#ShowMovies
#OutbackCrystalHunters
#OutbackCrystalHunters
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00:00I think there could be something down here, Wolf.
00:22There's a little snarky smoke in here.
00:25Some snarky?
00:27The whole thing's one giant ballpark.
00:29Hey, Pat, you on channel there, mate?
00:32Yeah, mate.
00:33I think there's something really nice down here.
00:36What have you got?
00:37Mate, we've got a massive floor plate here.
00:39Oh, wow.
00:40That thing's huge.
00:49That looks amazing.
00:59So we're back here at the Great Australian Amethyst Mine doing another dig.
01:14We've got a good crew of people out here helping us.
01:15I've been here for a few more weeks.
01:16I've got a big target this year to try and hit, and we're a long way off that, unfortunately.
01:21Pat's set a target really high this year just because we really want to buy a new property
01:27to expand our business.
01:28We're sort of running out of space at the house we're in now.
01:30I've been finding a lot of really small stuff, but unfortunately it's not really going to
01:34help pay the bills, so I need some significant pieces to kind of keep funding what I'm doing
01:38here.
01:39Otherwise, it's just a big money pit really
01:40The Pilpuh region, home to some of the oldest geology on earth.
01:43business we're sort of running out of space at the house we're in now been
01:46finding a lot of really small stuff but unfortunately it's not really kind of
01:49going to help pay the bills so I need some significant pieces to kind of keep
01:54funding what I'm doing here otherwise it's just a big money pit really
02:02the Pilbara region home to some of the oldest geology on earth born within this
02:103.6 billion year old land a rich clusters of the crystal quartz so I'm standing
02:17next to what we call the pinnacle this has been the source of so many of these
02:21incredible pockets this is also where we found that 21 tonne cluster last year
02:26this is Australia's largest amethyst cluster it's right up there with some of the biggest in the
02:43world quartz form as when silicon dioxide rich solutions concentrate in underground cavities
02:51the crystals color may be dictated by radiation reacting with trace elements within
02:57the color in amethyst a purple quartz is caused by iron the dark hues of smoky quartz aluminium
03:07this thing's like a giant plate of smoky quartz crystals it's got to be at least probably almost
03:16two meters across in one section and the whole thing's just covered with beautiful lustrous smoky
03:21quartz points it's like a museum piece we potentially have a $30,000 cluster here if I can get it out in
03:30one piece if it all breaks apart then that changes very quickly down to maybe only $5,000 worth of clusters
03:38you're going to drill a series of holes around these pockets and use expanding mortar which is
03:48essentially a super high pressure demolition concrete I guess and what that does is it expands
03:53the rock and cracks it so we've got a better chance of uncovering them without damaging we're gonna have
04:00to try and go on a very angle ready
04:13take it
04:15take it
04:23oh no no no no
04:29that's stuck
04:32we got the drill stuck
04:35it's fallen into a cavity and it's just gotten so stuck in there and we can't get it out
04:41nothing goes to plan out here
04:45it's
04:47It's cool.
05:16Nothing.
05:18I'm sick of it not being what we want it to be.
05:22Bit of a long day of working for no result,
05:26which is disappointing.
05:29The largest thing against us is the fact that historically
05:32this place is, it's well known.
05:34And you know, over a lot of many, many years,
05:36people have come here and dug and are looking
05:38for what we're looking for.
05:40It does sort of play on your mind when you're digging
05:43in places like this, whether or not it's dug out,
05:46there's nothing left.
05:48Yeah, I think if every day is like this,
05:49we're gonna go home empty handed.
06:02We are on Flinders Island off the coast of Tasmania.
06:05Both Jill and I are here looking for what they call
06:08killer cranky diamonds.
06:10Over a few millennia, these topaz crystals have started,
06:15you know, in the highest reaches of Mount Killer Cranky
06:18and worked their way all the way down out into the bay
06:21and the surrounding beaches.
06:26Killer Cranky diamonds were first discovered in the 1800s
06:30by tin miners.
06:32Due to their hardness and clarity,
06:34some early settlers attempted to sell them as diamonds.
06:37But they were actually gem-quality topaz.
06:43Over millions of years,
06:45water erosion smoothed the crystals' natural edges.
06:51So you can see here, this is actually the top of Mount Killer Cranky.
06:55Down here at the base is a nice sized dam.
06:59When you dig a dam, it's a hole and you need a pile of dirt to put somewhere.
07:04So that's a really good location for anything that's weathered off the mountain.
07:08This will be fresh dirt.
07:10No-one's had a dig there, no-one's looked for topaz,
07:12so we might be first in, best dressed.
07:15This is actually a trip with me and my girlfriend Jillian.
