- 5 hours ago
Gold Wars Downunder - Season 1 Episode 5
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Short filmTranscript
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.
00:19Look at that.
00:20Dog eat dog. The wars are off.
00:22What are you doing?
00:23Maybe I'll be able to go then.
00:25He said you were sniffing.
00:27Wish you best of luck.
00:29How good's that?
00:30Three mining teams.
00:32We have a fucking load of money into the mine, so we have to make it work.
00:36Fighting it out on the one patch of land.
00:39This is just some of the stuff Donnie's been walking over.
00:43Nice bull.
00:44Be lucky if I don't walk over his big nose.
00:47This time, Lee's shock 11th hour bid.
00:51I need to concentrate.
00:52To buy some gold rich land off Matt and Damon.
00:57The lemon excavator.
00:59Don't do Bob now.
01:01My preferred option, best option, swap it for the least.
01:05Swap it.
01:06And destroy Donnie and Dennis' counter offer.
01:10Look at this and team range.
01:12Kimberley's spectacular gold find.
01:21There you go.
01:22My first blue nugget.
01:23Brings new hope for team 1870.
01:27That is awesome.
01:28That's made my day.
01:29There's a poacher.
01:33We've got a bloke standing pit.
01:35Right up.
01:36And Donnie and Dennis go after a poacher caught on camera stealing their gold.
01:41Here we go.
01:42Here we go.
01:42Oh, look at this.
01:43Jump out.
01:44Oh, look at that.
01:45That's all.
01:45Jump out.
01:46Jump out.
01:47Back with.
01:48Coming up.
01:49Oh!
01:49Oh!
01:49It would be a shame if there's not a few sounds on that.
02:09There's got to be a scream.
02:10It's got to be a scream in here somewhere.
02:12The Scratchy Moo Mine.
02:14Claremont, Queensland.
02:16And Matt and Damo are on the hunt for new gold.
02:20Where the gold really starts is where there's a little bit of slate starts to show through.
02:26Their mega pit is now 8 metres deep and 40 metres wide.
02:31It's helped deliver 61 ounces of gold for the season so far.
02:36This is starting to look pretty much to be on gold country now.
02:40I'd be surprised if there's not a few sounds coming out of this scrape.
02:43But they want more.
02:45Where's Lee at the moment?
02:46I don't know where Lee is.
02:48Their wannabe future partner Lee is away, trying to raise capital to buy a small patch of land off Matt and Damo.
02:56An 11th hour counter offer by Dennis for the same chunk of land was unexpected and audacious.
03:04This is an any day deal.
03:05Like, seriously, it's this close.
03:08Donnie and Dennis are trying to get this bit of land.
03:10He wants the same bit of ground to peg.
03:12And it's typical, Lee's has to sort out all his stuff.
03:17I'll give him about a 30% chance of getting something done, I'd say.
03:22Lee's a hustler at heart.
03:24If history's anything to go by, he won't go down without a fight.
03:28So, Leroy, what do you think of the deal?
03:31I don't care which one of them comes on board.
03:34It could be all tall, but I suppose, first one, that's great.
03:37At Swiss Diggings, Dennis and Donnie's below-average gold tally means they need to extend their cut into fresh ground.
03:56All right, so the plan of attack here this morning is we are going to clear some timber so that we can push through to the northwest.
04:04But first, there's some urgent business Dennis needs to discuss with Donnie regarding their bid to buy a piece of Matt and Damo's land.
04:16Matt and Damo want 100% of the payment up front, whereas Dennis only feels comfortable paying 50% on signing.
04:36I'm sort of relying on trying to get something going with them.
04:40Like, surely we could just come up with something with them, like, to lose it to that.
04:46If the deal comes off, it'll be great for Donnie.
04:50He'll have a patch of land to call his own.
04:53Yeah, well, we're all trying to work angles, mate, so at the end of the day, this is how this business works, so...
04:57Yeah, it's a bit of...
04:59Yeah, I can't see Damo and Matt going for the 50%, and I can't see Dennis going for 100%, so...
05:06I'm pretty worried the deal's just going to fall arse over it.
05:10Just, yeah, it just sucks.
05:12We'll just keep turning dirt here, concentrating on what we're doing.
