- yesterday
Outback Opal Hunters Season 13 Episode 4
#PrimeUSTV
🎞 Please join
https://t.me/CinemaSeriesUSFilm
#PrimeUSTV
🎞 Please join
https://t.me/CinemaSeriesUSFilm
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Oh
00:05This is the life of an opal miner. I mean if we've got no money coming in and we got no prospects and sometimes you gotta
00:11Take a little bit more risk
00:14Jesus right in the entrance
00:24Hey
00:27Right
00:30Yeah
00:45Still dropping from in there mate, that's not safe man. Sorry man, I was gonna have to check that one slide
00:51Yeah mate, but our lives aren't worth a bit of opal or in this case a bit of gypsum mate
00:55So we're here at our lunatic black opal mine. The last win we know about was 14 million dollars plus
01:02So that's why we spent all our money last year to open this mine up
01:09We give ourselves the best chance at one big win
01:11But it seems like we've picked one of the worst spots to put a tunnel in
01:14Let's get it out of here. We'll have to come back with some serious money or some serious machines
01:23Andamooka South Australia
01:25In 1872 this sparse landscape was an outback sheep station
01:30Then everything changed in 1930 with the discovery of opal
01:41For nearly a century fortune hunters have braved the scorching outback sun in search of the rainbow gem
01:50This season target is that two hundred thousand dollars say hopefully we can hit that target
01:54Yeah, the things are getting more and more difficult
01:56I know there's a big win around the corner just a matter of whether we can make it happen before we go broke
02:04Struggling to earn a stable income from mining brothers Matt and Cosa Caffigan
02:09The Mooka boys have been looking to expand
02:16So here's the old mobile
02:18An idea of a one-stop open mining shop
02:20It's been in my head for years now
02:22I could see a big Mooka boys headquarters sign up top there
02:25That'd be great
02:26Yeah, that'd be excellent
02:29So I think it's time to get the shop going
02:32Mate, it's perfect
02:34Look at the same old picture of Anamooka sitting right there already
02:36So what we really want to do is offer a business up that helps new opal miners
02:41I mean me and Cosi know better than anybody how hard it is to start this industry off
02:45There's no training, you know, it's hard getting information out of anybody
02:49Because they don't want to give up their secrets
02:51There's an old kitchen out the back with ventilation
02:53Perfect to turn into a cutting room, Bov
02:56So much room for more opal miners
02:58We want to set up a shop where people can come and use the basic equipment they need to see what they've got
03:02We've got all this space to put opal and artwork up here
03:06And then maybe they can work with us so we can all make a profit
03:10Yeah, so I don't know what we're doing now
03:13Noodley, noodley, noodley, noodley
03:15We did not leave that in good condition
03:17It broke down last time we were there, I can't even remember what happened
03:20Look, we've got four and a half grand cash in our pockets
03:24That's all the kitty we've got right now
03:25We can go spend all that in three days on diesel if we want to go dig in another hole
03:30Yeah
03:32If we go put this money into the noodler, just hope to God it's all going to work out
03:37So a noodler machine is a machine that we use to process pay dirt
03:43And then we'd run all the opal through a dark room with UV lights
03:46So it's really easy to see the opal, you just pluck it off the belt as it comes through
03:50It's a very efficient way of getting through all the old piles here
03:53That's right, the ordinator broke off, didn't it?
03:57F***ing hell
03:58It's been a while, look, even the weld went rusty, it went broke
04:02Alright, so really it's just the weld job
04:05We'll get this started
04:07Then we can actually power up the plant
04:09See what other jobs we've got to get done
04:11Yeah
04:20Hey Luke, we've got purple over there
04:21Yeah
04:22We've got green here, green over there
04:24And green there
04:26What's your favourite colour?
04:28Right now I'd say it's green
04:30Righto
04:34You see something, you yell out, wow
04:37Yeah
04:41Looks like there's a bit of red on that, Dad
04:42I like the sound of that
04:43I like the sound of that
04:45At Turner's Rush Clay
04:47The Cheels, Chris, his daughter Luca, son Rory and mining partner Mark Bresson
04:54About there you reckon?
04:55Yeah, have a crack
04:57Are fighting on two fronts, at their open cut and underground mine
05:02You alright and keep going?
05:04Yeah, yeah
05:06So far we've found 225,000
05:10Oh, f***
05:12Look at this one
05:14Considering our target's half a mil, we've still got a bit of a ways to go
05:19So, yeah, we can't quite sit back and put our feet up yet
05:23Still got a lot of hard work to do
05:25It's all well and good when the opal's coming in
05:28But if the opal stops coming then quite quickly you can be
05:32You can be pretty stressed out and going backwards
05:34So we've got lots of gear running, generators
05:36You know, if we're digging underground and open cut at the same time
05:39You can't run this stuff on thin air
05:41The longer it goes and you're not getting opal or the bigger the breakdowns you've got
05:45Yeah, you know, sometimes there's some sleepless nights
05:47I think the colour was coming just a bit higher, wasn't it?
