Opal Hunters S05 E06

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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 Opel Hunters...
00:02I mean, it's probably gonna be one of the most dangerous things we've ever done.
00:05..with their old claim drying up...
00:07Cool.
00:08..the young guns make a drastic decision...
00:12Holy...
00:14..to take out the flaw that separates two levels in their mind.
00:18You good down there?
00:20He did say it was rusty, and it's rusty.
00:23Pete and Sam head further into the red, buying a second-hand truck.
00:28Yes, mate!
00:30..desperately needed to scale up their mega wash plant operation.
00:35We're in risk of a major collapse.
00:38And in critically unstable ground...
00:41This is as bad as it gets.
00:44If I don't make this, you can have me cowboy boots.
00:47..the Bushmen risk mind collapse in the hunt for Opel.
00:51EXPLOSION
01:16Today might be the day, mate.
01:18Yes.
01:19Couple of nightstones.
01:21Give me enough money to bloody get the new car.
01:24Radar is buggered.
01:26Alternator's buggered.
01:28Tyres are buggered.
01:30But other than that, it's a-goer.
01:34It's the biggest heap of...this thing.
01:37He's always gotta be fixing something or...
01:41It's got more rattles than a millionaire's baby.
01:45He's got a couple of logs jammed in the back of it,
01:48holding the roof up.
01:49And all the roof is is just corrugated iron.
01:52Yeah, she's just about a retirement job.
01:57Les deserves a turn in luck.
01:59He really does.
02:00You know, he's a good old bloke.
02:02And, you know, he's had such a tough run the last few years
02:06that it'd be good to see him start to get up on top.
02:15Oh, no.
02:27We've got a real problem with the route here.
02:30You can see this crack coming across the top here,
02:34right across there in me light.
02:36It's a fault that runs through here.
02:38And the big slab there is hanging.
02:40There's not much holding it.
02:42It's about to let go.
02:46The Bushmen are 11 metres underground
02:50in a claim known as Ploughboys.
02:53Owned by business partner Martin Hutchison,
02:56the deal gives Rod and Les half of any opal they find.
03:01Ho-ho!
03:02So we're creeping up there with the target, you know,
03:05and this is the good thing about ploughboys,
03:07you only have to hit a pocket and you'll get 70, 80 grand out of it.
03:12Just come out from under there, Les.
03:15Just come around behind me, mate.
03:17But the more opal ploughboys gives up, the more dangerous it becomes.
03:22A lot of weight up in there and it's running up into the roof.
03:25So you can get a big section there.
03:28We'll come down, it's just when.
03:30We got a crowbar down here?
03:32Yeah, down around the corner.
03:34I might try and bar it off.
03:36I've seen roofs come down and there's no escaping them.
03:40They come down with a thud and if you're under it, you're dead
03:43and that's all there is to it.
03:45There's a big section there, wants to come down, Les.
03:48Yeah.
03:56Well, that didn't make it look any better.
03:58Not looking good at all, no.
04:00And it's very, very dangerous,
04:01so I'm going to try and pop it out with the digger.
04:07Hang on.
04:08Might just be a little tiny fall or it might be a massive fall, we don't know.
04:13So if anything goes wrong, skedaddle that way and up that bloody other drive.
04:18Yeah.
04:19So just be ready to go.
04:21All right, Les, you ready?
04:23Yeah, mate.
04:24If I don't make this, you can have me cowboy boots.
04:39It's going to be a big week for us.
04:41Today, we're going down into the mine, pulling the digger back out.
04:45All right, boys.
04:46Well, I reckon plan for today is get this machine out of the hole,
04:50get it back to the shed so we can do those repairs on it
04:52and get the new control panel in place.
04:55Just take it slow and easy, JC.
04:58Thanks, mate.
04:59Yeah.
05:00The digger's fantastic.
05:01It's really changed how quickly we are moving dirt, which is really good.
05:04On the other hand, we've got oil leaks all over it.
05:07With their precious second-hand digger in need of repair,
05:11the young guns face a delicate operation
05:14to get it out of their old claim, World's End.
05:18It is quite frustrating to have the machine that we've spent all our money on
05:22continuously having problems and breaking down.
05:25Just watch out for that bit of ducting right above you there.
05:28We don't want to end up pulling down the whole vent.
05:31This is 100% careful time.
05:34It's so top-heavy, this machine,
05:37that if you're on one little angle wrong
05:40and you press a control the wrong way,
05:42you could have the whole thing topple over.
05:44Not only could that, you know, break the machine,
05:46but it can crush someone.
05:48Ooh, careful there.
05:53Yeah, that's looking good, JC. You're doing well.
05:55Nice work. You got it out of the underground?