05:15Leave it with me. Let me come up with a plan of attack.
05:18Yeah, OK.
05:19If we can't get this deal across the line, it's going to be somebody else that's going to get it.
05:24In order to clear a new mining path, Donnie needs to push a few trees over with his excavator.
05:31I'll just go back in here, and we will do that dead tree first.
05:37And there she goes.
05:40I'm going to use the loader just to help the whole process out, make it a bit quicker.
05:45Dennis will use the grabber attachment on his loader to remove the fallen trees.
05:51One of the biggest concerns that we've got on when we're mining is taking trees out.
05:55I mean, if we've got to take a tree out, we have to be very, very careful of how we do it.
05:59And sometimes they get hung up in other trees, but you've got to make sure you actually drop them to deck.
06:03Their mining lease allows them to clear certain types of trees from the area.
06:10On the flip side, they're required to regenerate the land after they've finished their mining operations.
06:17So when you knock a tree over, they reckon that it drops like 400 seeds into the ground.
06:22And when we replace it back onto the ground on a 45, it's actually to stop erosion.
06:27So it actually stops the erosion of the dirt moving and holds the ground in place.
06:31And it also just, you know, everything gets replanted.
06:33All right, say, knock this one?
06:35Yep.
06:36All right, stand back, please.
06:39Removing trees is a risky business.
06:42A little bit too close to it.
06:44I want to get back a bit.
06:45Not the nicest thing to push.
06:47They can do some weird and wonderful things.
06:49They can bounce back at you.
06:51Well, they're sitting above the gold and we need them out, so...
06:54Here we go.
06:57Oh, dear.
06:58And she's going to get hung up.
07:00It's what we call the widow maker.
07:04So we've got to make sure that that widow maker comes down as well,
07:06because we don't want to be walking underneath that
07:09and that limb that's just hanging about in the other tree stays there.
07:13So it has to come down as well.
07:27We might have to see if we can find a big bit of bar.
07:29Oh, we can tuck on it here.
07:321870 has turned into a family affair,
07:35but it's not a happy household right now.
07:38Owners Richie and Kimberley are a million dollars plus in the red.
07:43So we're going to cut this and weld this to the trommel.
07:48Machinery issues and schedule delays are mounting up.
07:51The pressure is firmly on Dan.
07:55He's the mine manager and the one responsible for 1870's P&L.
08:00All the dirt, as it's going up, will actually roll back to the centre of the belt.
08:06Lack of progress getting the wash plan up and running is the main issue.
08:10Look, I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm pissed off
08:13that it's taken so long to put this all together.
08:16So you put that from there to there, yeah.
08:20Despite Richie and Kimberley's massive investment,
08:24they're only a quarter of the way towards hitting their $500,000 season target.
08:29The dry blower is doing its thing, pumping out an ounce of gold a day,
08:34but it can only work in dry conditions.
08:39The wash plant can run all season long
08:42and does a better job at processing the superfine gold particles.
08:46It's looking pretty straight.
08:48If they can get it running reliably,
08:50it's the key to turning 1870 into a multi-million dollar operation.
08:55Literally, there's 20, 30 different moving parts to make it work.
09:01It's going to sit roughly here.
09:03I mean, I can unbolt it and rip that part off.
09:07How do I start it?
09:08OK, a seatbelt.
09:10Seatbelt.
09:11Oh, seatbelt.
09:11Thank you, girl.
09:12Safety first.
09:13At the end of the day, it's just about trying to utilise who we have.
09:17So it's better for us just to get in
09:19and do what we can to bring the gold on.
09:23Kimberley and Kira have been taking turns
09:26feeding pay dirt into the dry blower.
09:29A lot more touchier than I expected.
09:31With mixed results.
09:34The rippled trays on the dry blower
09:36catch all of the smaller nuggets and fine gold.
09:40But anything bigger than 8mm
09:42is filtered out by the screen on top
09:44and flows into a tailings pile.
09:47A big pile of dirt that stops us from getting the loader to the thick.
09:51OK?
09:51I don't know what gold we're missing.
10:05There might have been some decent gold in there
10:08that can't get through the screen on the hopper.
