- 1 week ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00There's a secret war going on in the outback town of Claremont.
00:14The gold here is so good and the value of gold now is so high.
00:19Oh, look at that.
00:20Dog eat dog. The wars are on.
00:22You've ripped me off since day 9.
00:24This needs to be a partnership.
00:25You are, leech.
00:27Righto, well good on you. Good on you.
00:30How good's that?
00:30Three mining teams.
00:32We have a f*** of money into the mine, so we have to make it work.
00:36On the one patch of land.
00:38This is just some of the stuff Donnie's been walking over.
00:42Guys, you'd be lucky if I don't walk over his big nose.
00:45Fighting it out to see who can uncover the biggest nuggets.
00:50Can you get down here, please?
00:51Can I just say?
00:53And the most gold.
00:57Awesome, that's a work of art.
00:58There's a lot of it to be found here.
01:01My hand's shaking.
01:03Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of high-grade gold reserves.
01:07The price of gold is just making them doing really silly things.
01:12Hang on.
01:13Whoa!
01:14The teams have 10 weeks to hit their season targets.
01:19Oh, my God.
01:20Oh!
01:21What am I doing?
01:22Aussies risking it all to strike it rich.
01:26Perry!
01:27Get your f*** off!
01:28Yeah, I'm a bit lost at the moment.
01:50I'm bloody...
01:51I knew the writing was on the wall, but I didn't expect it to happen as quick as it did.
01:56And just to get the email away, I did.
01:59Donnie has just been fired from 1870 by email.
02:04If the gold's not coming through, what do you want me to do?
02:06It's a business to be run.
02:08What do you expect?
02:09If the gold's not coming in here, are we going to keep...
02:11Yeah, that's fine.
02:12Well, what about the gutless way it was done, though?
02:14Why didn't you come down and talk to me, Dan?
02:17Donnie's heading to nearby Swiss Diggings to see if he can secure some work off Dennis.
02:22I'm hoping Dennis will take me on as a contractor.
02:26He may not.
02:27I might get turfed out on my arse.
02:29And that'll be the end of it for me.
02:31This last hole here, it hasn't been real good to me at all, actually.
02:37Dennis runs a one-man scrape-and-detect operation.
02:41But he's in a spot of trouble.
02:44He's lost his lucrative riverbed gold run.
02:48And he's a long way short of his $500,000 season target.
02:53At the end of the day, all us miners and the other miners, we're all rowing the same boat here.
02:59You know, we've all got to hit our targets in order to get what we want out of it.
03:04There's nine weeks of the season left to go, and the pressure is on.
03:09I don't imagine Dennis is going to welcome me with open arms, I can tell you now.
03:13Like, I don't know how we're going to get along.
03:15I don't know whether we'll probably clash a bit.
03:18But we're both pretty headstrong.
03:22Before Dennis bought Swiss diggings, he used to be an investor in 1870 and bankrolled Donnie
03:30and Lee's mining operations.
03:33Their dealings back then were volatile at best.
03:37But there's no grey area with Dennis.
03:39It's either black or white.
03:40It's either this or that.
03:49Base camp, 1870.
03:51We need it to vibrate a hell of a lot more because we need this dirt to come over to Riffles.
03:57Dan's just got rid of Donnie and is now desperate to get the mine's new dry blower up and running.
04:06So far, he's only managed to bank $81,000 worth of gold for the season.
04:12The dry blower is meant to change all that.
04:16There's issues, you know, and for every issue it takes time to fix it.
04:21I don't know how it's going to go.
04:22But help is on its way.
04:26Nine and a half hours to drive up here.
04:30The mine's owners, Richie and Kimberley, are on their way in from the gold coast.
04:36It'll teach you for buying a gold mine in a little of nowhere.
04:41It is like you're driving.
04:45Richie's expecting the dry blower to be fully operational by the time he gets to 1870.
04:51Hey, Richie ringing me up.
04:54How's it going?
04:54How's it going?
04:55Are we at production?
04:56Are we ready for production?
04:58The answer's no.
04:59Oh, speak of the devil.
05:02The cashed-up gold coasters have arrived and Richie's all smiles.
05:07But for how long?
05:12Kim rocks up as if she's going out for dinner at the gold coast at some fancy-ass restaurant.
05:18These are wearing the correct attire.
05:19Gold coast city folk.
05:22It's all got to change.
05:25I wasn't expecting when we bought the gold mine that I would be getting dragged out here.
05:29Are we close?
05:30Close.
05:31But, yeah, like, it's been pretty chaotic.
05:35When I arrived up here, I was under the understanding that a lot more progress had happened.
05:40We're weeks behind where I thought we were at.
05:43So will we have it up and going today, you reckon?
05:46If I can get a hand, I will, yeah.
05:48No, so I might just show Kimberley around first so she can see her new digs.
05:52Too easy.
05:53Claremont Hilton.
05:54Copy, Swiss.
