated iron shack
16:23in the middle of nowhere.
16:25Amanda never complains about it.
16:27It can be challenging out here,
16:29especially in summer and that,
16:31but I like it.
16:32She's a good woman
16:34and I'd like to make it
16:35a little bit more comfortable for her.
16:37The two main things we want to do
16:39is some new solar panels.
16:40They need to be replaced
16:42and some new solar batteries.
16:44The batteries we've got there now are buggered.
16:46Our new water tank,
16:47you know, we need to get
16:49a bit more water storage, don't we?
16:51Yeah, we do.
16:52And we don't want to buy any more dogs,
16:54that's for sure.
16:55No, we don't.
16:57For 74-year-old Les,
16:59the situation's even more desperate.
17:02Yeah, I've got to upgrade my vehicle
17:04so I've got a good one to go to town in.
17:06Without even enough cash
17:08for a roadworthy car,
17:09his plans for retirement
17:11are in tatters.
17:13Les has got to start thinking
17:14about winding it down.
17:16He's got to have a little bit
17:17of money behind him.
17:18We're both bloody,
17:20busted-ass broke at the moment.
17:22It is probably about time
17:24I slowed down anyway.
17:25I don't want to be mining
17:27until I drop.
17:28I just want to ease out of it gently
17:30so I don't die in a hurry.
17:38I think she'll be right
17:39until we drive on.
17:40Well, I'll take it easy.
17:41I'm not going to push it, all right?
17:43I'll go over in front of you,
17:45make sure you don't pull into a hole.
17:47With an $80,000 debt
17:49hanging over Aaron's head,
17:51the Boulder Boys' season
17:52is finally underway.
17:54I'm going to slowly
17:55go over to Aaron,
17:56who's going to get in
17:57the 100-tonner,
17:58and then we're going to
17:59go over to a section
18:00that's very shallow.
18:01They're relying
18:02on two big machines
18:03supplied by claim owner Eric,
18:05a 30-year-old excavator.
18:07Yeah, this is
18:08a 100-tonne Komatsu excavator.
18:10Buckets are about
18:11six cubic metres,
18:12around about 500 horsepower.
18:14It's the biggest sort of
18:16excavator I've ever operated.
18:17And a 50-tonne loader
18:19with a faulty
18:20four-wheel drive system
18:22that puts it at risk
18:23of getting bogged.
18:24The loader's only got
18:25two-wheel drive,
18:26so we might as well go
18:27and try and find
18:28Boulder Opal.
18:29Aaron and Ron
18:30are hunting Boulder Opal,
18:32worth up to $20,000 a gram.
18:35There's just under
18:36a million dollar find
18:37down here in the creek.
18:38In central Queensland,
18:40Boulder Opal
18:41can be found on the surface
18:42or up to 30 metres down.
18:45It forms slowly
18:46over millions of years
18:48when silica-rich water
18:49becomes trapped
18:50in cavities
18:51within ironstone rocks.
18:58It's just good for Ron
18:59to get that rubbish
19:00off the top
19:01whether you've got to
19:02deal with it
19:03with the excavator.
19:04If you're right behind you,
19:05go back.
19:06I've got to be careful
19:07because if I get
19:08in a bit of a rut,
19:09I won't get out.
19:11Lovely.
19:12Tell your mother.
19:13Steady, steady
19:14is the way it's got to go.
19:16You can't push the machines
19:18because something
19:19goes wrong with them.
19:20It costs big dollars.
19:22We'll just take it easy
19:23in two-wheel drive
19:24and he can do half buckets.
19:28Whoa.
19:34Whoa.
19:45Lost him.
19:46Get out.
19:47Oh, Aaron,
19:48I'm stuck.
20:01Oh, f***.
20:02Nah, that definitely
20:03needs to be re-routed.
20:07If that bucket
20:08catches on the ladder,
20:09it's going to be
20:10a bit of a mess.
20:11It's going to be
20:12a bit of a mess.
20:13It's going to be
20:14a bit of a mess.