10:10So that's why we need to run a detector over.
10:13The gold price is at an all-time high,
10:17nearly $6,000 an ounce.
10:20That's great news for all three teams.
10:23If they can hit their 100-ounce target,
10:26they'll each collect an extra $100,000.
10:31We're here to get all the gold, so I don't want to lose it.
10:34So I'm hoping the girls, with, you know, using the metal detectors,
10:39detecting an oversize, can get some gold.
10:41Yeah, right.
10:43Yeah, that's going to be a challenge.
10:45You can take the girl out of the Gold Coast,
10:47but you can't take the Gold Coast out of the girl.
10:52Kimberley's fashion sense is going to have to take a hit.
10:55We're going to have to do something here.
10:58Anything that's going to ping on you has to come off.
11:01It's called the metal detector.
11:04It's going to detect metal to get that off you.
11:08Your belt's off.
11:10Your chains are off.
11:11Your watch rings.
11:14The fashion out here for gold miners isn't really my taste,
11:17and I'm just making up my own outfits.
11:19You know, everyone's just covered in dirt and, yeah,
11:22dirty and gross and dusty.
11:24You got your zippers on, that's going to interfere.
11:28Yeah, we'll have to sort that out.
11:34At the end of the day, I've got a funny feeling that he won't,
11:37you know, he's all talk.
11:39At Scratchy Moo, Matt and Damo have two prospective buyers
11:43for the 60 hectares of land they want to sell.
11:47But both offers come with complications.
11:51Lee desperately wants the land,
11:53but he's struggling to raise the cash.
11:56I've just got a feeling he's not in a position to do it.
11:59Dennis has the cash,
12:00but only wants to pay half the money up front.
12:03Dennis will probably just muscle up
12:07and pay the full amount up front,
12:09and it'll be a done deal.
12:11In the meantime, Matt and Damo are grinding it out.
12:14We were tracking on good,
12:17and over the last week it's leaned off a bit.
12:21We've got a little, this tough little period.
12:23We're on a little creamy run there for a while.
12:26That's a Donnie show picking up swarf all day.
12:30You reckon he's rubbed off on us?
12:32Poor Donnie.
12:33That sounds a little bit...
12:35That's right.
12:39All right, that'll be.
12:43This is a little one.
12:45Got to start somewhere.
12:46A little 0.2.
12:51That's all right.
12:52This is the level that we should be on.
12:56Oh, there it is there.
12:57Look at that.
12:57That's good.
12:58Oh, that'll be probably a 0.3.
13:01It's pretty skinny.
13:03Even though they're in a lean spell,
13:06Matt and Damo are the seasoned leaders in Claremont.
13:09That gives them enough comfort
13:10to hold out for the right offer for their land.
13:14If it comes through on the terms that we're requesting,
13:17it comes out trumps.
13:19There it is.
13:25So I think you'll be best on the detector.
13:27OK.
13:27Kimberley has just about removed all the metal from her outfit
13:32and can now get on with the job.
13:35She and Kira are getting a crash course in metal detecting.
13:39Just try your hardest to keep it right out of the way.
13:42And that's all you're doing, just exactly how it is now.
13:44And if there's a target, it's going to make an absolute racket.
13:50OK.
13:50These detectors can find the tiniest pieces of gold
13:53and absolutely scream.
13:55They'll do a run over the tailing spread
13:58to see if they can find any oversized nuggets.
14:02Hopefully the gold in here is all over 8 million.
14:05Meanwhile, Richie and Dan's son, Brayden,
14:08are getting on with assembling the wash plan.
14:11They need to get the $500,000 processing plan
14:14up and running ASAP.
14:16I'll hold this arm out a bit
14:19because that's your guide stick.
14:20Oh, OK.
14:21And try to keep that as close to the ground as possible.
14:24Yep.
14:24OK.
14:24So you can scrape the ground.
14:25So, yep, scrape the ground.
14:27Cool.
14:27I'm out.
14:28See you later, guys.
14:28Bye.
14:30Well, haven't I found a nugget yet?
14:33Come on.
14:34Is that noise?
14:40Oh.
14:41Come on, gold digger.
14:42Oh, right there.