06:00Copy, Swiss.
06:02Yeah, Dennis here.
06:03Who's this?
06:05It's Donnie, mate.
06:07Just wondering if I could come in and see you.
06:10Yeah, right.
06:10No worries.
06:11We'll come up.
06:11Donnie and Dennis have had their fair share of conflict in the past, but they've always
06:19managed to stay on good talking terms.
06:22I thought to myself, what's he doing here?
06:23Why does he want to come over here?
06:25How are you, mate?
06:27Uh, yeah, not so good.
06:29I, uh, got the DCM on 1870 the other day.
06:33Do not come Monday.
06:35What's going on over there?
06:37Oh, I have no idea.
06:39No idea.
06:39He didn't come and talk to me face to face, just one minute I'm working, the next minute
06:45I'm getting an email on my phone.
06:49Thought I'd come and see you.
06:50I was hoping you might have something available for me.
06:54At the moment, I've got nothing, mate.
06:59So as far as Donnie coming over here, I don't think it's a real good idea.
07:03We're strong characters.
07:05Both of us are strong characters and we're going to butt heads.
07:07He's not exactly the smoothest operator when it comes to machinery.
07:10He's not the cleanest operator around.
07:13He hasn't got the most agility either.
07:15There's a lot to weigh up.
07:20Yep, this is your new digs.
07:23Richie and Kimberley have breezed into 1870 to try and help Dan speed things up and to get
07:30some much needed cash flow into the business.
07:32Let me show you your kitchen.
07:35What the hell?
07:38Joking, aren't you?
07:38No, this is the kitchen.
07:40I don't know what I envisioned when I knew I was coming out here.
07:44I guess no matter what, it's a bit of a shock.
07:45It's quite awesome.
07:47Obviously the wild animals, some of the living quarters out here.
07:50That doesn't even work.
07:51That does work.
07:52Look at that water pressure.
07:53It's not really my lifestyle and what I envisioned.
07:57You're joking.
07:57It's original.
07:58Hey, you want to see your fridge?
08:00I'm really paranoid about the snakes, the spiders.
08:03You hear things in the night creeping around.
08:05Don't know what it is.
08:07Comes equipped with the spice rack.
08:08It's a pantry, is it?
08:09It's a pantry.
08:10Oh my God.
08:11I'm there.
08:13I don't know.
08:13Here's your fridge.
08:16That's disgusting.
08:16At Swiss Diggings, Donnie's hoping Dennis will throw him a lifeline.
08:31His livelihood depends on it.
08:35What deal?
08:39Um, 50-50.
08:43Oh, yeah.
08:44And you're running my machine.
08:48It's 50-50.
08:51So Dennis, he's one of these guys where you never know what he's thinking.
08:55He's sort of got them eyes that just sort of, you know, look straight through you.
09:00Donnie comes with a lot of knowledge, but he is a difficult character.
09:06Hmm.
09:07I don't think we'll be doing 50-50.
09:10Well, what are you saying?
09:12At the moment, I'm totally undecided about which way I'll go.
09:27Scratchy Moo.
09:28It's a good size lease.
09:29It takes 150 hectares, which is probably 350-odd acres.
09:33And that's sort of quite a large area.
09:39At Scratchy Moo, business partners Damo and Matt are making good progress as they zero in on their 100-ounce season target.
09:48So far, they've pulled out more than a kilo of gold valued at around $220,000.
09:57And they've barely scratched the surface of their 150-hectare lease.
10:01I think there's at least 100 kilos under Scratchy Moo.
10:05It's probably $15-20 million worth of gold there.
10:09$20 million.
10:11Little wonder Lee, Donnie's ex-business partner at 1870, is sniffing around.
10:17I've come here to talk to Matt and Damo about pegging some land.
10:20And just to see the operations, and even to see these guys coming from being a prospector's, coming in, running mines, it's pretty good going.
10:29It's a big step to go from just a prospector to buying a mine, then to buying equipment.
10:34You spend a lot of money.
10:36You spend a lot of money, a lot of money quickly, and you're going to lose a lot of money quickly.
10:40Matt and Damo own the mineral exploration rights for 9,500 hectares of gold-rich ground.
10:47And Lee is looking to peg a 60-hectare parcel of land right next door to 1870.
10:55It'll cost him between $50,000 and $100,000.
10:59If Damo's estimates are correct, Lee could expect a return of 50 times that amount.
11:06A 50-bagger, if they can strike a deal.
11:11Oh, getting close now.
11:12Pretty sure I just thought it'd come up in the car.
11:15Looked like a pretty decent one.
11:17Not massive, but look, I'm saying four grand.
11:23Could look like a good two or three, Grandma.
11:26Bingo!
11:29That's the one we want.
11:30That's a nice one.
11:32Yeah, I'd say probably a solid two.
11:35That's what you want.
11:38Lee's offered to help Damo as a goodwill gesture.