07:21You know, I've been away a lot this year
07:23and we'd like to spend some time together
07:25and I thought, what better way to bond over some rocks?
07:28Carl and I met on Tinder about three, two, two and a half years ago.
07:33One night, late, swiping right,
07:36just come across her and super-liked her on Tinder.
07:39I even bought a super-like just for her.
07:42This is her first trip away
07:44and sort of chucking her in the deep end here.
07:46But I think, you know, she's physically strong, she's determined.
07:52Oh, and the head kick from Hardy and she's letting her have it.
07:55I'm an amateur MMA fighter.
07:57And Hardy is going to work and strike from here.
08:01Punching people in the face is really fun.
08:04That is a lot of shots from Jillian Hardy
08:08who takes the win and moves to 3-0.
08:12This trip's going to be a massive opportunity
08:14for me to really learn about this stuff
08:16and be able to listen a little bit more intentionally
08:19when he tells me about his travels.
08:21We are here to do some serious work.
08:23You know, this costs a lot of money
08:25and we're hoping that if we, yeah, give it a red-hot crack,
08:28we can potentially walk away.
08:30Hopefully 5,000.
08:31That'll cover all expenses and then some.
08:33We might have a look around the pile
08:35and try and find a spot that has the biggest pieces of quartz.
08:40The toe pads are hard.
08:42They're also very heavy.
08:43So they sink a lot further than the surrounding granite.
08:48There's actually, you know, you can see this here.
08:51It's smoky quartz.
08:52Yeah, it looks like there's heaps of chunks of quartz around this side.
08:55This will probably be the best spot to start.
09:01It's definitely not as glamorous over here.
09:03It's very sinky.
09:04And it's a little bit rainy today.
09:05So, yeah, definitely not the picturesque working site that we had yesterday.
09:18There's nothing in that that's not even quartz.
09:26What I've got in my sieve just looks like a lot of crap.
09:30Yeah.
09:31Unfortunately, that's the task we're up against because there's no defined layer.
09:35It's all a pile.
09:36Yeah.
09:37You're just going to have to dig and sieve.
09:38Yeah, it's going to take a little bit to narrow in and just try and find where the heavy material is in this pile.
09:49It's a little bit of a needle in a haystack situation, unfortunately.
09:53It's not quite the romantic getaway that we've been having the rest of the time.
09:59What's wrong?
10:00My foot's stuck.
10:01Well, you don't need to move just yet.
10:03Aren't you sieving?
10:04Yeah, but my foot's sinking into the hole.
10:07You're not going to get wet, are you?
10:09It's not that deep.
10:11I couldn't even lift up my foot.
10:12Like, I couldn't move it.
10:14You've got to stand up.
10:15You can't sieve like what you need.
10:16No, but what I'm saying is, if I stand in there, my boots just sink straight down.
10:22Let's see.
10:23Seems quite complicated.
10:31Carl seems to be doing it fine.
10:34That shows you how hard the ground is, mate.
10:36You're all on my gear.
10:37You're all on my gear.
10:38Ah, Jesus.
10:39That shows you how hard the ground is, mate.
10:40You're all on my gear.
10:41Ah, Jesus.
10:43That shows you how hard the ground is, mate.
10:44You're all on my gear.
10:45Ah, Jesus.
10:48I'll tell you what, that's getting pretty bony, eh?
10:49Ah, I'll tell you what, that's getting pretty bony, eh?
10:50We've been digging in here.
10:51You're all on my gear.
10:52You're on my gear.
10:53Ah, I'll tell you what, that's getting pretty bony, eh?
10:57We've been digging in here for a while now.
10:58And it's just too hard on these hand tools.
10:59We're not getting real far.
11:00We're not finding much.
11:01Oh, jeez, mate.
11:02Sparky's.
11:03Yeah, I just can't see much else in the way a crow kite.
11:04I'll tell you how hard the ground is, mate.
11:05You're all on my gear.
11:06Ah, Jesus.
11:14I'll tell you what, that's getting pretty bony, eh?
11:19We've been digging in here for a while now.
11:21And it's just too hard on these hand tools.
11:24We're not getting real far.
11:25We're not finding much.
11:26Oh, jeez, mate.
11:27Woo!
11:28Sparky's.
11:29Yeah, I just can't see much else in the way a crow kite.
11:31Time's precious.
11:32We're starting to run short of coin.
11:35We really need to come up with a better idea here.
11:37This is a bit stupid.
11:43I think we're going to have to put this one away for another time, I think.
11:46Yeah, well, we'll have to get some bigger gears
11:48and something that's hitting a bit harder.
11:50I've been thinking the last few minutes.
11:51We've got that American buyer that's been on to us
11:53about the stitch tied in Serpentine.