05:49Yeah, but that split
05:51It's all split though, where the head of the digger come over it
06:04Not bad, eh?
06:06It's looking good
06:08It's looking great
06:09That's it, that's what we're here for
06:12Um, I had this sort of just hanging out of the wall
06:15This beautiful green, innit?
06:16This beautiful green
06:18Yeah, I'm liking that
06:21You know how we were going to chuck this in?
06:23Yeah
06:24That trace is better than that, eh?
06:25We might just...
06:26We're already loading the truck
06:27Okay
06:28Yeah
06:30We've decided we're going to wash it
06:33So we've just loaded the truck and we're about to take it up to the aggie
06:39The Cheels Agitator Wash Plant is a converted cement mixer fed by conveyor belt
06:50Tons of mined rock is tumbled with water inside the barrel for 12 hours to wash off the clay and dirt and expose any opal
07:00We're hoping to set up multiple machines this year on our new wash plant site
07:08So once we get the two rolling, we should be pretty well underway to try and get this year's target
07:15You know, the boys are working hard on the jewellery side of stuff
07:19The kids, they come up with the idea of going direct to the customer and setting jewellery and, yeah, I'm backing them 100%
07:29Quite the contrast, isn't it?
07:30You know, we're out here in the dust and the wind and the mozzies and the blowflies
07:35And it's sort of funny that all that ends up over there is something so, like, beautiful and elegant
07:40There's a bit of pressure there also because we've got to come up with the opal and it's a bit of a worry at this stage
07:43Really good to be able to build the foundations of an opal business, but to keep an opal business alive, we need to keep finding opal
07:59It's just, it's full of all this crap
08:01Crap
08:12Well
08:15That's all, folks
08:17We've got nothing
08:19No
08:20Well, it is what it is
08:26You've just got to cop it on the chin and find a way to keep going
08:31The plan is to move the excavator from Black Flag out to a digger's gully
08:50So, truck's coming real soon
08:52It's definitely not easy moving the machine this big
08:55Problem is, it's pretty wide, needs oversized gear to make sure we get all the tracks onto the trailer
09:00So, specialist transport, not that many of them around certainly coming past Kewapiti
09:05Dan!
09:06Yeah?
09:07I think that truck's coming
09:09Yeah, copy Dave, just swing around, you'll see some rubber mats there, mate
09:12Wherever suits you
09:14I need the keys, have you got the keys?
09:16I haven't got the keys
09:18You're in charge of the keys
09:21Um
09:22Where'd you have them last?
09:24Well, I've seen them at home
09:25Let me just check
09:27Dan has lost the keys before
09:28Nah, they're not in there
09:31It must be in the car
09:33I found it
09:35Where?
09:36It's in the glove box
09:37What?
09:38Since when are they in the bloody glove box?
09:39I don't leave them there
09:40You're not blaming me for losing the keys
09:42Apparently I got blamed for that
09:44But anyway, we've found the keys
09:46Bit of a delay, but we're back on track now
09:48Cheers bud, appreciate this Renee
09:50There you going, nice to meet you
09:51Nice to meet you
09:54Coober Pedy, South Australia
09:57A desolate, sun scorched landscape
10:00That hides the world's largest deposits of opal
10:06You'll drive it on?
10:07Yep, all set to load
10:09After a huge $55,000 start to their season
10:14The opal lovers
10:17Renee Everest
10:19Yeah, I'm nervous watching Dan drive the excavator on
10:22And Dan Meese
10:23I can't quite see a line
10:25Have exhausted their black flag claim
10:28And are moving their entire operation 15 kilometres
10:32To Digger's Gully
10:34If Dan gets a little bit to the left
10:36Or a little bit too much to the right
10:38The excavator can fall off the truck
10:39That's so dangerous
10:53Oh, it looks like she's on
11:02This moving of my machine can make me pretty nervous
11:04Because of the weight, because of the height, because of the width
11:06It's a very short trip today
11:10We've only got to move the excavator about 15 k's
11:12But that's $15 out of bucks, so it's not cheap
11:15Bobby Dave, I assume that corrugation's not really good for you, eh?
11:20The corrugation's a bit rough back in today, mate
11:22But the road's steady, we'll get it done for you, mate
11:25Thanks, man
11:27I'm going to block the road with the car
11:30Obviously, if anyone's coming fast and hasn't seen you, get off the road
11:35It's coming a bit fast, actually, I hope it slows down
11:41Oh, maybe it doesn't look like a big arse
11:43I'm so excited that we're back to get some oval mining happening
11:47Have you got the key, Dan?
11:49Yeah, I've got the key this time
11:51He's easy to stir up
11:52This is Digger's Gully Field
11:54We're back here because she's done well for us over the years, this field
11:57Nice ground to dig, nice opal
11:59We've found opal here up to $15,000, $18,000 an ounce
12:01So, top crystal, yeah, just burns your eyes out, nearly
12:02Thanks, Dave, mate, appreciate that, eh?