11:41On the flip side, the work will help Lee to get to know the land better.
11:48What is 60 hectares here really worth?
11:52It sounds like that's a bit more of a clunk in the bottle.
11:55Down the road at 1870, owner Richie is giving his wife, Kimberley, a tour of the camp's facilities.
12:07That's actually disgusting.
12:08Look, we've got cans exploding.
12:11I'm going to stay down the road at the hotel, motel.
12:15I don't care where I stay.
12:15I'm not staying here.
12:17This will be their home for the next few months.
12:20Here's your shower.
12:21Jump in, jump up.
12:23Yeah, lovely.
12:24What's that?
12:24That's rotten.
12:26Where's the bathroom in here?
12:28Oh.
12:29No, the bathroom's outside.
12:31I was a bit of a shock that this was going to be my new home in here.
12:35A bit run down and, yeah, I wanted to run through the hills.
12:38Nearest hotel's over at Arrowways.
12:40I don't mind.
12:40I'll drive.
12:41I like driving.
12:41I think Kimberley's going to adapt really fine out here.
12:44I've seen her do some amazing things, so she's not afraid to give Emma a go.
12:49Richie and Kimberley have been married for 14 years.
12:53Go this way.
12:55They've made a good life for themselves on the Gold Coast.
12:58Is she a toilet?
12:59Living rough has never been on Kimberley's bucket list.
13:03Yeah, I'd be using that.
13:05Maybe she's brought the wrong type of clothes, but she loves her fashion, so she'll make it work.
13:11Oh, they're pretty and pink.
13:13They are pretty, aren't they?
13:14They're mine.
13:16All right.
13:16Have fun.
13:18But Richie's no fault.
13:20He knows how to keep Kimberley sweet.
13:25Ah, your castle on wheels.
13:27A five-star caravan.
13:30Richie had it delivered a few days ago.
13:32The gold mining outfits aren't really me.
13:34They're not blinging enough.
13:35They're just a bit boring, a bit dirty.
13:38I just don't get dirty.
13:40Kimberley.
13:41What's wrong with that?
13:43It may not be the Gold Coast, but it's better than the shed.
13:47First time you allowed me to buy you boots.
13:49At Swiss Diggings, Dennis is keeping his cards close to his chest.
14:01I'll tell you what, I've got a bit of a predicament down there, and I wouldn't mind getting your take on it.
14:07He knows he needs help to get back onto the gold.
14:11But he can sense Donnie's desperation and thinks he can drive a hard bargain.
14:17I'm sort of playing it a bit cool, because I'm sort of thinking to myself,
14:22I reckon I can use you, my friend.
14:26Yeah, no, I'll definitely come and have a look, mate.
14:28Very interesting.
14:29Yeah, I'm happy to help you out.
14:32All right, mate, well, let's go down and have a look in the cutter.
14:34All right, yeah, cool.
14:36Having Donnie here, if we go down that path, it has merit, but it also has a downside.
14:43Donnie mines differently to the way that I mine.
14:45Is he going to want to try to convert me to the way that he mines?
14:49Can I convert him to the way that I mine?
14:51I don't really know until we try.
14:54Yeah, Donnie, so I'm working down here, mate.
14:56You'll see I'm tracking up this line.
14:58Yeah, I can see that.
15:00Yeah, she's, uh, you've opened a bit of ground up here.
15:03It's been quite rewarding.
15:04Uh, but I've just sort of come to a bit of a, a stop.
15:09So, currently at the moment where I'm going, I've literally hit this wall and the ground's
15:16coming up at me.
15:17I've been getting gold all the way through here.
15:18It's all been reasonably okay.
15:21Yeah.
15:21But then I've now got to a point where I've, I've come up with an enormous amount of bedrock
15:27and the ground's coming up at me.
15:29Dennis has uncovered an old riverbed, which has so far delivered 300 grams of alluvial gold,
15:36valued at around $50,000.
15:38But that gold trail has suddenly disappeared.
15:43If you've been getting good gold just behind you, then I would say she's turning into this bend here.
15:49There might be a spur coming down through there.
15:51Yeah.
15:52And I think you'll find she probably wraps around it.
15:55It's make or break time for Donnie.
15:58Some good advice now might be enough to land him a new mining contract.
16:03Fail and he could be out of Claremont for good.
16:06So I'd move down and try and find that drop-off ledge or where it deepens down into there,
16:12into the bend here, and I'd go forward to the left.
16:18What are you doing for the next couple of hours?
16:19Want to hang around?
16:21We'll open her up.
16:22Yeah, sure.
16:23See what's there.
16:24Yeah, cool.
16:25So yeah, with Dennis, I was just lucky that I turned up at Dennis' on a day where he was
16:29having problems and I'm hoping that he'll see the worth in what I gave him.
16:34All right, mate.
16:34Yeah, no worries.
16:35You're fired up, mate.
16:35All right, cheers.
16:36All right.