11:55That's right.
11:56He was after that darker green, wasn't he?
11:58Do you reckon we should get up there
11:59and maybe go and have a chat to Mike
12:00and see what we can work out with him?
12:02All right, let's do that.
12:03All right, mate, let's get out of here.
12:08Dundas, Western Tasmania.
12:12The only remains of this once booming town
12:15are a handful of derelict mines
12:17enshrouded by rainforest.
12:20We're very lucky in Dundas.
12:21We've got a couple of rare minerals here.
12:23There's a lot of Serpentine on Earth,
12:24but stitch tied in Serpentine only occurs
12:26in maybe two or three places around the world.
12:29Luckily enough for us,
12:30we've got a friend with a quarry of it,
12:31so we've just got to put it in the hands of the buyers
12:33and hopefully make a few dollars in between.
12:36Millions of years ago,
12:38molten rock rose up from the Earth's mantle,
12:41reacting with fluids beneath an ancient sea floor
12:44to form green Serpentine rock.
12:49Simultaneously, chromite minerals inside the rock
12:53metamorphosed into violet Stitch Tite.
12:57Serpentine Stitch Tite is extremely rare and sought after
13:01for carvings and as an ornamental stone.
13:04Hey Mike, how are you?
13:10Good day.
13:11Hello, fellas.
13:12How you been?
13:13Not too bad, thanks.
13:15And what brings you here?
13:16Well, we're doing it tough underground, mate,
13:19and we've come up with a bit of a plan.
13:22We had an American buyer call us here the other week
13:24and they just wanted some gem-quality,
13:26carved-grade Stitch Tite and Serpentine,
13:28so we thought we'd come up here and see what you think.
13:31OK, well, it's a bad time though, you know,
13:33there's all this rain and stuff.
13:34I can't do it myself, I'm limping around.
13:37What about we get the boys back out here
13:39and we pay for some blasting
13:41and put the time in to get the rock out?
13:43You'd be happy with 30%?
13:45Oh...
13:47No, probably go a bit more than that.
13:48Yeah, right.
13:49Because I've still got to pay for the usual runny.
13:52I could probably settle for 40%.
13:5440 to you, 60 to us?
13:55I think we can make that work, mate.
13:57I think that will work.
13:58I'll be happy with that.
13:59Sounds neat.
14:00Righto.
14:01Alright, beautiful job.
14:02Love your work.
14:09Hey, the boys can give us a hand,
14:12but they've got to do it tomorrow.
14:14That's the only day.
14:15No pressure.
14:16Yeah.
14:17I always need to stop fisting around,
14:18then we'll go and get that compressor spun
14:20and get this gear out.
14:21Alright, then we'd better get stuck into it.
14:22Let's do it.
14:25So this is the big old compressor we need.
14:27We need air to drive the tools.
14:28All the tools are pneumatic.
14:30And we also need bulk amount of air to blow
14:33all the material off the rock.
14:34We need bare bedrock to be able to drill.
14:36Instead of trying to manhandle it and get it down the hill,
14:39we're going to hook onto the tow ball and spin it,
14:42and you should just drive straight out.
14:44Yeah, straight just a little bit more.
14:47Yep.
14:50I'm going to put rocks behind the tyres.
14:52Yeah, hopefully behind.
14:53In case it decides it wants to go down the bank.
14:55Probably a big rock in front of that timber.
14:58Put in there.
14:59Righto.
15:00Nice and slow, mate.
15:01Low, low.
15:02Yep.
15:07Whoop!
15:08Whoop!
15:09That's what I was afraid of.
15:12Tell him to keep a bit of tension on her.
15:15That's not good.
15:18Don't touch it.
15:20Don't touch it.
15:21Thought you might have to pick us up on the bottom road.
15:24Yeah, it's just in a tricky little spot here,
15:25and we've got a little bit of movement.
15:27We haven't got him quite round enough,
15:29and just wanted to slump off the edge there,
15:30so we've just put a hold to it,
15:32and we're going to make sure we get it up the right way
15:34and not down the hill.
15:35If it does go over the edge,
15:36she's all over, basically.
15:38No hills done, no road done, and no stitch tight.
15:41So she's all over.
15:48That's helping.
15:50That's fine.
15:52Okay.
15:53Just give us a sec.
15:55Another inch, another inch.
15:57Righto, mate.
15:58Bring him back.
16:03Ready?
16:04Yep.
16:05Just bring him round.
16:07Peter's got her just about.
16:14We never do things easy out here, do we?
16:17She's on.
16:19Mate's a little nervous there, but she's hooked on now.
16:21Mike should be able to charge out.
16:33Out, Mike.
16:34Hey!
16:35Hold, mate.