05:58That's just gobbling all over the place now.
06:00There is a bit of oil coming out, hey?
06:02Yeah.
06:03Crossing the fulcrum now.
06:05There we go. Flat bit.
06:06Man, good work.
06:07She's out.
06:08Didn't even tip it over.
06:09She's out.
06:12In just their second season mining,
06:15the young guns recently found their best haul yet.
06:18Is that colour?
06:19Where?
06:20Yeah.
06:21It's colour, baby!
06:2332.5.
06:2632.5K!
06:29Woo!
06:32And received a windfall of $50,000 of machinery
06:36courtesy of new investor John Jennings.
06:40Hey, John.
06:41How's it going, fellas?
06:42Yeah, good, mate.
06:43All the gears turned up.
06:45So, John, the investor, he's given us, you know,
06:47pretty much 50 grand and given us all this gear.
06:49But John's investment comes with the expectation of Opal,
06:54a 25% share of anything found.
06:58A massive weight on our shoulders.
07:00If he doesn't see a return,
07:02we don't want him to rethink the partnership and pull out.
07:06And we need to find Opal. We need to make money.
07:09We can't use a digger down the mine we're in now.
07:12The roof is, you know, unstable, unsafe, it's spongy.
07:15We can't go into the new mine
07:16because we're waiting for the paperwork to go through.
07:18One week after finding a new claim in Westfield,
07:22the Young Guns are still waiting for approval of their mining permit.
07:26It's really frustrating. We know there's Opal down there.
07:28We want to get down there digging,
07:29but we can't touch the ground until all that paperwork goes through.
07:33We've got to do something.
07:34We can't just be sitting around wasting our time.
07:37Can't use a digger at all and we don't have the other claim,
07:39so jackhammers unless we want to use a pick.
07:42I don't know, do we just have one last look down there?
07:44Yeah.
07:45See if we can, you know, drop a bit of wall that's in a safe spot,
07:47even if we have to use the hand tools.
07:49I reckon we should do it.
07:51Let's head down there, see what there is.
07:56This mine has pretty much had it now,
07:59but we're going to give it one last crack to see if we can find any, you know,
08:02last bit of Opal in there.
08:09Good-looking ground, what we're digging through now.
08:11There's plenty of faults, slips.
08:13Yeah, there's heaps of movement in the ground,
08:15which is really good signs.
08:17Well, I'll come around with the bogger.
08:19Yeah, take a couple of loaves out of here.
08:21Yeah.
08:26There's a lot of pressure to find, Opal,
08:28and we're doing what we can towards that end by moving more dirt.
08:33I've just found a nice purple trace in here
08:36and there's nice thick black potch in here.
08:39Really, really good signs.
08:42Last time we found a bit of trace in the wall,
08:45there was a $49,000 knobby in the wash,
08:47so we'll be hoping for the same again out of this lot.
08:51Pete Cook and Sam Westra's season took off
08:55when they found a rare black Opal,
08:57which they sold for $49,000.
09:01But since then, their promising aloe acclaim has only teased them.
09:06Nice bit of trace in the wall.
09:08Bit of seam.
09:09Yeah.
09:10A little bit of green and blues in there.
09:13Another couple of knobbies in the wash.
09:14That's it, mate.
09:15Well, we know what happened last time.
09:18Since selling that stone,
09:20I've managed to reinvest the money in a bit more mining equipment.
09:24Two edges going at once, that's good.
09:26That's a bonus.
09:27Pete has risked thousands,
09:29expanding his mega wash plant to try his luck at contract work.
09:36I want to take on contract washing.
09:38It's where other miners have dirt that they've dug,
09:42but they don't have the capability to process it.
09:44So they get someone like me to process that dirt,
09:47and then we do a percentage basis of what Opal comes out.
09:52A 50% share of any Opal found is a common deal,
09:56but Pete and Sam have to collect, cart and wash the dirt
10:01at their own expense.
10:03It's a gamble, but if you don't take any risk,
10:05you're not going to get any rewards.
10:08In Lightning Ridge, Opal is often encased in sandstone
10:12that needs to be washed away in a converted cement mixer, or agi.
10:18Pete currently has two agis.
10:20His dream is to have five.
10:23Wash and dirt, for anyone, it's all a gamble.
10:27All it's guaranteeing me is more dirt to wash,
10:30and so it's increasing my chances of being involved in Opal.
10:36Righto, Sam, there's a load in the truck.
10:39We'll take it into the wash plant.
10:41And let's see how this drive-over hopper performs.
10:45They're about to trial a new unloading system.
10:48If it works, it will give them the capacity
10:51to feed up to 20 tonnes of dirt into their wash plant every hour.