20:15It's going to be
20:17if it catches
20:18on the ladder
20:19on the way up,
20:20the winch will
20:21just keep pulling
20:22and it'll pull
20:23all the ladders out
20:24and then when they
20:25go up to the top
20:26then it'll start
20:27pulling the hoist
20:28back down.
20:29That would be
20:30another catastrophe.
20:31It's just too dangerous.
20:32I don't want to
20:33keep going like that.
20:3419 metres
20:35under the surface
20:36in Outback New South Wales,
20:37a broken ladder
20:38has brought
20:39Pete and Sam's
20:40first week of operating
20:41to a standstill.
20:42If we don't fix it,
20:43we can't mine
20:44and if she can't mine
20:45and if she can't mine
20:46you can't even look
20:47for opals
20:48let alone find any.
20:49Just going to put
20:50a weld
20:51straight across it
20:52are you?
20:53Yeah, I'll rig up
20:54put the harness on.
20:55You're right
20:56going down there
20:57with your shoulder
20:58and that?
20:59Oh, well
21:00got to be.
21:03Pete is still
21:04recovering
21:05from a recent
21:06shoulder surgery.
21:07Going up
21:08and down
21:09these ladders
21:10certainly tests
21:11the shoulder rebuild out.
21:12I'll put a
21:13safety harness
21:14on and a
21:15safety rope
21:16so that if the
21:17worst happens
21:18I'll be left there
21:19dangling.
21:20I feel for him
21:21that he's got to
21:22calm down and do it.
21:23I'm not that great
21:24of a welder yet
21:25but in this situation
21:26we don't have
21:27much choice
21:28otherwise you've
21:29got to pull
21:30all the ladders.
21:31Removing the
21:32ladders from the
21:33shaft would require
21:34dismantling the hoist
21:35and days of downtime.
21:41Not much roof
21:42down here?
21:43It's pretty tight.
21:49I love the smell
21:50of welding smoke
21:51in the morning.
21:58I think that
21:59should do the trick.
22:01You reckon
22:02that's all going
22:03to fix it?
22:04Yep, yep.
22:05We'll go down
22:06and get a load.
22:07See if we can get
22:08this truck full
22:09by the end of the day.
22:10That'd be good.
22:13It's going
22:14very good
22:15at the moment.
22:16The repair
22:17seems to be
22:18holding up.
22:20Haven't seen
22:21anything but
22:22in this sort
22:23of dirt
22:24you've got to
22:25wash it.
22:26You won't see it.
22:36It's a 20km
22:37drive back
22:38to Pete's
22:39wash plant
22:40with their first
22:4115 cubic metres
22:42of dirt
22:43this season.
22:45Oh this is
22:46good, good
22:47to see it
22:48coming in.
22:51Tomorrow
22:52this dirt
22:53will be all
22:54washed down
22:55to maybe
22:56a cubic metre
22:57or two
22:58and then
22:59we'll take
23:00that back
23:01to town
23:02and sort
23:03through it
23:04and hopefully
23:05there'll be
23:06some gems
23:07in there.
23:08We need
23:09to get moving
23:10Les,
23:11the pressure's
23:12really on
23:13me now
23:14because of
23:15this new
23:16partnership.
23:17If I don't
23:18produce
23:19I'm sure
23:20they'll get
23:21rid of me
23:22so I've
23:23got to
23:24show them
23:25that I can
23:26find opal.
23:27In opal
23:28rich ground
23:29with brand
23:30new gear
23:31the Bushmen
23:32are now
23:33three days
23:34into their
23:35new partnership
23:36and they
23:37still
23:38haven't
23:39found opal.
23:40They've
23:41had to
23:42cut off
23:43from a
23:44serious
23:45injury.
23:46How you
23:47travelling with it?
23:48You going
23:49alright?
23:50Yeah I'm
23:51alright.
23:52Your arms
23:53alright?
23:54My arms
23:55everything's
23:56good.
23:57Heart's
23:58alright?
23:59It was
24:00last time
24:01I checked
24:02it.
24:03I don't
24:04want to
24:05wear you
24:06right out
24:07you're only
24:08half wore
24:09I've got
24:10the seam
24:11up there
24:12but I'm
24:13not stopping
24:14digging
24:15until we
24:16hit colours.