16:36Duty.
16:37Let's do it.
16:45First of all, what we've got to do is he's got to put me on the goal here.
16:52Oh, look.
16:54Look at them babies.
16:55Well, you're going to walk through that, aren't you?
16:58Yeah, I'm going to walk through with my leggings.
17:00At Scratchy Moo, Lee's getting kitted out with snake pads for a trek into the bush.
17:07The boys are off to recce the area Lee wants to sublease.
17:10There's not that much that can kill you out there.
17:11There's not that much that can kill you out there that you need to do.
17:13I'm not worried about getting killed by anything.
17:15I'm just walking through the bushes.
17:16You've got to worry about his mate Donnie, the snake coming through the bush and grabbing
17:20him on the leg.
17:20Black snakes, brown snakes, taipans.
17:28They're all out there and they're all deadly.
17:31Come on, do you want me to give you a piggy back already, Lee?
17:36We've got Trillabot on so we don't get lost, all right?
17:38Let's give a look at this, pegging a lease off these blokes.
17:41They've got some ground up here that's available.
17:44I'm not trying to do a deal with them.
17:45The price of gold in a couple of years is going to keep going, so it's a good investment.
17:50For nearly 50 years, this remote stretch of bushland has been off limits to commercial
17:55mining.
17:57It borders the gold-rich grounds of 1870.
18:01We're trying to find our way back to the corner peg with 1870, so we can show Lee that
18:08corner and then discuss the ground that's on the other side that's available for pegging.
18:13The most exciting part is where it is.
18:16Backing on the back of 1870, coming back off this big gold hill, the bottom end of 1870
18:21was super, super rich.
18:23The 1870 peg slips over the hill here.
18:26Land's hard to get.
18:27Like, it's really hard to get up here.
18:29If you dick around too long, the boys will sell it to someone else.
18:32But then it's not going to wait.
18:33Money's money.
18:34The challenge for Lee is finding the cash.
18:37To have a realistic chance of closing the deal, he's going to need $100,000.
18:43He's waiting on money to come through from the sale of his family home.
18:49I'm just waiting on a call back from the lawyer.
18:51So hopefully we'll get this call today.
18:54It frees up my cash, so it's a big call.
18:56Hopefully it comes through today.
18:57And, yeah, I can start pressing some buttons and moving on.
19:00So does that look familiar?
19:02I understand this one.
19:02Lee's standing right on the border of 1870.
19:08A bittersweet moment, because he used to own the lease
19:12until his partnership with Donnie blew up in flames.
19:16So you've got the 1870 in there.
19:18Yep.
19:19So you've got us in there.
19:20Yep.
19:20And then that gives you the opportunity to have that piece in there.
19:27That's your option.
19:28Mm-hmm.
19:29So I'm just going to make sure there's no leads or anything dragging along.
19:38At 1870, owner Richie's helping Dan get the dryblower prepped
19:43and ready to move to the processing site.
19:46The challenge is going to be getting it from camp down to site.
19:50Oh, we're probably looking...
19:51We're going to take this about 800 metres, I reckon.
19:54And there's one part which is a bit hairy, I think.
19:57It's going into a bit of a gully and up the other side.
20:00The biggest priority that we have now is generating an income.
20:03The quickest way for us to generate an income
20:05is to get the dryblower from going.
20:07In many areas like Claremore, where water is in short supply,
20:12dryblowers are vital to help separate heavy gold particles from dry soil.
20:18But you need to be able to get them to site.
20:20We asked for a normal Australian tow hitch
20:23and, unfortunately, they just provide us with this type of hitch.
20:28It's got the wrong tow hitch on it
20:30and I've got to basically push it for front-end loader.
20:36Perfect.
20:38Dan will need to use the loader
20:40to push the dryblower along a rough-as-guts bush track.
20:43So, it sells a little bit.
20:46I've spent over, I'd say, maybe $50,000, $60,000 on this.
20:50The roads aren't going to be good,
20:52so I'm worried that it won't get there in one piece.
20:55So, let's see what happens.
20:57But at least they've got Kimberley for moral support.
21:00Boys are having a little bit of a hard time at the moment.
21:03I think it was built wrong,
21:04so they've got a little bit of work to do, I think.
21:08Now, we're going to take it fairly easy.
21:10Donnie, just let us know what the tail end of this is doing.
21:13I'll try keeping an eye on the front.
21:15No problems.
21:17All right, this is going to be bloody scary.
21:20This ain't going to be fun.
21:34Man, Donnie, we've had our issues in the past.
21:37Hopefully, we're old enough to move past all that.
21:42He can be a bit of f***ing Dennis,
21:44but at least he's always been an honest.
21:49There's definitely a sedimentary layer
21:51that's running through there,
21:53so I'm hoping we find that rock drop off.
21:56Donnie comes with lots of red flags,
21:58but hard-nosed Dennis has a soft spot for him.