12:04Yeah, thanks, Dave, mate
12:05Appreciate that, eh?
12:07Yeah, thanks, Dave, man
12:08We've got the key this time
12:10He's easy to stir up
12:11This is Digger's Gully Field
12:13We're back here because she's done well for us over the years, this field
12:15Nice dig-ground to dig, nice opal
12:17We've found opal here up to $15,000, $18,000 an ounce
12:21So, top crystal, um, man
12:23Just burns your eyes out, Nellie
12:25Thanks, Dave, mate, appreciate that, eh?
12:27I wish I'd done, eh?
12:34Ah, looks like he's got bogged.
12:37Can we get the excavator?
12:38You want to go back or forward?
12:40I'm back.
12:42Is he bogged?
12:44Yeah, it's another hold-up.
12:45He's done us a favour. We've got to get him out.
12:47Oh!
12:48We had the moment of relief.
12:50We're here, and now there's another hold-up
12:52with the truck getting bogged.
12:57Here he comes.
13:09Oh, here he is, mate.
13:11You beauty.
13:12How you going, mate? Thanks for coming.
13:14No worries.
13:15What seems to be your issue?
13:16Well, we got a bit of an alternator
13:18that didn't want to stay on issue.
13:20Oh.
13:21Just snapped off his bracket, man, right here.
13:23Nah, it'll probably be easy enough just to go to where it is.
13:26Yep, sweet.
13:27That'll be good, bro.
13:28If we can get this fired up, then we can fire up the noodler.
13:31Yep.
13:32Cosi and I are good with just about everything,
13:33but we can't be good at everything.
13:35So, we've called Jared here today.
13:37He's a much better welder than we are.
13:39He'll come help us out today
13:40and try and weld this alternator back on.
13:42Second cousin to Matty and Cosi.
13:44My dad's their cousin.
13:46I moved over a few years ago
13:47and just help them out here and there
13:49whenever they need some help with the opal.
13:51You won't be getting paid until we get some stones out of the noodler.
13:54Yeah.
13:55You happy to do this job
13:56if we just give you the first few stones out of the noodler?
13:58Yeah, that should be alright.
14:04At their Hallion Hill claim,
14:06the Mooka boys are trying to revive an ancient noodling machine
14:10to process the opal-bearing dirt they've stockpiled from three mines.
14:15Cosi and I have decided to take a bit of a detour,
14:18invest what money we've got into this noodler,
14:20get it up and running.
14:21I mean, without this,
14:22we're down to buckets and picks again.
14:25So, yeah, it's really valuable to the Mooka boys right now.
14:30So, the main components of the machine is basically the hopper end.
14:33That's where we fill up all the dirt.
14:35That travels through to a screening process.
14:38It's like a big vibrator screen
14:40that sorts all the sizes out for the belt in front of it.
14:43It goes into the darkroom with UV lights,
14:45so it's really easy to see the opal.
14:47You just pluck it off the belt as it comes through.
14:51You ready to roll, bro?
14:52Yep.
14:53Let's get ready to rumble.
14:56You guys nothing?
14:57Yep.
14:58Take the lid off.
14:59Roger.
15:01It's an old Klockner Humboldt German diesel engine.
15:04We've got about a 13-kilovolt generator on the back.
15:08Pretty serious electricity comes out of it.
15:10Could absolutely kill you
15:11if you get it earthen through your bodies.
15:14Hey.
15:20Yeah!
15:21Let's go!
15:23Ha-ha-ha-ha!
15:25New flower!
15:26That warm up a bit,
15:28then we'll put the pound feed through.
15:30Yeah, look, it's been a couple of years
15:32since we fired up this noodler.
15:33We've got a lot of moving parts on this machine,
15:35so we're going to have to go right over it
15:37and make sure everything's running properly
15:38before we actually throw some dirt in.
15:42Off we go.
15:43All right, the table's on.
15:45All right, here's a shaker going now.
15:48Sleeping good, bro.
15:49Yep.
15:51Get a travel belt now.
15:54It's not going good, bro.
15:55I'll get the digger going,
15:57get some dirt in.
15:58Sweet.
16:06Here comes the material!
16:08Oh!
16:13Yeah, one of the biggest problems we have,
16:15we've got a sliding door that controls the feed.
16:18If it's too far up,
16:19too much will come out
16:21and fog everything up the top end.
16:23If it's too far down,
16:24every little rock jams it.
16:26You're constantly trying to dig them out.
16:32Yeah, we just had a big rock drop through.
16:34If we let this keep going,
16:36it'll burn the bell down
16:37up top there in the motor.
16:39Hey, Cozy shut the feed down, mate.
16:41What was that, buddy?
16:42Shut the feed bell down, mate.
16:44Shut the hopper down.
16:45What was that? Turn it on?