24:17Seam opal
24:18is easily
24:19seen
24:20and can be
24:21pulled
24:22straight out
24:23of the wall.
24:24I put
24:25my digger
24:26teeth
24:27up in
24:28there
24:29and I
24:30bust
24:31that little
24:32bit
24:33of black
24:34seam
24:35and there's
24:36a big
24:37line
24:39that's
24:40a big
24:41fan
24:42it's
24:43spinning
24:44at about
24:451500
24:46RPM.
24:47Supplied
24:48by their
24:49partners
24:50the blower
24:51is more
24:52powerful
24:53than
24:54anything
24:55the
24:56bushman
24:57have
24:58used
24:59before.
25:00It
25:01can
25:02suck
25:03dirt
25:04up to
25:05the
25:06surface
25:07at a
25:08great
25:09pace.
25:10I
25:11think
25:12you
25:13better
25:14get
25:15up
25:16here
25:17and
25:18have a
25:19look
25:20at the
25:21blower
25:22it's
25:23a
25:24hell
25:25of a
25:26mess.
25:27Yeah
25:28alright.
25:29Where
25:30are you
25:31Les?
25:32What's
25:33the
25:34problem?
25:35What
25:36the
25:37Oh
25:38Jesus
25:39Christ
25:40Oh
25:41no
25:42the
25:43fan
25:44has
25:45moved
25:46on the
25:47shaft
25:48out
25:49Oh
25:50****
25:51What's
25:52happened
25:53is the
25:54great big
25:55fan
25:56inside
25:57here
25:58it's
25:59moved
26:00back on
26:01the
26:02shaft
26:03caught
26:04on the
26:05side
26:06if
26:07I
26:08could
26:09put
26:10$10000
26:11down
26:12the
26:13drain
26:14cos
26:15that's
26:16what it
26:17is
26:18I'd
26:19push it
26:20straight
26:21back on
26:22the
26:23engineer
26:24lot
26:25of the
26:26welding
26:27ain't
26:28done
26:29good
26:30enough
26:31and
26:32now I
26:33gotta
26:34go and
26:35Oh
26:36Aaron
26:37back
26:38down
26:39slipped
26:40off
26:41At
26:42the
26:43new
26:44claim
26:45of
26:46Badlands
26:47Ron
26:48has
26:49backed
26:50the
26:51$50,000
26:52loader
26:53into
26:54a
26:55ditch
26:56You're
26:57gonna
26:58have to
26:59pull me
27:00out
27:01Oh
27:02you
27:03want
27:04to
27:05go
27:06down
27:07a
27:08bit
27:09further
27:10further
27:11further
27:12I
27:13reckon
27:14that'll
27:15do you
27:16there
27:17nice
27:18and
27:19gentle
27:20don't
27:21want to
27:22damage
27:23anything
27:24Nick
27:25you just
27:26hook
27:27on and
27:28then pull
27:29me
27:30That's
27:31alright
27:32keep
27:33going
27:34We're
27:35in
27:36I
27:37won't
27:38tell
27:39anyone
27:40about
27:41it
27:42With
27:43the
27:44loader
27:45free
27:46Aaron
27:47is
27:48ready
27:49to
27:50get
27:51on
27:52the
27:53road
27:54to
27:55the
27:56new
27:57land
27:58With
27:59the
28:00loader
28:01free
28:02Aaron
28:03in the
28:04100
28:05ton
28:06excavator
28:07can
28:08start
28:09open
28:10cut
28:11mining
28:12the
28:13ground
28:14We're
28:15gonna
28:16be
28:17really
28:18careful
28:19I
28:20think
28:21it's
28:22a bit
28:23of
28:24an
28:25overkill
28:26but
28:27it's
28:28quite
28:29hopeful
28:30They're
28:31trying to
28:32reach a
28:33patch of
28:34virgin
28:35ground
28:36missed
28:37by the
28:38previous
28:39miners
28:40We'll
28:41just take
28:42that
28:43mullock
28:44out
28:45there may
28:46be
28:47virgin
28:48on the
28:49other
28:50side
28:51But
28:52first
28:53they must
28:54remove
28:55the
28:56that they miss.