10:56Moment of truth. We haven't dried it out yet.
11:00So good old turn to custard.
11:02To find Opal, we've got to wash a lot of dirt,
11:05but it costs money to cart that dirt and to wash it,
11:08so we're just trying to work out a way to make it as efficient as possible.
11:14Perfect, mate.
11:15All good.
11:16There is load in the agi.
11:20This is a crucial part of the whole system.
11:22Instead of the dirt coming out a little hole in the back of the truck,
11:25the whole tailgate opens and all that dirt's out virtually straightaway.
11:30First time we've tried it all together, so it could be interesting.
11:35We'll open the tailgate, the dirt will go down into the hopper.
11:39It's got a very slow conveyor belt,
11:42which transfers it to the radial stacker,
11:46onto the next conveyor and into the agi.
11:53That's how it works in theory.
11:55We're about to find out if it works in real life.
11:59I think the only option we've really got is to bring it down,
12:03in controlled bloody fall,
12:05and just hopefully not too much comes down.
12:10The Bushmen are attempting a controlled collapse
12:13of a dangerous section of their mine roof.
12:20You're probably looking at a tonne of dirt.
12:23Now, that could be a problem.
12:25You're probably looking at a tonne of dirt.
12:27Now, that comes down on top of your helmet, right on top of your head.
12:30It'll kill you. It breaks your neck.
12:39It's safe enough now. It's not 100% safe, but it's safe enough.
12:44But just for now, it'll hold.
12:47It looks like we've got to put a heap of props in
12:50before we do anything else.
12:52Let's get out of here, mate.
12:56To keep mining this section,
12:58Rod and Les need to return with timber props to support the roof.
13:03Right.
13:05You've got to make it safe.
13:07But, yeah, it's hard work getting props down there
13:10and carrying them around and putting them up.
13:18You've either got to put a chair in here for me, Les,
13:21with a backrest, or get a new car.
13:24LAUGHTER
13:27For old Les, it's definitely time for a new car.
13:32You only need to find a small, bloody pocket,
13:35then hopefully you'll get enough to get your car.
13:38Yeah, well, that's it.
13:40I need to get hold of a good car,
13:42something that won't break down on me.
13:45And then I can go down and see my daughters and my grandkids.
13:50LAUGHTER
13:52Les's daughter and her family live 1,500 kilometres away in Adelaide.
13:59Hi!
14:00How are you going, Les?
14:02How are you doing?
14:03I'm doing good.
14:05He last visited them two years ago.
14:08Hey, little Lucy.
14:10Little Miss Tadabox is suddenly not all shy.
14:13Oh.
14:14She doesn't recognise you, Dad.
14:16Well, I'm going to have to get down and see you soon,
14:18so you know me better.
14:19How's that?
14:21I can't get down there with the old car.
14:23It's not going real well.
14:30Yeah.
14:31Bye, Dad.
14:32Bye-bye.
14:36Love you.
14:39Old Les, I know he misses his daughters,
14:42and he doesn't like not seeing his grandkids, that's for sure.
14:46SIGHS
14:48They mean a lot to him, and it's hard just living so far away.
14:59There's not a lot of options down here.
15:01Up there's too dug out, too sketchy in there.
15:04Really, the only option left to us
15:06is to go through this sketchy bit of ground
15:08and get into those old workings that we never really touched.
15:11That's the only spot we really haven't dug out.
15:14I mean, it could be worth a bit of a jackhammer,
15:16but it's going to be dangerous.
15:19The Young Guns are under pressure to find Opal for their new investor.
15:25But with their digger in need of repair,
15:27they've been forced to scout for ground they can dig with hand tools.
15:32Bloody hell, it is a bit sketchy in here.
15:36Whoa.
15:37Cool.
15:38We've never worked an area like this before.
15:40We've got two different drives,
15:42one going underneath and one going up the top,
15:44and then we've got about a foot, two foot of level in between.
15:47So the plan is to pretty much come in,
15:49take out that in-between level and make one giant drive.
15:53All right, going to smash this edge out.
16:00Right now, the biggest danger we face
16:02is, you know, the floor collapsing under us,
16:04us falling down and someone getting seriously injured.
16:08If we can find anything,
16:10it would just be a really good way to finish off the mine.
16:18Holy shit.
16:19Holy shit.
16:21You good down there?
16:22Yeah, no, we're good.
16:23Definitely could have been standing a little bit further back,
16:26but that's all right.
16:27Yeah, that was a little bit closer than we thought it was going to come down,
16:31and he took off a massive chunk.
16:33But, yeah, jump out of there real quick.
16:37Ooh, shaking a little bit.
16:41Yeah, I guess that shows you just how dangerous it can be,
16:44you know, working these two different levels.