16:38Straight.
16:39Hang on, mate, hang on, hang on.
16:41That tyre.
16:43Again.
16:44Yeah.
16:45It's dug itself a hole.
16:46And pushed against that shed.
16:47Oh, dear.
16:49This tyre, it's all seized up,
16:50so this has just made it a fair bit bigger job
16:52than what I've planned.
16:54We don't really have the time to be mucking around with things like this.
16:56The boys are coming tomorrow.
16:57We've got to drill these holes today.
17:00Genuinely, I'm not sure what we're going to do here.
17:02Do we?
17:11Hey, Pat, you there, mate?
17:13Yeah, mate.
17:14Yeah, we've got the rock drill real stuck.
17:24Luke and Shay have jammed their rock drill,
17:26vital for boring holes to fill with expanding mortar
17:30to extract a $30,000 smoky quartz cluster.
17:34Tried everything to get it out.
17:36Only resort now is I've got one more drill rod.
17:39We'll drill it through another hole next to it.
17:41We'll just leave that in there.
17:43Hopefully, this rock is still going to crack
17:44without that hole being filled up with expanding mortar.
17:51Haven't found much today.
17:53Just a few little bits.
17:55Enough to keep the hope going,
17:57but, yeah, really need to find something better.
17:59Soon.
18:05Just to be able to mix up this burning mortar.
18:08Pour this into the holes,
18:10and then hopefully within a couple of hours
18:12it should start cracking.
18:16Through a chemical reaction with water,
18:18the mortar expands as it sets,
18:20applying 18,000 psi of force to the surrounding rock.
18:24Hopefully, when it expands, it causes a perfect crack along that line,
18:29and so the whole thing should lift right up.
18:32Fingers crossed that it works without the cluster breaking.
18:36Let's go check on that expanding mortar.
18:51Yeah, hopefully.
18:52All right.
18:55It's got a couple of cracks in it.
18:58How do we check it's free, like?
19:01Hey, Pat.
19:02Yeah?
19:03Want to come check this out?
19:04I'm not sure if the cluster's free or if this rock's free.
19:08Ah, okay.
19:09It might be a blessing in disguise if that got stuck,
19:11because we could just try with the bucket,
19:13like, just pushing against that
19:15and just see if there's any kind of movement.
19:17Yeah.
19:18Yeah.
19:21We're going to get the excavator bucket down as low as we can
19:23on that steel rod
19:24and just gently apply pressure from the bucket,
19:26and hopefully that'll just lift this cluster slightly.
19:30We really don't know what's going to happen.
19:31Like, the cluster could just completely crack.
19:35Nothing at all might happen,
19:36or there's a good chance this steel will just bend, so.
19:40Got about a 40% chance of succeeding, in my opinion,
19:44because this is bloody hard as hell on rock,
19:47and that's not a very strong drill rod,
19:49but we'll try anything at once.
19:51Ready, I hope all ready to go.
19:59And come up.
20:02Yep, now come across.
20:04And down.
20:09Down.
20:10And then across.
20:14No, it's just bend and done.
20:15No, no.
20:20That's, um...
20:23bent like a banana.
20:25Change that from 40% to 0%.
20:31What are we going to do, mate?
20:32I don't know.
20:33I think the last resort has just used that rock breaker.
20:35It's probably going to break it.
20:36What else are we going to do?
20:39The expanding mortar just wasn't working
20:41kind of how we needed it to work.
20:43So, our last resort is to use the rock breaker,
20:46which is kind of what I wanted to avoid,
20:48just because this cluster is so amazing
20:50and so potentially fragile too,
20:52so having this incredible vibration
20:53with the rock breaker could completely smash it.
20:56To free what could be Australia's
20:58largest smoky quartz cluster,
21:00the team must now use the hydraulic rock breaker,
21:03which will unload 363 kilograms of force
21:06per square metre onto the surrounding rock.
21:09Well, here we go.
21:11Um, we're just going to give this our best shot.
21:13We've tried to pick where the best spot
21:15to put this rock breaker is,
21:16but it's an absolute unknown how this is going to turn out.
21:19So, we'll find out in a minute.
21:21All right, Paul, let's give it a go.
21:24All right, Paul, let's give it a go.
21:27I just bounced back right up.
21:38Yeah.
21:39The rock breaker keeps slipping,
21:41and if the edge of it comes right into the cluster,
21:44it's game over.
21:48We'll come back a little bit
21:49and hit that red paint dot down in there somewhere.
21:55Yeah.
21:56Yeah, that.
21:57Yeah.
21:58This is going to be the moment of truth, I think.
22:00Moment of truth.
22:02Oh.
22:03Yeah, more of an angle.