28:59We've got a little bit of pots going into blue-green.
29:04All sitting in the mullet, see?
29:12Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
29:14What?
29:15Stop!
29:16Have a look at that!
29:17Whoa!
29:18Hell, you wouldn't expect to find that in a mullet
29:21too often, would ya?
29:24As you went over, I just bloody looked
29:25and I could see that flash.
29:27That's over, right?
29:39Right, mate, let's have a look.
29:41After washing a truckload of dirt,
29:44Pete and Sam are left with one tonne of washed rocks
29:47to check for gems.
29:49The idea is to spread it one stone thick,
29:52and any colour will just shine like a rainbow.
30:00Bit of potch in it, Pete.
30:02Not a lot of money, but just a few bits of potch.
30:04Colourless opal stones, known as potch,
30:08are often found near valuable coloured opal.
30:13Oh, there's a big one.
30:16So that's a good chunk of potch there, mate.
30:19There's no colour.
30:20What you need is that colour.
30:22On that.
30:23On that size stone.
30:31Oh, that's a nice size, no?
30:34Holy!
30:36Have a look at that.
30:41That's, um, that's hitting the jackpot, mate.
30:46Look at it, look at it, look at it!
30:48That's big money.
30:4950 grand plus.
30:51Easy.
30:51Mate, it could be double that.
30:52Finally, finally, the one we've been looking for.
30:57In gem quality opal,
30:59size and a full range of colours are king.
31:02This one has both.
31:04Be interesting to see if you can get an offer on it like that.
31:07In the rough.
31:07Yeah?
31:08Yeah.
31:09See a couple of little lines on it?
31:12Yeah.
31:13Because if you rub it, and those lines are in the colour.
31:17It's worth better off.
31:18It's just an interesting specimen
31:20worth maybe five grand or something, maybe.
31:23But if it faces up, it'll be 10 times.
31:2715 times that.
31:29$100,000 I wanted to get this year
31:32is to get this wash plant up and running,
31:34convince Sam that it's a good idea to stay,
31:37and finding this stone, it could get us to that target.
31:40I don't know, I'm hoping.
31:42We're still not, um, not sure of the exact value of it.
31:45It's hard to tell in the rough when it's not rubbed.
31:48But in the rough, I think we decided around 20 grand.
31:52$20,000 as is, or cut and polished, as much as $100,000.
31:58But cutting and polishing the stone comes with its risks.
32:02Do I rub it or don't rub it?
32:04You know, it could turn into $100,000,
32:07or it could turn into $10,000.
32:10What are we going to do?
32:12Don't worry, you got it, don't you?
32:15Got to rub it. I'm going to rub it.
32:17I'm going to rub it.
32:25I don't know what to do.
32:27I mean, you know, far out.
32:30No, nothing's going bloody right at all.
32:33You plant, you think there'll be nothing wrong with it.
32:36You get excited about things happening,
32:38and then, you know, like, every time it's got to kick in the guts,
32:43every friggin' time.
32:45The Bushmen have been dealt a massive blow.
32:48In the first week of their season,
32:50their new $100,000 blower,
32:53designed, built and paid for by their partners,
32:56has destroyed itself.
32:58It's not a little thing, it's a major, major breakdown.
33:02And just what you don't friggin' need at the start of the season,
33:06with new partners and brand-new gear.
33:08Rod and Les have made a deal to dig the Ploughboys' claim
33:12for 50% of the opal they find.
33:15But without a blower, they can't mine.
33:18We can't get the dirt out from underground unless this is going.
33:21No blower, no work.
33:26What I think we'll do is we'll undo this blower,
33:30and for the time being, I'll try bringing the old blower over
33:33and sticking it in, see how we go with it.
33:36This is the original blower that was used here
33:39before the new one was built.
33:41She'd have to be 20-year-old, this old girl.
33:43So the fans are just worn.
33:46They've probably lost 30% of their function,
33:49but we're hoping it's just going to suck well enough
33:52to get us out of trouble.
33:54Well, let's see if the old bastard will go, hey?
33:57Right-o.