16:46Turn it off.
16:47Yeah, I have turned that conveyor off.
16:52So now it's useless.
16:53Is it off?
16:54Yeah, the conveyor's off.
16:55Yeah.
16:58Yeah, originally this machine was built
17:00with a hydraulic ram
17:01that Cozy could control inside the box,
17:03but over the years,
17:04the hydraulic pumps has just worn itself out.
17:06So at the moment,
17:07I've got to do everything manually with this bar.
17:11Oh, mate.
17:13If I don't get this right,
17:14this door could come down
17:15and chop my bloody fingers off.
17:23It tries to turn,
17:24then it just won't turn.
17:25So it's like everything's jammed,
17:27but I can't find one being jammed anyway.
17:29F*** me!
17:30There's just too much going on it!
17:33I don't know.
17:34The answer's the f***ing hole!
17:38Ah!
17:40F*** that!
17:47Oh, look,
17:48if we don't get this thing going,
17:49we'll find out of options, mate.
17:51We don't have much money.
17:52Yeah, I don't know, mate.
17:53It might be the end for us.
17:55Yeah, I don't know, mate.
17:56It might be the end for us.
18:09Put this hole down here,
18:10nine-inch prospecting hole.
18:11We drilled up a lot of material here,
18:13you can see,
18:14watching the wall there.
18:15Basically,
18:16it gives you something to
18:17dig to underground.
18:18It's a guide
18:19and it gives you a target
18:20to work towards.
18:23Hey, Luca,
18:24could you just spot this for us
18:25up here, please?
18:26Sure.
18:34Colour in there?
18:35Looks like there could be
18:36a little, tiny slither of red.
18:38Put the hardest, tiny slither in there.
18:43I don't even know
18:44where you could call that.
18:45Certainly not gonna feed
18:46buster tonight.
18:50We've had a pretty good run
18:51and, you know,
18:52the good times don't last forever, too.
18:53So, in the back of my mind,
18:55I'm always kind of thinking,
18:56hey, look, you know,
18:57this could end,
18:58you know,
18:59it could end this week.
19:03Rory and I, we just can continue
19:04on digging here in the trench,
19:06so if we can come across
19:07a bit more colour,
19:08and it's just teasing us
19:09at the moment,
19:10just teasing just little bits
19:11and pieces,
19:12just little bits and pieces,
19:13so hopefully, yeah,
19:15we'll come into a big pocket
19:16sooner or later,
19:17but that's a maybe,
19:19so see what happens.
19:27Yeah, there's still potch here.
19:28Yeah, I can see it from here.
19:31So is that trying to turn green?
19:33No, it doesn't look like it.
19:35Yeah, right.
19:36Oh, there's more potch down here.
19:37It's missing the colour.
19:38I think we will just get all this dirt out.
19:51If you haven't driven that bogger for four months,
19:53you reckon you remember how to drive it?
19:54I think we'll work it out.
19:55So the bogger, yeah,
19:56it's pretty much like a toy car, to be honest,
19:57like playing a video game.
19:58You just use these little levers here
19:59that can have a mind of its own.
20:00She was on that bogger all year last year,
20:01and didn't take her long.
20:02It's just like riding a bike, hey?
20:03Never forget how.
20:04Bit like Buster, it runs all around
20:05and can get in the way sometimes.
20:06Bit like Buster, it runs all around and can get in the way sometimes.
20:13She's doing a good job, isn't she, Buster?
20:14The bogger clears up all the dirt that we dig from the face.
20:18And then dumps it into the bucket, which then goes up the hoist into the truck.
20:47Having Luca here on the job to help me, it's one of the joys of the job, really,
20:55because I get to work with her and she's learning new skills.
20:58Come over this way, little Luca.
21:01Nothing phases Luca.
21:02She doesn't get rattled at all.
21:04You know, she lost a right hand index finger that got cut off.
21:08She was only two years old, and they flew her to Sydney
21:11and they sewed it back on and saved it.
21:14And she did not cry once.
21:16So she's as tough as they come.
21:26Up at your butt?
21:27No.
21:28No colour, Mary.
21:29Come on.
21:41All the time, the colour just comes and goes.
21:45It's there and then it's just gone, you know?
21:47Not ideal.
21:48We're going to call it a day.
21:49That'll give us a fair bit of pulling power.
22:03The truck is bogged.
22:04All good to go?
22:05It's really urgent.
22:06He's spent all morning helping us and he's running late now.
22:10Starting now to put some tension on.
22:13Nice and slow.
22:14Righto, stop, stop.
22:15Looks like it's worked.
22:16That's a relief.
22:17I owe you one.
22:18Cheers, bud.
22:19Should have charged him 1500 for getting him out of that.
22:34Digger's gully is waiting for us.
22:35Let's get it out.
22:36Back at Digger's.
22:37That's it.
22:38Back where Dad and I started.
22:39This is where the money is.
22:40This will make us.