22:05So you're going there.
22:07That's it.
22:08Just slow.
22:09Slow, yeah.
22:10Just slow.
22:11Yeah, that's moving.
22:18Hold it.
22:24No way.
22:29This is cracked here.
22:31This is cracked here.
22:37It's kind of starting to fall to pieces.
22:41The spirits are dwindling a little bit here.
22:50This place kind of sucks, if I'm honest.
22:53We're not really finding anything.
22:54It's cold and I'm a little bit sick of just sifting through
22:58and finding chunks of clay.
23:02Yeah, I think she's had enough, mate.
23:04Doesn't look like she's having a great time
23:06and, you know, rightly so.
23:08On their first prospecting trip together,
23:10to find Killy Cranky Diamonds,
23:12Kyle and Gillian's relationship is being put to the test.
23:17We haven't found anything yet.
23:19It sort of feels like I'm doing a little bit of damage control here.
23:22It does feel a bit like a disaster.
23:26I kind of get the impression that you're done.
23:28I'm a little bit done.
23:29I think it's probably best if we can this spot.
23:32And, you know, I think I might try and come up with another idea.
23:36I kind of want to make it, you know, enjoyable for you as well.
23:40You all right?
23:42Come here.
23:43It's pretty concerning.
23:47We're, you know, easily halfway through the dig.
23:50The original plan was to hopefully head home with, you know,
23:53at least $5,000 worth of topaz.
23:55And so far that's looking like that's not going to happen at all.
24:11So we just got down to the beach.
24:13It's really sunny, hardly any wind.
24:15Tide's looking really good at the moment.
24:17So this whole area would usually be underwater.
24:20We're not in a spot that people would usually be able to get out to.
24:23I don't know.
24:24I think it looks kind of promising after the big dirt pile.
24:27Even some freezing cold water is going to be a whole lot better than that.
24:32So the local that we've met up with the other day,
24:35she was telling us that the big ones that have been found
24:38have just been sitting on the ocean floor off the coast.
24:42That's crazy.
24:43It only takes one gem to turn the whole trip around.
24:46So that two pound topaz could be hiding in there anywhere.
24:49Persistence.
24:50That's the key here.
25:00Kyle?
25:02Can you have a look at this?
25:08Hey, you found one.
25:09Yeah.
25:12That's beautiful.
25:13Well done.
25:16That's a killer cranky diamond.
25:18First one.
25:19You beat me to it.
25:20Hell yeah, brother.
25:24Super promising.
25:25It means that we're on the right track.
25:26I'm stoked, yeah.
25:28This is the sort of thing that keeps you going.
25:30They are here.
25:31We are in the right spot.
25:32We are doing the right thing.
25:33Flinders Island lies in the Bass Strait,
25:36some of the most treacherous waters in the world,
25:38renowned for wild storms and deadly swells.
25:42The tide's already coming back in.
25:43We've probably already risen half a metre.
25:45The wind's changed as well,
25:46so this is really going to rip in quite quick.
25:48And it won't be long.
25:49We're going to have to move spot.
25:50It's getting pretty rough.
25:51Yeah, it's horrible.
25:54Oh, look at that.
25:55That's a ripper.
25:57Look, it's got a beautiful blue tinge as well.
25:59Yeah, that's stunning.
26:00Oh, look at that.
26:01That's a ripper.
26:03Look, it's got a beautiful blue tinge as well.
26:04Yeah, that's stunning.
26:05Oh, look at that.
26:09That's a ripper.
26:10Look, it's got a beautiful blue tinge as well.
26:15Yeah, that's stunning.
26:16Oh, another one.
26:19Really?
26:21Stunning.
26:22We've got two big ones.
26:24Well, big compared to what we've found so far.
26:27Oh, another little one.
26:30What a good spot.
26:32Tide's coming in, which is raising the water level,
26:37but it's also getting quite rough.
26:41And it's really making it hard to sort of stand up and shovel,
26:46and everything's just adding to the challenge.
26:49And we're going to have to move spot.
26:59Oh, watch him.
27:00You ready?
27:01Go.
27:02Yeah, let's keep doing that.
27:06So we're using the high lift jack to lift the back end of the compressor up
27:10and kicking the whole trailer over.
27:12Jaren's digging holes and keeping us moving.
27:15If we can get the whole compressor over,
27:17we'll be able to drive straight out.
27:19On the hunt for rare serpentine stitch tight for a US buyer,
27:23Jaren and Hugh are struggling to get a 50-year-old compressor in position needed to power the pneumatic drills to bore holes for explosives.
27:32We're only getting the inches each time, but we've just got to get it over little by little and hopefully get it back up this hill.
27:38There we go.
27:39There we go.
27:40There we go.