16:46I think I might head back over to the shed
16:48and start some of the repair work.
16:50It's getting a bit tight in here for the three of us.
16:52Two jackhammers, we'll keep digging.
16:56So it was a really big call to go out and buy this $12,000 digger.
17:00It was pretty much our entire season's mining budget in one go.
17:05He was the one that was all guns blazing for buying the digger,
17:09and now that it's having so many problems and so many leaks,
17:13I think he's really feeling the responsibility of it.
17:16Well, we got it back in one piece.
17:19So what we're going to be trying to do
17:22is change over this new spool valve.
17:25The spool valve works like a tap.
17:28As a lever is pulled,
17:30pressurised hydraulic oil is channeled into the part of the digger
17:34that needs to move.
17:37Yeah, so I've never changed a spool valve before.
17:43All right, so we got all the hoses off.
17:45Now I'm just going to pull that control panel off.
17:50Ooh, it's got some weight.
17:53There we go.
17:55After I finish that, I'm thinking about giving it a coat of paint as well
17:58and surprising the boys.
18:04All righty-ho, you ready? Yep.
18:15It's working great, just how we thought it would.
18:18Dirt's going in the edges,
18:20and the truck's empty in, you know, one or two minutes.
18:24It's perfect.
18:25Very pleased.
18:26It all ended up in the edgy way over there.
18:28That's great.
18:32Pete and Sam's drive-over hopper is proving a success.
18:37They can now load two agitators from the one central drop-off.
18:42But they still want more efficiencies.
18:45Got to be nice, we had two trucks, mate,
18:47and then we moved double the dirt in a day.
18:50What I've been thinking about
18:52is getting a dog trailer to tow behind this thing.
18:56Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea.
18:59So I've actually bought one.
19:03What, you've bought a new trailer?
19:05Yeah, mate. Oh, that's right, check it out, new ring.
19:09Oh, new truck and trailer, mate. Yeah.
19:13The truck came with it.
19:14We'll fill some dirt now with that.
19:16Look at that.
19:21He's a ripper.
19:22Not just the trailer, the truck as well.
19:25Nine cubic metres in the body, ten in the back.
19:29Bought from eBay in the photo, mate.
19:31Whoa.
19:32Pete's already accepted his first contract washing job of the season
19:37for 50% of any opal they find.
19:40Maiden voyage already. Yeah.
19:43Oh, I'll see if the old girl holds up.
19:46He did say it was rusty, and it's rusty.
19:50He needs this 50-year-old truck and trailer to be up to the task,
19:55or he's cost himself $18,000 and his reputation as reliable.
20:02These front corners, you can see a lot of daylight through them.
20:07It won't be a pretty job,
20:08but it's just got to stop the dirt falling out, mate.
20:10I'm pretty keen to get this contract washing up and happening.
20:14Just cut, fold, shut, screw in,
20:16and just got to stop all the gems from falling out.
20:19Yeah, that's it.
20:26That's how we have to do it up here.
20:28We're not a great big mining company with unlimited resources.
20:32We're just a little two-man show, and you've got to be resourceful.
20:36You've got to find these old, worn-out bits of machinery,
20:39repurpose them, do whatever we have to do to make it work and make it fit.
20:45Righto.
20:47Oh, well, there she starts.
20:59It's a bit of smoke.
21:02Well, Sam, she's a bit of a beast, mate, I tell you what.
21:05Yeah, she's smoking me out in the cabin a bit.
21:07I'm glad to have the windows down.
21:09At least all the indicators work, mate.
21:13She's travelling all right. I don't know how comfy it is.
21:16But it looks all right from here.
21:18How about not comfy at all?
21:23Tally-ho, this is it. Off we go, mate. Go and get a load.
21:28All right, mate. We're here. We're buddies.
21:30Let's get our loaders up.
21:33Sam's just got his excavator ticket.
21:36He gets to play in his excavator.
21:38Sam's just got his excavator ticket.
21:41He gets to play in his nice new 32-tonne excavator.
21:46He's got a big smile on his face. I think he's enjoying it.
21:49I just love driving big machinery. It's why I'm out here.
21:55It's a lot of fun playing with these big toys.
22:00It's a big bucket. It won't take many scoops and this thing will be full.
22:05We've got about 10 cubic metres of dirt in the front.
22:09A similar amount in the back trailer.
22:12And then off to the mega wash plant.
22:17It seemed to drive here empty okay.
22:20We'll see how it performs with a load in it. That's a test.
22:24Yeah, contract washing's good. It's nice and quick and easy like that.
22:28It only takes half a day.
22:31Hopefully there's some opal in it and it can pay its way.