22:02Yeah, Donnie, this is ground, man.
22:03She's looking really, really ironstone.
22:06It's a little real dark, real dark red.
22:08Yeah.
22:10And he also knows he needs him
22:12to have any hope of rediscovering
22:14the gold seam of Swiss diggings.
22:17He's just not going to tell Donnie that.
22:19That first scrapestry just brought wash straight out.
22:22Yeah, I was actually going to say
22:24I wouldn't take too much off the top there.
22:26I reckon you're going to be straight into gravel.
22:28Well, I think we'll give that one a detective.
22:30Yeah, I mean, gravels look good all the time.
22:35Finding the gravel with the gold in it, that's the trick.
22:39Just a drop off.
22:42Just where I'm coming off the edge.
22:45Donnie's confident his extensive knowledge of the area
22:48will help him to help Dennis get back to the gold.
22:52His future depends on it.
22:56I do know.
22:57And I'm hoping that he'll take that on board
22:59because Dennis is...
23:02He's more of a hobbyist miner.
23:05It's a bit different the way I do it.
23:08A bit of battle, I think, mate.
23:10You reckon?
23:11I am on my best behaviour at the moment.
23:14You know, I'm not an idiot.
23:15But I know that I'm not going to win any friends
23:18by coming in and, you know, telling him.
23:23No go.
23:24No go.
23:25Not yet.
23:30Are we close or we're not close?
23:33At Scratchy Moo,
23:34Lee has reached an in-principle agreement
23:37to sublease 60 hectares of potentially gold-rich land
23:41from Matt and Damo.
23:43I'm confident enough to want to do a deal.
23:46And sometimes there's always doubt in everything you do.
23:50At times you've just got to take the opportunity when it's there
23:52and this is an opportunity and I'm not going to miss it.
23:54Let's just go to the chase.
23:55You're waiting on a call from the lawyer,
23:59which will make money on Friday.
24:01All right.
24:02Matt and Damo are all too aware of Lee's reputation
24:05as a slippery customer.
24:07They want to be sure that if they do a deal,
24:11he'll be good for the money.
24:13And then we've got to have a separate discussion
24:14about how you want to pay for it, if you want to do it.
24:19Yeah.
24:20Man, he must leave some sort of trail of destruction behind him.
24:24But so far he's been smart enough
24:25not to do that with myself and the moon.
24:30I've got time pressure to get this done
24:32so I don't get gazumped on it.
24:34If I can't get the cash together fast enough,
24:36I could lose it.
24:37That looks good, mate.
24:43Team 1870 are on tenterhooks.
24:47The $50,000 drive blower,
24:49which could make or break their season,
24:51is finally on the move.
24:53Go up next to...
24:56I want to see...
24:57No, I want to see this.
24:58I want to see this.
24:59Stop.
25:01Go up a little bit higher.
25:04Yeah, that height looks good, mate.
25:06I've got no idea what a dry blower is.
25:08I know it's going to be dirty and dusty,
25:10and that's not really my thing.
25:11The dry blower is designed to process pay dirt in volume.
25:17That's if they can get it to the processing side
25:20without damaging it.
25:23Oh.
25:25I'm actually thinking instead of reverse,
25:27I might have to try and push it, guys.
25:29Mate, I don't think he's going to be able to do it this way.
25:34Good luck, buddy.
25:39Lift the bucket up.
25:42You're a good 8 to 10 inches off the ground at the front,
25:44so you're OK.
25:45Lift, lift, lift.
25:47Slow down.
25:47Slow down.
25:49I think that's a perfect height,
25:51what you're doing things at now.
25:53Yeah, but as soon as I hit a bump,
25:54it's all going to change.
25:57I just can't see the actual hitch.
26:04I'm just absolutely stressed,
26:06and I can't see everything that I'm doing.
26:08I'm trying to get this to go around the corner,
26:11and it's just pissing me off.
26:15Raise it a bit.
26:16That's perfect.
26:18No matter what I do,
26:19that hitch is always going to be dragging a bit.
26:22It's on perfect, mate.
26:24The road's going all over the place,
26:25plus up and down.
26:27We're either going to rip the front of the conveyor off
26:29or tip the bloody thing.
26:39You've got bottom.
26:41But it's looking to me like my run has gone.
26:44With Dennis still no closer
26:46to finding his lost gold run,
26:48Donnie has just a few hours
26:50to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
26:52So the pressure for me
26:55is to try and have a wind,
26:57you know, try and show Dennis
26:59that I can put him on it.
27:01Gold hunting's all about risk and reward,
27:04and Donnie's about as risky as they come.
27:07Yeah.
27:09Yeah.
27:12The drop-off could be over in there too.
27:15Do you want to give that a scratch off quickly
27:16and just have a go over there
27:17and just have a quick detect there
27:19and just see if we can't pick something up?
27:21Somewhere there's going to be deep ground.
27:23Like, it's got to go down to something.