27:41Wee!
27:42That was close.
27:44Nearly got my toe cap.
27:46That was an inch of sliding down your knee.
27:48That nearly got you, Mike.
27:49Good job.
27:50We've got it going, Boots.
27:52Well, we'll give her the berries now, will we?
27:58Fingers crossed.
27:59Probably give it a little bit of stick, mate.
28:01Hopefully she just bounces up.
28:08You all right?
28:09Give it up.
28:10Give it one.
28:13Hey!
28:16That's it.
28:17Planning, mate.
28:18Planning.
28:19That's a big relief.
28:22Right.
28:23Pack our crap and get going.
28:40Hey, boys.
28:41How are we?
28:42How are you?
28:43How are you?
28:44Well, mate.
28:45Same man.
28:46So, what's happening?
28:47We've had a bit of a call from one of the American buyers, mate, and they want some of this nice gem green
28:50stitch tight and serpentine.
28:51We've got a nice run of colour running up through this quarry.
28:54It's up under our road.
28:55So, Mike's suggestion was, could we drill possibly a few holes around the back of it and lay that
29:00one over and maybe get a good bit of colour out of that one?
29:03Yep.
29:04Is that possible, you think?
29:05No problem.
29:06Oh, beautiful.
29:07Yep.
29:08Drill some holes and get it ready for you.
29:09Easy done.
29:10So, we've come up with a plan.
29:11We're going to put a nice heavy-loaded eight-foot hole right in the middle of the rock.
29:21That'll knock the front off it and fracture the whole rock.
29:24And then we'll set the four liner holes up in the back and it'll send this down the gully.
29:31So, these are the explosives we'll use today.
29:48These here are emulsion primers.
29:50So, inside the sausage is ammonium nitrate emulsion product, which is detonator sensitive.
29:54I suppose this is modern dynamite.
29:57This here is called signal tube.
29:59This stuff here, you connect onto a non-electric detonator and that's how we'll start our shot.
30:04This tube here is filled with my minute amount of explosive and what it does, it just sends
30:08a flame front down the tube to your detonator, which sets off your shots.
30:12Get our plug, poke a hole through there, poke a hole in the back.
30:18And that there is a primed primer.
30:28Push our plug down the bottom of the hole.
30:39So, we're all ready to go.
30:41She's all hooked in, everything's hooked up.
30:43We'll vacate to the firing point, we'll set her off.
30:46Oh no.
30:47This is known as a stomper.
30:48Poke our signal tube in there like such.
30:49We're armed, ready to go.
30:50Fireing.
30:51Fireing.
30:52Fireing.
30:53Fireing.
30:54Fire, fire.
30:55There's a weapon.
30:56Between both them.
30:57I've already got a long shot and there's no single tube in there like such.
30:58We're armed, ready to go.
30:59Fireing!
31:00Fireing.
31:01Fireing.
31:02Fireing.
31:07Fireing.
31:16Fireing.
31:23There's a crack through there.
31:26At the moment, it is broken.
31:28There's a pretty decent-sized crack going through it,
31:31which is not too good.
31:35It's definitely got cracks in it.
31:37A little bit disappointing that we couldn't get it all in one go,
31:39but it's down to nature right now.
31:43After using a 1.5-tonne rock breaker,
31:47Patrick and Luke have potentially destroyed
31:50a $30,000 smoky quartz cluster.
31:54I think we're going to have to accept
31:56that we can't get this out entirely in one piece,
31:58but if we're careful,
32:01we might be able to repair some of this bottom section.
32:03Righty-o.
32:08Now starts the second part of this extraction,
32:11which will be trying to get this cluster out of here.
32:13It probably weighs close to a ton.
32:16So we're going to try and put some slings around it
32:18and then hook that onto the excavator.
32:31Become a crystal miner, they said.
32:33It's easy.
32:41I learned my work.
32:42Just watch out.
32:43It doesn't snap.
32:43Oh, lovely.
32:51Yeah.
32:54Nice, mate.
32:56Nice one.
32:58Oh, this is unbelievable.
32:59I can't believe we actually got it out in pretty much one piece.
33:03So the team did an amazing job getting this out.
33:06We would have to be one of Australia's
33:07largest smoky quartz clusters.
33:09So, yeah, it's been a great day.
33:11I'm absolutely stoked.
33:15Nice work, Seamus.
33:20Oh, I had such an incredible feeling
33:22that we've been able to get it out of the ground
33:24and now it's on the back of the truck,
33:26ready to go up top.
33:27Oh, yeah, I'm just...
33:27I'm stoked.
33:33We did it!
33:34Look at the colour.
33:49It's so pretty.
33:50They're amazing, aren't they?