22:35Double the dirt in one trip so we've got to be happy with that.
22:39It's not a bad old bus mate.
22:41Bit of an old rocket.
22:43With light fading, it's a 4km drive back to Pete's wash plant.
22:51Well that went alright. Yeah, very well.
22:53Get the dirt in.
22:55Let's get into it.
22:58Just be careful the gate doesn't suddenly come and get you, right?
23:01It's f****** close.
23:03I don't know if it'll go.
23:16I can't hope for this.
23:22Another day, another day. Let's get down there.
23:25James going to the house to go work on a digger.
23:27So while he's doing that, we can go and dig some more and hopefully find some opal.
23:32If we find one more bit of opal down in the mine we're in now,
23:35it'd just be a bit of a morale boost.
23:37Even just a bit of a find before we leave,
23:39we still haven't really pulled out much for the investor.
23:43After desperately digging out a section of floor in their 100-year-old mine,
23:48but finding nothing, JC and Noah are now searching the walls.
23:54There's a little bit of opal.
23:56It's just potch.
23:58Hey, Nazza. What?
24:00I got a bit of trace.
24:03Yeah, a little bit there.
24:04Anything in the rock?
24:06Can't see anything.
24:07A little bit of trace, which is always a good sign.
24:10It's not really worth looking for though.
24:12It's just a bit of potch, so I'll keep digging, see if it turns into anything.
24:16The young guns are hunting for white seam opal,
24:20worth up to $7,500 a gram.
24:24Just trying to search around to see if there's any, you know,
24:28solid seam that's formed around it.
24:30We've been finding heaps of this trace.
24:34Just tiny, thin stuff.
24:36So it might just be little bits.
24:38Nothing might come of it, but it's still the best sign you can get in the ground,
24:42so we're just going to keep chasing it.
24:45Let's go.
24:50Nazza!
24:52What?
24:54It's not trace, mate. It's colour.
24:56What do you mean?
24:58Oh, it goes around the whole lot.
25:00What the f...
25:02Oh, dude.
25:06Look at that.
25:07I'm going to go get Jamin. I'm going to go get my pool.
25:10Look at that.
25:11Bloody, I thought I just picked up another little bit of trace there
25:14and then pushed it a little bit apart,
25:16and there's a whole bloody row of stones along there.
25:19That is the bloody dream right there.
25:22Woo-hoo-hoo!
25:24It's coming out everywhere here.
25:26Out the hole in the pool, mate. Pulled all that by himself.
25:28What did you just find?
25:30Look at this bit.
25:31Oi, oi, oi, come here.
25:33How much more have you found?
25:34Look at this.
25:35Oh, it's gone.
25:36Brought you a bucket.
25:37Look at that bit. No, it's J, look at that.
25:39What have you got?
25:40Yeah.
25:41Oh, my God.
25:42Look at that.
25:43How many stones do you think is going to come out of that?
25:45I think we've got a few.
25:46Hey, look, that one looks like a massive, just a massive one.
25:49Last dig of the mine, and, you know, it's come through one last time.
25:52We've found a bit of opal.
25:53Yeah, couldn't be more stoked at the moment.
25:55Well, I've got some other good news, boys.
25:57Yeah?
25:58Yeah.
25:59Look what I got from the mail.
26:00What's that?
26:01We have our claim sorted.
26:03That means we've got the new mine ready to go.
26:05We just need to get all our gear in there.
26:07Mate!
26:08That's it, our claim.
26:09Yeah, the ground's secured.
26:10No one else can peg it.
26:11Mate, slap us on.
26:13Yeah.
26:14Jesus.
26:15Good stuff.
26:17So this is the end of the claim,
26:18and we really honestly didn't expect to find anything,
26:21but we thought we'd give it one last go,
26:23and the mine came through for us one last time,
26:25which was absolutely perfect.
26:34After you, sir.
26:36Right there.
26:40Well, we've got a few problems down there.
26:42It's not a good roof,
26:44so we've got to be very careful of the roof.
26:47What's happened here, Les?
26:48Well, that pipe was here last night.
26:50I mean, when we knocked off yesterday,
26:52that looks like it's all ready to fall out then.
26:55Oh, hang on.
26:57Stand back, Les.
26:58This column's all cracked.
27:00Oh, this other one's cracked too, Les.
27:03Oh, mate, we've got a real problem.
27:07The weight has come down on the roof.
27:09The column we've got on this side
27:11and the column we've got on the other side
27:13have both cracked,
27:14and some of it's fallen out.
27:16You see all these cracks here?
27:18That's pressure.
27:20To get pressure to crack your columns,
27:22your roof has got to come down,
27:24and this is as bad as it gets.
27:26We're in risk of a major collapse.