22:41Digger's gully is very special to me.
22:42We're where Dad and I, working together, found our first reasonable sized money.
22:46Dan and his dad had a bit of a go mining this claim about 20 years ago.
22:51They found about $40,000 worth of money.
22:54They found about $40,000 worth of money.
22:57That's it.
22:58That's it.
22:59That's it.
23:00That's it.
23:01That's it.
23:02That's it.
23:03Back where Dad and I started.
23:04This is where the money is.
23:05This will make us.
23:06Digger's gully is very special to me.
23:07They found about $40,000 worth.
23:10Dad was definitely addicted to Opal and loved Opal.
23:13He mined it on and off for 50 years at least.
23:16So from an early age, I caught the bug from Dad's experience and also Mum's.
23:24Growing up in Curbapiti, I guess you could say it was rough and ready, but it was brilliant.
23:28I loved it.
23:29Initially, my attraction to Opal was probably pocket money, but as I got to find and see more Opal,
23:34it was just the brilliance and the depth of the Opal that really caught me.
23:40The plan is to get the excavator up and going.
23:42Dan's just doing a little bit of maintenance work on it at the moment.
23:45The flies are really bad this season, and it's only early in the season as well.
23:52I'm just having a little bit of a prospect, a little bit of a fossick around and see if I can find anything.
24:02Oh, look at this.
24:03Oh my God.
24:04Dan!
24:06Dan, I reckon I've found some Opal.
24:08Over there.
24:09Yeah.
24:10Where's that from?
24:11It's up on the dump there.
24:12So, we might have missed a heap of stuff.
24:13That's a shell.
24:14Millions of years ago, Coober Pedy was covered by the inland Ehramunga Sea.
24:23Over time, shells decomposed in the seabed, leaving voids for silica-rich water to fill,
24:29eventually hardening to form Opal.
24:32We can't leave that sitting there, and you can't look how big the dump is.
24:35I can't go to sleep thinking that there could be a pocket of shells in there.
24:38We've got to try it.
24:40Dan's going to organise a noodler for us, and we're going to noodle that whole big pile of dirt.
24:44We've got a lot of dirt to pick up.
24:46Try it.
24:48It's a big deal.
24:49It's a big deal.
24:50It's a big deal.
24:51It's a big deal.
24:52It's a big deal.
24:53It's a big deal.
24:54It's a big deal.
24:55It's a big deal.
24:56It's a big deal.
24:57It's a big deal.
24:58We've got dirt to pick up.
24:59Probably 80 to 100 tonnes.
25:01Ideally, we'd like our own noodler, but that's more time and money.
25:05Good to go.
25:08The noodling machine is about 15 kilometres from us.
25:15We as a good friend of ours, Mick and Ron, generously said, Dan,
25:18if you ever need the noodler, if you get stuck, just go ahead, use it.
25:21Tuck a bit of fuel in, break it, fix it, go for it.
25:25I've only noodled once before and I did actually get quite sick in there.
25:31I do have these.
25:32So they're like an armband that apparently stops travel sickness.
25:35All right.
25:36So hopefully the armband will help and I won't get sick.
25:39There's a heap of buttons there, Dan.
25:41Yeah, this is the important end of the machine.
25:43Emergency stop.
25:44Anything you get worried about, hit the stop, let me know.
25:46Yep.
25:47Pick lots of opal.
25:52Opal shells, depending on the quality of the colour,
25:55they can be worth quite a bit of money.
26:00I've got to be constantly looking at the belt.
26:02I'm not allowed to look away because if I look away,
26:05I could potentially miss picking up some opening.
26:11You're standing in a dark box.
26:12There's no light except the blue light.
26:14And then there's belts running past you.
26:16You're not really moving.
26:17That's moving and it really disorientates some people.
26:20Some people are fine.
26:21Others just can't act it.
26:23It's coming over here.
26:37It's coming over here.
26:53Oh, it's going to get something else to leave it with.
26:58We're really going to have to make a go of it this year.
27:00Otherwise, even though our families are supportive of us,
27:03I don't think we can put them through this much longer.
27:06At their Halligan Hill claim,
27:07the Mooka boys are desperate to fix a conveyor belt
27:10on their noodling machine.
27:13Every one of these belts comes together with a metal strap joiner.
27:16If those belts travel off one way or the other,
27:18that joiner can catch on the edge of all the metal on the sides.
27:21It'll be all right.
27:23Go, guys.
27:27All right.
27:28Well, it is sitting okay, so we might be all right here now.
27:31Seems like the belt's sitting where it should now,
27:33so I'll get some dirt in and hopefully this is going to work out.
27:40This stuff that we're about to put through today
27:42comes from Horse Paddock.
27:43With a bit of luck,
27:44it'll run smoothly for Matty out here,
27:46and I'll just be picking opal off that belt.
27:48So we know this material will come from a dig,
27:50we're finding opal in, which is really good,
27:52and hopefully today we'll find some stuff
27:55that we left behind a couple of seasons back.