33:51Yeah, really nice.
33:54Gorgeous crystals.
33:56Whoa.
33:56What do you reckon?
33:57Look at that colour.
33:58No, pretty insane, hey?
34:00Wow.
34:01Pretty good first week.
34:02Great first week.
34:03These clusters over here look pretty good, too.
34:05They're out of that smoky cave.
34:07Yeah.
34:07Yeah.
34:08Yeah, they're like real collector pieces, those ones.
34:11Bit of value in those two alone, I reckon.
34:14Oh, I've got something to show you guys.
34:15Yeah?
34:15Yeah.
34:16Been working on that big cluster we got out.
34:19Cleaning it.
34:20It's going to blow your mind.
34:22That's insane.
34:24No way.
34:26Oh, that looks incredible.
34:28No way, that's insane, mate.
34:29That cleaned up so well.
34:31Yeah, better than I was expecting, to be honest.
34:32You did a good job.
34:33Yeah.
34:34Like, it was all covered in dirt and calcite, and underneath that is just all these beautiful
34:38crystals.
34:39So, yeah.
34:40That's a museum grade.
34:41That's worth a bit more than what I thought it was, I think.
34:43Yeah.
34:43So what are you thinking in terms of value?
34:45Having a look at what we have over there, I reckon that's almost a ton of crystals there.
34:50Mixed grades.
34:51There's some really special pieces in that.
34:53So I'll put a rough value of about $90,000 on that lot.
34:55Oh, wow.
34:57That's not so bad.
34:57This has got to be worth at least double what I thought.
35:00It's close to maybe, or above $60,000.
35:02So we've got $150,000 for that first week.
35:06Woo-hoo!
35:07Well done!
35:07And just, you guys did such an incredible job getting this out.
35:11I'm just so thankful.
35:13Thanks, mate.
35:13Yeah.
35:14It wasn't easy, but we got it.
35:16Still got a long way to go, so we need to get busy digging.
35:18Yeah, a long way to go to reach that target.
35:20Let's go dig.
35:21Let's go find them.
35:21Let's go find them.
35:51Tide's coming up.
35:53We're going to go up the beach, try and find another spot, and hopefully find some more topaz.
36:02Yeah, you can go for a walk if you want, and I'll keep sitting here.
36:11While I was just having a quick scout around here, I've noticed just on the face here, there
36:15is quite a small shard of blue topaz stuck in the pegmatite here.
36:21I've jumped down and started cleaning it out.
36:23If that topaz does continue down, we might be in luck, and we might find something deeper
36:28down.
36:28No way.
36:39I reckon this is one that's f***ing huge.
36:49Look at that.
36:50That's massive.
36:52This is the best one today by far.
36:54Kyle's going to be mad.
36:55This is bigger than the one he found.
36:56Hey, Kyle!
37:02I found a big one!
37:04Look.
37:05Oh, wow.
37:05How big is it?
37:07Is that what you're yelling about?
37:08Yeah.
37:08That's an absolute ripper.
37:22I'm feeling pretty freezing.
37:25We've been on the beach for hours.
37:27We've been in the water today as well.
37:28That water's really cold, and I'm still recovering from that, so I think we're on a little bit
37:34of a time limit of how much we can take.
37:42Oh!
37:44Out of the ground.
37:45Oh, my God.
37:47Look at that.
37:47It's quite obviously terminated, and the biggest reason for that is that this topaz has probably
37:56moved only half a foot, if that.
37:59To me, that's sort of the pinnacle of collecting topazes fresh out of the pegmatite, so that's
38:03a real win.
38:05Oh, my God.
38:07That's going to be easy 20 carats.
38:10It's really sort of turned the trip around.
38:11It's, I think, for both of us, it's been a really good achievement, and I think we'll walk
38:15away really happy with that one.
38:18This is so cool.
38:19I'm so happy.
38:31All right, Jill.
38:33Let's get an idea of what we've got for the last couple of days.
38:37Yeah, how do you work it out?
38:38Anything under 20 carats would be 50 cent a carat, so there's probably, you know, 50 cents,
38:43$200 there for the smaller ones.
38:45Okay.
38:46And then anything over 20 carats, looking at a dollar, would probably, you know, $400.
38:52So, I think all up, 600 bucks, that's a pretty good estimate.
38:58So, not exactly what we wanted, but still something.
39:01No, definitely a long way off the 5,000, but look, a couple of these definitely stay in
39:06the collection, and yeah, we'll just keep sake.
39:09Yeah, it's nice to have something to remember the trip, at least.
39:11Maybe I'll find more than you next time.
39:15It's possible.
39:16I mean, especially with what we found this time, anything's possible.
39:20Let's get packed up and get out of here.