27:29Oh, what do we do, Les?
27:32I don't even like being in here, Les.
27:34No.
27:35It's not worth dying for.
27:37Nah, can't spend it dead.
27:39Well, Les, what do you reckon our options are, mate?
27:43I reckon pull out of it and go somewhere else.
27:46We've got too much life in us to get killed under here.
27:48Oh, bloody ace, yeah.
27:49We're not going to die doing this.
27:51Well, what we want to do is just get our digger out of here
27:54before the roof comes down.
27:56It could come at any time,
27:57and we don't want to have it buried,
27:59so we're going to try and get it out.
28:02Take your roof jacks down.
28:06All right, are you ready for a catastrophe, Les?
28:09Mm-hm.
28:11WHIRRING
28:29Right, well, that's got us out of danger.
28:32Least if it comes down now, this won't be buried,
28:35and neither will we.
28:38Rod and Les have walked the digger north to safer ground,
28:42still following the fault line
28:44where they're most likely to find Opal.
28:49Plenty of ground under here to dig.
28:51See if we can find another spot that might pay us some money.
28:57A foot in there, there could be 100,000.
29:01This one here potentially could deliver.
29:04Anything on the fault line here produces.
29:07Ben.
29:10What?
29:11I got the twitch.
29:15It's going to happen, mate. You watch.
29:17The opal fever tingle.
29:19When you have to get close, sometimes you get this little twitch,
29:23you know, and you start twitching, and, you know, it's not fun.
29:26I've been twitching.
29:28This is black opal country.
29:31As the most valuable opal in the world,
29:34it can be worth up to $43,000 per gram.
29:44You all right, Les? Yeah.
29:46I don't know, going a bit more.
29:48Take about six inches.
29:55Ooh, ooh, ooh.
29:57Ooh.
30:00A little bit of tracy colour.
30:02It's just starting to make.
30:04It is, yeah.
30:06I'll undercut that side a little bit for you, Les.
30:10Hello.
30:12All the way up.
30:13Nice seam, Les.
30:16Whoa-ho-ho!
30:18Petal me grandmother, Les. Look at that.
30:20That's bloody good.
30:28Yes, yes!
30:32Knocked out the top.
30:34A bit of a tailgate malfunction.
30:36We nearly lost the tailgate.
30:39Pete and Sam's first contract wash job of opal dirt
30:43is jammed behind a rusty tailgate
30:46on their newly purchased 50-year-old truck.
30:49Might have to tip it up a little bit.
30:53Right-o!
30:54Right-o!
30:57It's all teething problems, first time.
31:00Can't get it perfect.
31:03It's all gone! All gone!
31:05All gone!
31:06That's perfect. That's how it's meant to work.
31:09Work of the treat. Perfect.
31:12Now, that's great. That's what we want to do.
31:14Get that dirt roaring underneath the conveyor belts
31:16and into the AG1.
31:18We've got AG1 spinning around, washing dirt.
31:20AG2's loading up, ready to wash dirt.
31:24You find some gems, all this is worth it, no doubt.
31:28And time will tell.
31:37Next morning, the washed dirt from their own mine
31:41is ready for the tail-out.
31:44We've tailed out AG1.
31:47So, yeah, this is the pointy end.
31:49This is where you're hoping you're going to find the gems.
31:5210 tonnes of dirt have washed down to one tonne,
31:56transported in a bulk bag.
31:59We did see a bit of trace when we were digging,
32:01and that's always encouraging.
32:03You've got to have that trace before you get any real opals.
32:07You only need just one good stone in a tail-out
32:10and it makes it all worthwhile.
32:14Right-o.
32:15Right-o, mate. Let's give it a rinse off
32:17and see what we've got, eh?
32:20If there's another $50,000 opal stone in their haul,
32:24this is where they'll discover it.
32:28Have you got a little bit of potch, did you?
32:30Yeah, I threw a bit of black in there before,
32:32but similar to that.
32:35Similar to the stuff we were seeing underground,
32:37that real black.
32:38Yeah.
32:39Just no colour.
32:40No colour bar in it, that is it.
32:42No colour. No money, I'm afraid.
32:45Colourless opal, known as potch, is worthless.
32:48But it forms under the same conditions as precious opal
32:52and is often found close by.
32:56Another bit.
32:57So more of this nice black potch,
33:00but just no colour, mate.
33:03Very ordinary, young fella.
33:06Nothing much there,
33:07just a pretty ordinary sort of tail-out.
33:09Wasn't it ever.
33:10I think we'll just put that one as practice.
33:12Yeah.
33:14Still got our client's dirt in the Aji washing away.
33:19There's every chance there could be some opal in that.