28:02Oh, noodler, noodler, here we go.
28:06The idea of the noodler here is to keep your hands hovering over the belt
28:10so you've got quick access to fix this material.
28:14Sometimes it'll come through and it'll come through really quick.
28:18Yeah, it's really important to have the right bloke in the back room.
28:22It's really easy to miss that opal coming past.
28:24So, yeah, I'm lucky to have Cozzy with me.
28:27We've been doing this for a long time now,
28:29so you can really trust the bloke in there.
28:31Yeah, so you're just sitting in the one spot,
28:35and I've heard that people can go blind from these black lights,
28:39so, you know, you really don't want to get the UVs shining straight into your eyes,
28:43you only want to be looking down under the belt.
28:45How are we looking there, bro?
28:47Yeah, sorry, mate, hands are busy then.
28:49Yeah, no, sure, we're doing all right.
28:51Got opal coming.
28:53Yeah, I've got one good piece just then, mate.
28:56I've put a few handfuls into that bucket now.
28:59You beauty, yeah.
29:04Yeah, boy, we've got some opal, man.
29:06Yes.
29:07You beauty.
29:09Good coming, mate.
29:13Mate, there's money here.
29:15Woo!
29:25Do you want to pluck a bit from here and there in that fire?
29:27We might eat a bit of a honey hole.
29:29Yeah, well, that's the thing.
29:30You don't... Don't know.
29:31You just don't know.
29:33The Cheels-Turner's rush claim is refusing to give up any opal,
29:37so the team want to test out a new strategy.
29:40We thought we'd try something different.
29:42We've got some Buckstowe dirt there that was too hard to wash at the time.
29:45It's been sitting there for a few years now
29:47and we're hoping that it's softened up with the sun.
29:51Mark's just going to run up here with the excavator
29:53and the weight of the excavator is 50 tonne,
29:55so he'll crush this up.
30:00If we see colour, we're going to pick it up and wash it,
30:03but we physically just can't wash it all
30:05because we'd be there forever trying to do that.
30:10It's a little bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.
30:13It's having me come across a really big needle.
30:18There's potch in here.
30:19You know, we've found green.
30:25It's only a thin bar, but it shows this colour in here
30:28and I've picked the other potch up.
30:30Sounds like strong, right?
30:31Yeah, I picked some thin stuff up there before.
30:34What do you do?
30:35You know, it's a gamble at the end of the day.
30:37You can only, you know, we could wash it
30:39and that could have been the only bit.
30:41It can cost you, you know, your fuel and your time.
30:44But then, again, you could wash it
30:46and figure out a 50,000-mile stone too, you know.
30:49It's just how it goes in this sort of country.
31:01My main concern is getting the dirt in there washing
31:04because that's where we make our money
31:06and while there's no dirt in that agitator,
31:08we're not making any money.
31:11It's nice to get a bit of sunshine
31:30and have a tail out with the boys.
31:33Happy days, that's right.
31:41Ooh.
31:42Ooh.
31:43That looks promising.
31:44Ooh, yeah.
31:45Nice work, Mark.
31:46I'm happy with that.
31:47A little bit worried for a second.
31:48I can't see anything.
31:50Sounded anything exciting?
31:51Yes.
31:52Yeah.
31:53Not a heap of material, but it's all parts of colour.
31:55Crazy.
31:56Yeah, very good.
31:57Yeah, very good.
31:58Gee, that's beautiful colour.
31:59Yeah, that's nice, isn't it?
32:00Yeah.
32:01Ooh, that's looking promising too.
32:02Oh, beautiful.
32:03Oh, yeah.
32:04That's lighter.
32:05That's lighter.
32:06Shape of Australia.
32:07Oh, yeah.
32:08Yeah.
32:09Yeah.
32:10It's cool, eh.
32:11It is cool, eh?
32:12Oh, Mark?
32:13You're on fire, brother.
32:14Fire, brother.
32:17Ha-ha.
32:18Ha-ha!
32:19Ha-ha.
32:20It's not a heap of material, but it's all parts of colour.
32:22It's crazy.
32:23Yeah, very good.
32:25Gee, that's beautiful colour.
32:26Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?
32:28Oh, that's looking promising too.
32:31It's lighter.
32:33That is cool, eh?
32:35That is cool, eh?
32:37Mark, you're on fire, brother.
32:39Fire, brother.
32:49You all right?
32:51Don't feel real good.
32:53You're sick?
32:55That motion sickness comes back to haunt me.
32:57So where's the armbands I give you?
32:59I forgot to put them on.
33:01I forgot to look at.
33:03We've got a lot of dirt to still go through.
33:05Really?
33:07Just put them armbands on.
33:08All right, I'll give it a go.
33:10Sorry if you're feeling crook.
33:20Sometimes I do feel a little bit down.
33:23I still feel like a bit of a rookie on the team
33:26and I'm still in that learning phase.