33:59ENGINE REVS
34:04At the moment, our entire season total,
34:07the old fella's retirement,
34:09they're all riding on that 20-year-plus old blower.
34:12Right-o, that's it, Les. She's going.
34:14Let's get underground and find some opal.
34:20We're hammering into it pretty well.
34:22We're going to see if we can put your fan bit out today.
34:28We'll just feed this old girl a bit slower, mate,
34:31and take care of her.
34:34Pressure's on.
34:35We've got that expensive breakdown.
34:37We haven't found anything.
34:39We need to keep hammering forward.
34:42Watch your head, Les.
34:46A little bit of bites around on this side.
34:48Yeah, that's why I want to go in there.
34:50The ground looks good when we come this way.
34:55Hard as bloody hell, whatever it is.
34:58Look at that.
35:01He's still got it all right, yeah.
35:03He'll still outwork most bloody 20-year-olds, that's for sure.
35:09Hang on a minute, hang on a minute.
35:10Hey?
35:11Hang on a minute.
35:12I'll just get the pick to knock a bit off.
35:14That's all looking real good since we've spun around
35:17and gone in the wall.
35:18We've only gone in that far,
35:20hit a really nice seam with little bits of colour on it.
35:24It's the first time we've seen any colour at all
35:26for quite some time, so I'm pretty bloody excited about it, actually.
35:33Whoa, what's that?
35:34Oh, stop, stop.
35:44Whoa, look at that.
35:46That's what I saw.
35:47Look at it, all the way around, mate.
35:49Look.
35:50There's got to be more.
35:52Whoa, there's the other bit.
35:54Yes.
35:55Oh, okay.
35:56That's come off there.
35:57Look at it.
35:59Whoa, it's got your bloody foot on it.
36:02That's really good, eh?
36:06Oh, there's a bit more.
36:08There's a bit more, Les.
36:11Oh, that's a nice little piece of burply.
36:16It's petering out.
36:17The seam's dropping.
36:20Do the weigh-in, eh?
36:24What are you guessing?
36:27500.
36:28500?
36:34475.
36:35That's not bad, Les.
36:38I don't know what you reckon, Les,
36:41but I reckon we'll get 10 grand for that.
36:44But I reckon we'll get 10 grand for that.
36:48Their opal is blue-green crystal.
36:51It's in the rough.
36:52There's 475 grams.
36:55With a minimum value of $20 a gram,
36:58it's worth close to $10,000.
37:02With 50% going to their partners,
37:05Rod and Les will split $5,000.
37:09That's a boost to the morale
37:12because you never had it there 10 minutes ago.
37:15Now it's all there in front of you.
37:17It'll keep you going a bit longer.
37:19We've got $200,000 target this year,
37:22100 grand each,
37:23and we only chipped a tiny little bit off that.
37:28We know there's money down there.
37:30It's a long season.
37:31We've only just started it.
37:33I know we're going to do all right this year.
37:43Oh, mate.
37:44Moment of truth, eh?
37:45That's exactly what it is.
37:47Are you sure about this?
37:48Yeah.
37:49For the first time in his short mining career,
37:52Sam has found a monster gem in the tail-out.
37:55Valued at $20,000 in the rough,
37:58cut and polished,
37:59it could be worth as much as $100,000.
38:03So you're just going to take that grey off the top, eh?
38:05Just going to take that bit off, have a look,
38:07and then I'll take the top off, I think.
38:09It's a big gamble.
38:11If Pete grinds off the colour
38:13or shows that the stone has flaws,
38:16its value will plummet.
38:18It's a bit nerve-wracking,
38:19having this sort of money in your hand.
38:21It's, um...
38:22Gets your old heart pumping a bit, eh, mate?
38:24I'm not even holding it if my heart's pumping, mate.
38:28It's coming off.
38:31This is where it starts getting scary.
38:34Every time you take a bit of colour off,
38:36that's $1,000.
38:37Yeah.
38:38Yeah.
38:44I'd stop and have a look.
38:47Are you getting nervous, mate?
38:48No, you're just rubbing more and more colour off it.
38:51What do you reckon?
38:53Mate, I think it's time to stop.
38:56Yep.