39:22What do you say?
39:23Yeah, let's do it.
39:24All right.
39:24Give me a hug.
39:25Hey, we're all fired, ready to go.
39:50Bombs went off, sounded successful, probably sounded a little bit too successful, so we're
39:56just going to go and check her and make sure we've got a quarry left.
39:58Oh, that's not bad.
40:07Look at how that sheared off.
40:09That's fantastic.
40:09Look at that.
40:11That is awesome.
40:12It's like you cut it off with a knife.
40:14Got rocks for days.
40:16Have a look at that, mate.
40:19Oh, check that out.
40:20The boys have done a marvellous job here, and we've got some beautiful greens and purples
40:24in amongst it.
40:25Just ideal contrast of colours, and it's solid and slabby, so I think it may have been a success.
40:33That is a premium rock.
40:35You've got the dark green, purple and blue, pink, bleb, and it's got a light green halo.
40:40That is A grade.
40:42Hey.
40:42Oh, mate.
40:46Doesn't get any better than that.
40:50These are some of the best of us, eh?
40:51I was going to say, like, maybe historically when Mike first opened it up, there was big,
40:55solid slabs like this, but I haven't seen this stuff since I've been into it, mate.
40:58That's for sure.
41:00What do you reckon, Hugh?
41:00Should we get a few buckets together and get them washed up and maybe do a video call to
41:04Putsu and see what he thinks of this stuff?
41:06I reckon you're spot on the money, mate.
41:08That'll do us.
41:12Jaren and Hugh must now assess the serpentine stitch time and negotiate a price with US
41:19buyer Putsu.
41:21Woo!
41:23What do you reckon, mate?
41:25What sort of figure are we going to put on this per kilo?
41:27There could only be possibly, like, a few tonne of this stuff, mate, so I'm thinking around
41:32$30 a kilo.
41:33It'll be nice to get $30.
41:34I'm not sure we will.
41:38Here we go.
41:39Hey, how you going?
41:40All right, how you doing?
41:41Yeah, not too bad, mate.
41:43Not too bad.
41:43Been a busy week.
41:44Finding some good purples?
41:46Oh, my word, mate.
41:46I'll just give you a quick look here.
41:48Check this stuff out.
41:49Oh, look at that.
41:50Yeah, no, that's rich.
41:51That's good material.
41:53One little tough subject, though.
41:55We have sort of valued it a little bit higher than what's normally asked for this stuff.
42:00We're probably looking at about $30 a kilo for it, mate.
42:03Ouch.
42:03Ouch.
42:05Yeah, that's not what I was expecting, based on the last time.
42:10You got any room on that?
42:13Yeah, not too much, but what were you thinking?
42:15Well, I mean, I was hoping to come in around $15 was sort of my goal.
42:19Oh, hello.
42:20We probably couldn't do $15, mate.
42:21This is the best stuff we've seen in our lifetime, to be honest with you.
42:24It's exactly what you're after.
42:26Yeah, and you got a full tonne for me?
42:28Yeah, mate, we'll have a full tonne for you, ready to go.
42:31Do you reckon you could lift her up a little bit?
42:34Yeah, I reckon.
42:36I mean, I got my transportation costs getting it out of there, too.
42:39Look, if you can get it to $20 and it starts off a good little partnership between us,
42:44I reckon we can call it a deal.
42:46Yeah, why don't we do that?
42:47Yeah, I'll do that.
42:47I need the material.
42:48I like that stuff a lot.
42:50Perfect.
42:50We'll call her a deal, then.
42:51We'll call her a deal.
42:52Hey, sounds groovy, man.
42:53Thanks so much.
42:54Perfect.
42:55Thanks again, mate.
42:56We'll talk to you soon.
42:56Sounds good.
42:57Take care.
42:57Bye.
42:58Hey, what do you think of that, mate?
42:59$20,000?
43:00Nice.
43:00$20,000 at 60%.
43:02$12,000, ain't too bad for the week.
43:05We've got access to an American market.
43:07What more do we want?
43:08$8,000 for Mike.
43:09That'll keep him pretty happy out there.
43:10I reckon he'll be pretty happy with that.
43:13All we've got to do is wash this stuff down and get it boxed up.
43:15What do you think?
43:16Should we start cracking into it and get it sorted?
43:17We're going to go fill some more buckets up.
43:18Hey, let's go.
43:19Rightio.
43:20Oh, it doesn't.
43:24All right.
43:25Love it.
43:25Let's open it.
43:30Let's go.
43:30Look at those.
43:32Oh, God be.
43:33Oh, you won't.
43:34You won't.
43:34Let's go.
43:35Let's go.
43:36Let's go.
43:37We'll go to the Olympics.