33:31I'm finding a couple of little bits.
33:33Hopefully they've got colour.
33:35Oh, nearly missed that one.
33:37Oh, I reckon that could be a shell.
33:39So maybe we're getting to that cluster of shells
33:41that I found yesterday on the dump.
33:43Oh, my God, that's a huge piece.
33:45Wow.
33:46I reckon I might have found a really big piece of opal.
33:49Awesome.
33:50Keep going.
33:51Get at it.
33:52Hang on.
33:53Hang on.
33:54Hang on.
33:55Hang on.
33:56Hang on.
33:57Hang on.
33:58Hang on.
34:00Hang on.
34:02Hang on.
34:03Turn it up.
34:04Hang on!
34:15Turn it up!
34:26See a bit of colour glistening through?
34:28Oh yeah, there's some colour in there mate.
34:30Got some honey.
34:31Oh wow!
34:32I can't believe it man, it's big.
34:34It's a honey opal, it's just like any other opal.
34:36It's just got a nice honey colour base.
34:38Woo!
34:39Look at that piece bro!
34:41Man that's full of colour isn't it?
34:42I think that's our kingstone bro.
34:44Killer!
34:45Look at all this honey adding up bro.
34:47Boom!
34:48Boom!
34:49Boom!
34:50Boom!
34:51Wow!
34:52Holy!
34:53Man we done it bro!
34:55Mate this piece here is a beautiful pattern man.
34:57Oh mate that's killer!
34:59Bro that is some serious colour right there.
35:02Yeah bro!
35:05The Mooka boys have a parcel of honey opal, electric blue seam opal and dark based opal featuring
35:12blues, greens and purples.
35:15The total haul weighs 283 grams.
35:20So what have we got?
35:21We've got 7 ounces a grand for honey.
35:247 grand.
35:251500 bucks an ounce for this.
35:27We've got 3.
35:28We've got another 300 bucks of species here bro.
35:30That makes a good day.
35:31What's that?
35:3211,800 bucks for the week?
35:33Oh yeah!
35:34Yeah!
35:37So bro we have just found this week the equivalent of our whole last year mate.
35:43Wow!
35:44So I'm feeling more confident now bro.
35:46Yeah.
35:47So we had that with the last week's win mate.
35:49It takes a bit of a weight off the shoulders that does.
35:51We're well past last year mate.
35:53Ha ha ha!
35:58Don't know about you but I'm getting rather thirsty.
36:00Yep these lips are dry bro.
36:01Let's go mate, you're legend.
36:03Killer!
36:04Yeah!
36:05Every bit of colour we find is one step closer to my dreams.
36:08Our one stop Mookaboy's headquarters.
36:10So I'm feeling pretty confident now.
36:13If we can keep this pace up through the season then if we're going to come really close or
36:17we're going to hit these goals.
36:18Oh well bub.
36:19Here's to some nice colour eh?
36:21Cheers mate!
36:22You're legend man.
36:24Mookaboy's year!
36:25Woo!
36:2620-24!
36:33Okay they're not a world beaters but they're still beautiful stuff.
36:43Yeah nothing to jump up and down about but still nice bright colour.
36:47Beautiful colour eh?
36:48Yeah.
36:49Little earrings or something like that would be perfect I reckon.
36:51Mmm.
36:52After being teased by colour all week, the Cheels have finally secured a parcel of crystal
36:58opal.
36:59Blue green with flashes of purple.
37:02It's in the rough, weighing 150 grams.
37:06They're big pieces, you know, and unique pieces.
37:10Let's face it like, you know, there's no two stones the same.
37:14That's right.
37:15It's one of the rarest gemstones on earth.
37:16That's right.
37:17What do you reckon this could cut to?
37:18I think about five grand.
37:23It's going to be at least five.
37:26We paid for fuel and...
37:29Food for the week.
37:31That's about it.
37:32But it's better than nothing.
37:34Better than nothing.
37:35Exactly right.
37:36Better than nothing mate.
37:37You know, certainly five grand is nothing to be sneezed at.
37:39You know, we'll take it and we'll use it to keep moving forward and hopefully get some
37:43big wins.
37:44We've got our little map of Australia there.
37:46I'm really shocked that that came out like that.
37:49Anzac Day as well?
37:50Yeah.
37:51It's quite special.
37:52Yeah.
37:59It's Anzac Day today.
38:00We just pay our respects and remember all of those Australian and New Zealand soldiers
38:04that have fought for our country.
38:06We will remember them.
38:09My father was big on Anzac Day.
38:12He's since passed, but it's just good to step back for a day and forget about the mining.
38:19The April game's really tough sometimes.
38:21I don't want my kids out here working for nothing.
38:24I want them to have a future.
38:26As the business grows, the kids will probably take over one day.
38:32I guess none of us know when we're going to step off.
38:35None of us live forever.
38:37It'll be up to them if they want to carry on with it.