27:26Yeah, right, yeah.
27:27I don't jump holes.
27:28I don't like that jumping hole business.
27:30I systematically just keep moving the dirt in front of me,
27:34moving the dirt in front of me,
27:35moving the dirt in front of me.
27:36Just give it a go.
27:38All right, we'll give it a go.
27:41Dennis is not thrilled about Donnie's radical idea.
27:45Trouble is,
27:46he doesn't have a better one.
27:50They've agreed to move the excavator
27:52out of the main workings
27:54and on to virgin ground.
27:57Do or die, you know,
27:58you don't ever go, you'll never, never know.
28:01So sometimes it's just a flip of the coin.
28:04I don't know, I'm a bit a bit sceptical on all of this.
28:08I'm not sure what he wants me to do
28:10to go over the creek here.
28:12I've seen it happen so many times
28:14where you'll hear nothing
28:16and then you take that little bit of top off
28:20and then bang, there's the targets.
28:23It's hard to believe to comprehend
28:25what he's exactly saying as well.
28:27Basically, not easy to believe too,
28:29but you get a picture.
28:31Sounds a bit better.
28:43At Scratchy Moo,
28:44it's also a case of hit and miss for Matt and Damo.
28:49Scoop.
28:49There it is there.
28:51You ripper.
28:53Have a look at that beauty.
28:54On the gold.
28:57Matt's on the gold.
28:59$300 notes, alright.
29:02But Damo isn't.
29:03What's that?
29:05Very disappointing.
29:06Very disappointing.
29:07This is ridiculous.
29:09It's swarf-vesting it now.
29:11We're going to have to, like,
29:12call on the powers.
29:14Yeah, come on, the gold gods.
29:16One way or the other,
29:17we've got a target to get today.
29:18This is, uh...
29:19..a bit light on.
29:23What's the trick here?
29:27Damo and Matt need at least
29:29one ounce per machine per day
29:31if they want to hit their 100-ounce,
29:33$500,000 season target.
29:36Well, when the cut's not firing,
29:38cut's not firing.
29:39That's it.
29:42So I'll come up and have a chat with Matt.
29:45See how Matt's going over here.
29:47And, uh, hopefully he's pulling some big gold.
29:52Hello.
29:52How you going?
29:53I think I need to climb on your shoulders
29:54and climb out of here.
29:55Good old.
29:56What's going on here?
29:57Are they getting a couple of grammars?
29:59How big are they?
29:59Couple of good ones, yeah.
30:01There's a couple of good bits in there.
30:04We just need to see a bit more gold come out.
30:06Well, how much do you want?
30:07I'd like to see a kilo come out.
30:09That would be exciting.
30:10The gold post for me and Scratchy
30:12are a kilo a day.
30:14Very interesting.
30:15Now I'm getting wet like a duck.
30:17Yeah, well, you get that.
30:18It's raining here.
30:19We're in the hole picking out gold and it's raining.
30:22If it's too wet, you'll have to hop in.
30:23Yeah, I could slip and, um...
30:25Hurt yourself.
30:25Land on your pick.
30:26I mean, it's an unknown until you dig it.
30:38It could be a drop-off over on that side,
30:40but we're not finding it,
30:42so I thought we'll give it a scratch over this side.
30:45At Swiss Diggies,
30:48Donny has convinced Dennis to open a new cut
30:51on the other side of the old creek line.
30:54It's risky just the way Donny likes it.
30:59Donny's turned around and said to me,
31:00go to the other side of the creek line
31:02and then open up the pit over there,
31:04which is completely against what I normally do
31:06because I don't like to be a Messi
31:08in any way, shape or form.
31:10Any bigger gold that we're going to find
31:13will be on the drop-off side pretty much, so...
31:18We're egging, mate, that muff?
31:20Probably bring it up a bit higher, mate.
31:23Bring it up a bit higher?
31:23Yeah, bring it up a bit higher.
31:37Oh, we can only try, mate.
31:40Bit of EMI.
31:47Daylight is fading fast,
31:49as are Donny's hopes
31:51of locking in a new contract with Dennis.
31:54Nice.
31:58Bit of metal, I think, mate.
32:00Yeah.
32:01Oh, I caught it on that roll.
32:02Yeah, I just seen it there.
32:04He convinced me that that's the way to go,
32:07but it's just completely against what I would do.
32:20Nothing worse than a bit of rain.
32:22Stuff's everything.
32:23We're going to be absolutely in a bog in a minute.
32:27Scratchy Moo has been hit by an isolated rain shower.
32:31The rain, it just turns stuff to mush and you can't detect.
32:36It's just an absolute pain in the arse.
32:38But the challenging conditions aren't stopping Damo.
32:42So, of course, right when the bottom comes alive,
32:46the rain starts and all my help disappears back into the car
32:49into the warm heater zone.
32:51He's up in the warm.
32:52He's taken off, bailed, left the boss to it.