33:21We'll just have to see how we go.
33:23That's just the way it is.
33:24Opal mining, there's no guarantees.
33:26It's a gamble.
33:27The dirt's in the Aji spinning around now,
33:29so looking forward to tailing that out
33:31and hopefully it'll be a bit better than the one today.
33:39What do you reckon, Jay?
33:40Have you got money there?
33:42Oh, I definitely reckon we've got some really nice stones.
33:45We've got to get the stone out of all the dirt behind it,
33:49so we're going to grind down this edge here
33:51until we get back to the opal.
33:53You just grind it down to the opal,
33:54you don't take any more away,
33:56otherwise we're losing money.
34:01Basically, the biggest reason we're cutting this opal at the moment
34:03is so we can sell it as a more finished product,
34:05make a bit more money.
34:07You can push as hard as you want on this one.
34:09Desperate to show a return for their new investor,
34:12the young guns are trying to add value
34:15to the last opal to come from their world's end mine.
34:23It's starting to look pretty good.
34:24Yeah, it's looking nice.
34:25Nice shape.
34:27It would be good to take it to our usual cut stone expert, Maka.
34:30Unfortunately, he's not available at the moment,
34:32so we're going to go out and sit with Dad
34:34and see if he can work out a price with this
34:36as to how much it's going to be worth.
34:38This is what you've been working on, Jay?
34:40Yep.
34:41Jamin's father, Graham, is Whitecliffe's biggest opal dealer.
34:45That's pretty.
34:46Yeah.
34:47We're pretty much just looking to see what you're racking about.
34:50You know, total value for these ones.
34:53Do you know how heavy you are?
34:55Yes, all up with these three here, we're at 100 carats.
34:59It's pretty material.
35:01I mean, just given what I'm seeing there,
35:03easily be looking at 3,000 to 4,000.
35:06Oh, nice.
35:07That's pretty good.
35:08Yeah, I know.
35:09That's pretty good.
35:10We've also got this one here, a little bit different.
35:12Yeah, he's unusual.
35:13Yeah.
35:15I'm going to say 1,500.
35:171,500?
35:18Yeah.
35:19So we're looking at about 5,560 all up.
35:22A lot better than you were thinking.
35:24A lot better than we were thinking.
35:26That's brilliant.
35:28The Young Guns have blue-green crystal opal.
35:31It's cut and polished.
35:33There's 100 carats, or 20 grams,
35:36with an estimated value of $5,500.
35:40Alright, well, thanks for that, Dad.
35:42Get back out there, go find some more.
35:44Yeah, will do.
35:45That's it.
35:46A great way to finish off the mine.
35:48We had one last dig down there, managed to pull a bit of opal out,
35:51and then, you know, to cut that and have it valued,
35:53you know, over $5,000 is phenomenal.
35:58So I've been working pretty hard on the digger.
36:00It's ready to go.
36:01Alright, boys, I've got a bit of a surprise for you.
36:03What have you got?
36:04Mate, the bin chicken is dead.
36:07Have a look at the Iron Man.
36:10The Iron Man, eh?
36:11What?
36:12Is this even our digger, mate?
36:14Anyway, I'll turn it on. I'll turn it on, you have a go.
36:16Here we go. You ready?
36:18Ready.
36:19Iron Man.
36:20Look at this, mate.
36:21Have a look at that.
36:24Mate, that's brilliant.
36:25What do you reckon, Noz?
36:26Mate, it looks awesome.
36:28How fast does it go now?
36:29Bit faster because it's red.
36:30Yeah.
36:32Applies full control. It works like a charm.
36:36That's unreal. This is going to change the game.
36:40I just want to get it underground now.
36:50Pete Cook and Sam Westra's last chance of making money this week
36:54rests with their contract wash job,
36:57now ready to tail out.
36:59Righty-o. Gentle, gentle.
37:03So it's a gamble.
37:05It's almost like putting money in a poker machine in some way.
37:07You've got to put diesel and money into the edges and into the trucks,
37:12and we'll find out in the tail-out room whether or not it was worthwhile.
37:24I didn't like the sound of that.
37:26I don't trust it at all.
37:28Don't put your head or your arm under it when you're up there, OK?
37:31No.
37:32That didn't sound good.
37:33Get it up there before it bursts.
37:37Pete and Sam need to find Opel.
37:40So far, this has cost them two days' work,
37:43$600 in diesel and $18,000 on a second-hand truck.
37:49The odds are definitely against you in this Opel mining caper.
37:54Yeah, it's a little bit more grey pot.
37:56OK.
37:57The odds aren't a million to one, they are millions to one.
38:01No, not much so far.
38:03Bits of trace and pots, which are good signs,
38:07but no money or nice stones yet.