38:57And have a real good look at it.
39:05You know, look, you've got that black bit there.
39:07Yeah, yeah.
39:08And that black is under the red.
39:10I think we'll stop there.
39:13So what do we reckon, mate?
39:15What is it worth now?
39:21There's 50 grand sitting there.
39:22Yeah?
39:23Yeah, I'm convinced of that.
39:25Their opal is Lightning Ridge Black Nobby.
39:28Displaying a full range of colours,
39:31it weighs 41 carats, or 8 grams.
39:34It's a partial rub,
39:36bringing its value to $50,000.
39:40Payday, mate, 50 grand.
39:4250 grand.
39:43More money in a single stone
39:45than Sam has found in his entire opal mining career.
39:49I think it's really good for Sam to see what can happen,
39:52the potential of this mining venture.
39:55One stone, $50,000.
39:57That's just incredible.
39:59And now he's seen that it can happen to us.
40:02I was about to call it quits last season, you know.
40:05We'd had three tough years of not much,
40:08so to finally see a gem come out
40:11in our first week this year,
40:13can't ask for a better start than that.
40:15There you go.
40:29I was just about to knock it out, hey?
40:31Lucky.
40:32Well, you can see what they were on, hey?
40:34Desperate to start repaying an $80,000 debt,
40:38Boulder Boys, Aaron and Ron
40:40have just hit their first opal of the season.
40:43It's a really nice opal.
40:46Hey, Ron. Yeah?
40:48That's rolling flash, hey?
40:50Up, up, up, up, up!
40:52Whoa! Where the hell did that go?
40:55I've lost it.
40:57Oh, no, I didn't.
40:59Another bit.
41:00They must have found a big rock
41:02and as they broke it,
41:04these pieces have fallen off into the dirt
41:07and they've lost them.
41:09Well, Ron, I reckon we deserve a cup of coffee.
41:11We're going to clean them stones up.
41:13Let's go and wash them up, hey?
41:15See what they look like when they're clean.
41:21Yeah, that's nice there, isn't it?
41:24I reckon you're going to get a stone out of there.
41:27$1,500.
41:29Would that be a safe bet?
41:30Yeah.
41:31All right, let's have a look at this other one.
41:35There's your stone.
41:39A little blemish in it, right in the middle there, Ron.
41:42What do you reckon, nine?
41:45You'd have to ask nine, Ron.
41:47All right.
41:48So that's... Ten and a half.
41:50Ten and a half, ten, all right.
41:52They've found bolder opal.
41:54It's in the rough,
41:56predominantly blue-green in colour
41:58with flashes of red and orange
42:00and valued at $10,500.
42:04After giving the claim owner Eric his cut,
42:07Aaron and Ron will have just over $3,000 to split between them.
42:12Oh, this is a different situation for me.
42:15Me and Ron are on 30%.
42:17Last time I found good opal, I got 80% of it.
42:21Yeah, the table's a turn.
42:23But one job remains before the boys can call it a day.
42:27Here he is.
42:29He's a good one.
42:31Look at that.
42:33A few bush prawns.
42:35They're freshwater yabbies, clayfish.
42:37And Ron's going to cook them.
42:39What is it, Ron? Marinoa?
42:41Marinoa in a bechamel sauce.
42:43I'm glad Ron's back. I get some good tucker.
42:47All right, mate.
42:49Dinner is served.
42:51I'll make the table, Ron.
42:53Don't worry.
42:55Would you like me to serve you some up?
42:57Look, we've got the machines.
42:59We've got all the set up here.
43:01All we've got to do is do the work.
43:03You can taste the yabbies, eh?
43:05Yep.
43:07I'm not outlaying any expenses.
43:09We'll get a chance to dig with some decent machinery.
43:11That couscous is all right too, Ron.
43:13I like the couscous, yeah.
43:15It'll be a very, very interesting year this year.
43:17Very interesting year.
43:19I think we're in some good country.
43:21It's up to us to find some opal.
43:23Very nice, mate.
43:25I was eating baked beans and toast before you got here.
43:27There's still luck this year, Ron.
43:29Yep.
43:51¶¶
44:01¶¶