32:55Lee McGrath, once you get five or ten mil,
32:58you've just got to sit it out, generally.
33:01You've just got to wait.
33:02Damo's mad.
33:05When you're on the gold, it's very hard to walk away,
33:08no matter what the conditions are.
33:11Where are you exactly?
33:13To tell you the truth,
33:15what I hope might have been a five-grammer,
33:17I think is going to be a nice nugget.
33:19It is a very nice nugget, but it's not a five-grammer.
33:21It's pretty solid, so it's probably very close to two.
33:25Yeah, which is excellent.
33:26A $350 nugget is nothing to sneeze at,
33:31unless you're Lee.
33:32I am a little bit surprised by the smallness of the gold.
33:36I would have thought they would have got some bigger ones by now.
33:39But it takes a bit of time to really work the ground,
33:42get down and chase the bottom.
33:44Lee's tone has shifted from eager investor
33:47to low-ball spin master.
33:49The more he talks the mine down,
33:51the better the deal he's hoping to get.
33:53Unless you're getting a lot of little gold per cut,
33:57then your numbers don't stack up.
33:59He wants to get his buying price lower,
34:03closer to the $50,000 mark.
34:05He likes to stay in paperwork zone
34:07a bit more than he does in work zone.
34:09Right now, it's pretty sketchy.
34:19It's about to go over some gullyways,
34:21which could rip the conveyor off.
34:24At 1870,
34:26Ritchie's costly dry blower has reached the halfway mark.
34:30They've got another 400 metres to go,
34:33and the terrain is getting tougher.
34:35Hang on down, just lower it a little bit.
34:39Their entire season comes down to this.
34:42That's perfect.
34:43Can they get the dry blower to side without damaging it?
34:47Lift it an inch.
34:49That's perfect, mate.
34:50Yeah, you're about to come across a little bit of a gully,
34:52so expect it to drop to the left.
34:56Lift it a little bit, mate.
34:57Lift.
34:58Yep, that's it.
34:59That's it.
35:00We've got two gullies up here.
35:02I thought it was just the one, but hopefully it's not too bad.
35:05It's very dodgy tracks, and it's dangerous,
35:08and it's an expensive piece of machinery.
35:11Heaps of ruts on the road.
35:13Try and get around them.
35:14Yeah, those ruts are pretty bad, man.
35:17You should be right going over that bump.
35:19Oh, look. Hang on.
35:21Lower it.
35:21Lower it a little bit.
35:23Lower. Lower.
35:24Perfect.
35:25Look, these forks are going to drag no matter what,
35:27so we're just going to have to pop that.
35:29We can always get more forks,
35:31but we can't get another bloody dry blower.
35:34He's doing really well,
35:36but we're coming up to the dodgy area that we're both afraid of.
35:40I think he's going to be himself.
35:45Yeah, I'm just trying to do it.
35:49A bit of blood, mate.
35:51At Swiss Diggings, Donnie's reputation is on the line.
35:55It's make-or-break time for the down-on-his-luck gold miner.
36:00You look at that flat area,
36:02and you've got to know that underneath,
36:04there is change.
36:08See up in here?
36:09Yep.
36:09But then you've got gravels all down through here,
36:12so there's definitely a downward trend there, mate.
36:16Like a downward dog.
36:19Righto.
36:20Just that bit of ground off the top.
36:31See?
36:32We'll go to dig.
36:43That's alright.
36:44Come on!
36:45You never get tired of them maxis, mate.
36:55How good's that?
36:57Come on!
37:03Oh, look at that.
37:05That's the schist.
37:07Big targets are always hard to find, bro.
37:10Oh!
37:10Oh!
37:12Oh!
37:13That's got to be an ounce or more.
37:25Come on, baby!
37:27Come on!
37:32Donnie might just have saved his and Dennis' bacon
37:35just when it looked like it was game over.
37:38At Scratchy Moo, it's tally-up time.
37:52There's been some rain.
37:53Yes, rain hole and shine.
37:55Well, we're not going to be ten ounces like we were the other week.
37:57Yeah, remember when you sat in the car and it started raining, Lee?
38:00You know, you're holding us up a bit there too, mate.
38:03Lee's never going to harden up.
38:04Lee's always going to have his angle of having someone else do the dirty work.
38:10I'm a potential purchaser.
38:12Doesn't mean I have to get wet, does it?
38:13You've got the sack before you even started.
38:16It might, mate.
38:17It wasn't a job interview.
38:18I don't know.
38:19It's a lease interview.
38:21Yeah.
38:21It's like, is he allowed to be our neighbour?
38:24Yes.
38:24Oh, come on.
38:25Is he going to be a worker?
38:26Is he a worker?
38:26Lee is trying his best to get his buy-in price as low as possible.
38:35Under and 18.
38:36Mm.
38:37What's that?
38:38We're just under four ounces, so about half.
38:41Yeah, it's a bit wet.