38:40There's pressure all the time.
38:42It's just part of mining though.
38:44Basically, we're throwing our hat in the ring and we're giving it our best shot.
38:48Less likely from there.
38:54Two up's a game that the soldiers in World War One played with each other.
38:58Placing a bet, flipping a coin and whoever picked right wins the bet.
39:03You're close mate.
39:09Missed out on the end, that's alright.
39:11Good effort.
39:12It's a bit of a gamble, open mining and it's a bit like two up I guess.
39:16I'll bet my work ethic and knowledge and my time to find Abel.
39:21There'll be winners and losers obviously.
39:24Where are you going, heads I suppose, are you?
39:26You know I like heads mate.
39:28I'll go tails.
39:29Right here.
39:30Come on.
39:33You're shouting.
39:34You're shouting.
39:35You're shouting.
39:36Hey!
39:37Turn it up!
39:38Up!
39:39Turn it up!
39:40Up!
39:41Up!
39:42Up!
39:43What's going on?
39:44I've got a blockage.
39:45That's the culprit then.
39:46It's too big for the machine.
39:48It's too big for the machine.
39:51I've got a blockage.
39:54That's the culprit then.
39:56It's too big for the machine.
40:01Go on number three.
40:04I think Renee's on top of it there.
40:07Good to go when you are.
40:08Okay, great.
40:10Oh my God, that's another huge piece.
40:14Wow.
40:15I hope this is colouring all of these big pieces.
40:18I hear from Renee.
40:19She's doing well in there.
40:20Hopefully she's doing well with colour.
40:21You haven't got any more?
40:22No, that's it.
40:23It's all done.
40:24I reckon we're in the money.
40:25Hopefully she's got something nice to show us.
40:26How'd you go?
40:27Let's have a look.
40:28Is it what you were hoping?
40:29Is it better?
40:30Is it good?
40:31It's bright out here.
40:32How about over here?
40:33No, that's nothing.
40:34Ooh, look at this.
40:35That is beautiful.
40:36Ooh, wow.
40:37That's the money shot there.
40:38Yeah.
40:39Look at the colours.
40:40Jeez, that's a nice colour.
40:41It's got reds and blues and greens and yellows.
40:42Wow, worth dragging all that dirtier.
40:43Beautiful colour.
40:44Fair few full shells in there.
40:45Still in the host rock, so awesome looking special.
40:47Well done.
40:48You did well.
40:49Oh, thank you.
40:50Brilliant.
40:51It's a brilliant result.
40:52Going to shoot down and see Wayne and Sarah.
40:53I think it's going to be the right sort of thing for their shop.
40:55They're friends of mine.
40:56When it comes to me, they're friends of mine.
40:58When it comes to them, they are good friends of mine.
41:00And they're called as dentro of the grass.
41:01Means, yeah, they are not itÃs weird.
41:02How about, like, oh, you see?
41:04There's why I came in and I said, Okay.
41:05Really?
41:06Yeah.
41:07Let's gather as it goes.
41:08A Hey!
41:10Well, at the house rock, I think she's very bright red.
41:12I think that Sydney, you looked up with her.
41:14Are you heading to the lake if you got any further?
41:15they're friends of mine uh when it comes to negotiate for april over the table though that
41:19that sort of changes things a little bit we're looking at trying to get 25 000 for the parcel
41:26wayne how are you going what's going on i see you a bit of business going on mate is he busy in the
41:35shop what are you up to brought something in for you to have a look at today what do you think
41:40very nice don't have a lot of fossils the opal lovers have five white crystal opal specimens
41:49in sandstone host rock weighing 500 grams and 10 opalized shells displaying red pink and orange
42:00they're in the rough and weigh 85 grams
42:03everything for your shop yeah yeah so you're looking to sell it yep what are we sort of
42:11looking at it we were thinking 25 yeah all up
42:19hey sarah hi sarah this is my wife sarah yeah nice to meet you
42:27so what are you thinking darling nice what are you asking 25 a little bit high i reckon
42:35yeah what's 13 sound like what are you serious or what oh well mate you know like that sounds like
42:43a joke that's pretty low 15 or odd or not that's way too low what about if we meet up you know 18
42:52are we there yet close mate or not how about if we meet at 20 what about 20 20 000
43:02yeah do 20 all right beautiful thank you that's excellent thank you
43:1475 grand up that's a good portion to our target
43:19probably shows how much we do need a noodler it's a big job though a lot of time a lot of working a
43:24lot of welding so how are you going to build a noodler if you can't find your keys the excavator
43:29i wouldn't put them in the glove box it was me i wouldn't put them there no way would i put them
43:33in the glove box anyway good week 20 grand cheers
43:51you
43:58you
44:13you
44:17you
44:19you
44:21you
Recommended
43:47
|
Up next
43:58
44:06
43:54
44:15
44:50
41:22
21:31
0:30
36:17
40:22
44:35
0:30
36:37
1:06:58