38:11The gem-quality black Opel is so rare, it's just so precious,
38:16you just don't see much of it.
38:18You've got to move a lot of dirt to try and find that elusive Opel.
38:23That is a bit of colour.
38:25A little knobby.
38:26All right, yeah.
38:27Just a flick of green on it.
38:29Yeah, green, purple.
38:32I don't think you'll get a stone out of it.
38:34Something to show our client.
38:36That's it.
38:37Although I'll be thinking twice whether to wash more of this shit.
38:41Yeah, not much in, is there?
38:43You'd want to see a bit more for your time, wouldn't you?
38:48This is pretty ordinary.
38:51What have you got there, mate?
38:53Well, I think it's the kingstone for the day.
38:56That's it, mate.
38:57That's the best one we've got.
38:59Yeah.
39:00Won't even pay the fuel.
39:02No.
39:03I don't think you can retire yet.
39:04Nah.
39:06Big find early in the season.
39:08We thought we'd smash our season target,
39:11but the last few tail outs have been pretty dismal.
39:14I wouldn't say we're desperate for it, but we're certainly keen.
39:17That's how I'd put it.
39:18Just damn keen.
39:20No over in that, mate?
39:22Nah, mate, no.
39:23She's a bit ordinary, but what can you do?
39:25Just another truck.
39:27That's it.
39:28Keep washing.
39:29Yeah.
39:30With nothing to show for their efforts,
39:33Pete and Sam's target remains a long way off.
39:38I got a bit grandiose with our season target.
39:41You can't tell.
39:42You can't tell what's going to happen.
39:49Whoa-ho-ho!
39:51Peckle me grandmother, Les.
39:53Look at that.
39:54That's bloody good.
39:55We got quite a nice bloody electric bar on the top,
39:59and there's still more up here.
40:01Oh, this is it, Les.
40:03Life don't get much better than digging colour out of the wall, mate.
40:07After risking a mine collapse, the Bushmen have hit pay dirt,
40:12a rich seam of blue-green crystal opal.
40:16Look at that, Les.
40:18Bloody good, that green.
40:19Look at that.
40:21That's what I like to see.
40:23Oh-ho-ho!
40:25Oh, Les.
40:27It's big and it's cheesy.
40:29Oh!
40:31Oh-ho-ho!
40:33Look at this.
40:35How good is this, mate?
40:37All colour.
40:39We're going bloody great guns here.
40:42We've mainly got a grey-based crystal.
40:45It's got patches that are very, very nice.
40:48Right-o, Les.
40:50Let's collect our wealth.
40:54Well, Les.
40:55Let's see what we've got, hey?
40:57Let's see how rich we are.
41:01Right-o.
41:03This is it, Les.
41:05Moment of truth, mate.
41:07Better see what she weighs, mate.
41:09What are you betting?
41:11600.
41:12600.
41:15Not even close.
41:18368 grams.
41:22That's a real nice parcel of crystal, I reckon.
41:25Don't you?
41:26Yeah, yes.
41:27Put that on sandwich, you could eat it.
41:29I reckon I can get 15 for that.
41:31Yeah, yeah.
41:33Happy with that?
41:34I'm happy with 15.
41:36And that's some bloody good stuff in there too.
41:38I like some of that.
41:39What do you reckon?
41:40I'm thinking 20.
41:4120?
41:4220 for the bucket.
41:43Yeah, and it's 15 for that.
41:45Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:47That's 35, isn't it?
41:48Yeah.
41:49It was when I went to school.
41:50And that's a good week's pay.
41:52She's a bloody ripper, mate.
41:55The Bushman's two parcels of blue-green, grey-based crystal opal
42:00have a combined weight of 1.6 kilos
42:04and an estimated value of $35,000.
42:09With a 50% share, that's $17,500 for the Bushman.
42:17We're well and truly on our way to that season target.
42:29What's this?
42:30Oh, something good.
42:32Finally.
42:34Yeah.
42:35Well done, mate.
42:36Yeah, it's a nice little wagon, mate.
42:38Wow.
42:40What a beauty.
42:42I've got my new car and I'm happy with it.
42:45It looks great.
42:46Now I can go down and see my daughters and my grandkids.
42:50That's been a priority for a fair while now.
42:54Up, up.
42:56Put her in.
43:00She's very bloody flashless.
43:02She's a flash car, mate.
43:04You've bloody even got brakes in this one, Les.
43:08Well the dogs seem to like it, Les.
43:10Yeah, they're all happy.
43:12I know, I'll see them fishtailing up the road.
43:18It's just the start for us at Ploughboys.
43:23We're going to do very well out there, I reckon.
43:34We're going to do very well.