38:43Yeah, it's thrown some doubt, like, a couple of weeks and it's not a lot of gold.
38:47It's not enough gold.
38:49And if that's the numbers, the numbers, that's not good enough.
38:53Either that bit of gold in my tray there, that'll be good.
38:55He's doing the big sell.
38:57It's a pretty slack week.
38:58It might seem like a lot of gold to some, but for us and where we need to be, it's a bit
39:04deflating.
39:05No, I like 10 ounces, though.
39:0610 ounces is way better than 118 grand.
39:09You shouldn't have been sitting in the car there.
39:11Well, you should have been helping.
39:12Yeah, I know.
39:13Yeah.
39:17Oh, jeez.
39:20Oh.
39:22Mate, I've seen it.
39:25How good's that?
39:29Look at that.
39:33Come on.
39:34That's got to be an ounce, isn't it?
39:36Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:37Absolutely.
39:38And some, probably.
39:39Donnie's high-risk call has paid off.
39:43Dennis couldn't be happier.
39:45All right, mate, I'll let you do the honors.
39:46Oh, no.
39:47Oh, 31.16.
39:5231.16.
39:58How good's that?
40:00There's a $5,000 nugget there right there, bro.
40:04$5,000 a day.
40:05It's officially the biggest nugget of the season.
40:09Even cleaned up, even if it loses a bit of weight, it's still a $5,000 nugget every day of the week.
40:15I get five grand for that on auction any day of the week.
40:17And to get that junk in your hand, I mean, that is what you die for every day.
40:22That's what you go down there for.
40:26Cheers.
40:26Cheers, brother.
40:27How good is that?
40:28Give the baby a bit of a bath.
40:31Oh, look at that.
40:33I definitely wouldn't have got this this afternoon without you.
40:36Honestly, I do think we'll put you on as a contractor, right?
40:39Yeah, he knew full well the position I was in, that, you know, if he'd have said no, I was up creek, so...
40:48And based on that, I think we'll do 60-40.
40:5160-40?
40:52Yeah.
40:53Not 50-50?
40:54No, we'll go 60.
40:55You're tight.
40:57You couldn't ask for better, and I was so happy with it, and that gave me a reason to make the offer to him.
41:02Donnie's one-ounce gold find put Swiss Diggings back on the board with 27.5 ounces of gold for the season.
41:11Cheers, mate.
41:12Cheers.
41:17Look at that.
41:18You can't even fit any more on the scales.
41:21Team Scratchy Moo banked $19,000 worth of gold for the week.
41:26I would like to think that it would continue, but you've got to go with your ups and downs.
41:30But it's at a critical time where we've got a lot of bills, a lot of outgoings, and so I haven't really enjoyed the fact that that week hasn't paid up for me.
41:39At least the teams at Scratchy Moo and Swiss Diggings have some new gold to count.
41:46If you make it through this gully, I'll buy you a beer.
41:48I think I need a bourbon or a rum or something a bit stronger after today.
41:51At 18.70, Dan and Ritchie just want to get their prized bit of machinery into position without putting a major dent in it.
42:02Hey, Dan.
42:03To your left, we've got a big pothole, so it may even try and stay right.
42:08Yeah, righty-o.
42:09It's taking a long time to get there.
42:11I think it'll be night time before we get there.
42:13Delicate operation.
42:15I just want to go a little bit faster, you know.
42:17It's going a bit slow for me.
42:20I think we're going to have to slow down even further.
42:24Go more to the left.
42:25You've got to hit the embankment.
42:27Yeah, I'm trying.
42:28Hold.
42:29Whoa, whoa, whoa.
42:31The pull.
42:32Hang on.
42:33Whoa.
42:37Hang on, mate.
42:38Hang on.
42:38Whoa, whoa.
42:38Mate, your world's stopped.
42:50My heart just sunk.
42:52Ah.
42:57Just heard a massive putt, and I'm thinking, I know how delicate those conveyors are.
43:03I'm thinking, game's over.
43:05Buddy.
43:06We're stuck now.
43:08Next time.
43:11See the holes here?
43:12One there, one there, one there, one there.
43:15See, they're not shy.
43:17Matt and Damo go undercover to try and catch a gold thief.
43:21Here's a couple of shots of the poachers.
43:23Oh, full number play.
43:24Full number play.
43:26You were about to process him.
43:27You're not falling in gold.
43:29Richie gets outfoxed by Dennis.
43:31He got us by the balls, so we don't have his voice.
43:33What do you sort of think the price was?
43:37I think he wore like half an ounce.
43:43What the...
43:44And ex-business partners, Lee and Donnie, come face to face in an epic showdown.
43:52You never paid one check.
43:56I'm the only one that contributed money into that.
43:59Lee.
43:59You are, Lee.
44:01Righto.
44:01Well, good on you.
44:02Lee McGrath.
44:02Good on you.
44:03Good on you.
Be the first to comment