14:44Very soon it's going to go ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
14:47Oh, we've got something.
14:50There you go.
14:52This one might be a shaving, actually.
14:55What is it?
14:56It's a shaving.
14:58Well, that was...
14:59She's going to be difficult.
15:08At Swiss Diggings,
15:10Donnie is wrestling with a tree
15:12that's blocking access to their new dig site.
15:15Yeah, when they get caught up in each other,
15:16it's not a good thing.
15:19Should move back a bit out of the way.
15:22You've got to be so careful doing this, too.
15:24Should be enough there.
15:26Yeah, that'll do me.
15:30Will you be able to get that, Dennis?
15:32Yep.
15:34I've got to make sure I don't hit a tree.
15:36Dodge them, cars!
15:38Our strategy today is to literally take out this side of this bank
15:41and head your head back up towards where we'll get some really good gold.
15:45But this is an interesting little project
15:47because now I'm on the loader,
15:49I've got Donnie on the digger.
15:51We're going to see how this goes because we think
15:53there's actually some pretty good gold in underneath here.
15:56Their strategy remains unchanged.
16:00Scrape and detect the shallow ground
16:02along the old creek and river bands.
16:04If there's decent gold to be found on Dennis' lease,
16:08that's where it'll be.
16:09Old creek systems, they never go straight,
16:12so they'll only go straight for a certain period of time,
16:14but what we actually do want them to do is bend.
16:17Because when they bend is where we get the big drop-out zones.
16:19Get into that deep, deeper ground there,
16:22there'll be some good gold in that country.
16:25Good gold.
16:29Oh, no.
16:31One step forward, two steps back.
16:34In all the excitement, the fuel gauge has broken off.
16:38Oh, yeah, it broke the side glass.
16:41Oh, no, it did too.
16:51Another 0.2.
16:530.2, 0.3.
16:54At scratchy move,
16:56Matt and Damo are slowly getting back on track
16:59with tiny nugget finds.
17:00There, it's probably a 0.4.
17:11It's got a little bit of a tail on it.
17:14That's loud.
17:16A little bit like the other bit, don't they?
17:18They're all about...
17:19That one's still probably just a good solid 0.3.
17:22We've had to be really patient in here.
17:24There's a lot of gold.
17:26Finally, we've got a grammar out of this cut.
17:29It's a nice-looking nugget.
17:31If they can sell off some of their land
17:33to Lee or to Donnie and Dennis,
17:35they'll use the money to expand their operations
17:38and push for more gold.
17:40Another 0.3.
17:42That's our destiny.
17:44All this stuff that's happened with Donnie
17:48and other people,
17:50I think Lee's probably got money floating around as well,
17:53but it's somehow, like, tangled up in things.
17:56Cash is king in Claremont.
17:59And whoever comes up with the money will get the land,
18:02and it's getting close to crunch time.
18:05That's bloody clunkin' away.
18:07We should go and check out what that's all about.
18:09Lee has returned,
18:11but not in a way anyone expected.
18:15Here's you go. Here's you go.
18:16I might be poaching.
18:17The money investor is at the helm of a 32-tonne excavator.
18:24It's a bizarre turn of events.
18:27I actually thought he'd be way higher than this.
18:29What exactly is he up to?
18:32At 1870, Dan and Richie are all focus,
18:48getting their precious wash plant prepped
18:51for its imminent journey to site.
18:53Everything now comes to the wash plant.
18:56We need this up and running, you know, several weeks ago.
19:01Myself about toiling this trommel down.
19:04The wash plant, that's a big-ticket item, right?
19:07That'll put this mine on the map.
19:11I'll go that way.
19:12I'm going this way.
19:13So we want to try and get this down to site
19:16a bit later on today.
19:17It's going to be a bit scary
19:18because it's a bit top-heavy as well.
19:20I'm going to try and see if I can tow it with our truck.
19:22The wash plant has thousands of moving parts,
19:26and some of those parts weigh several tonnes.
19:29Just getting it ready to move is a monumental task.
19:34You seem like I'm off to drive while getting that down.
19:37Hang on. Whoa!
19:41Hang on, mate. Hang on. Whoa, whoa.
19:43Mate, your world's stopped.
19:48I can't have that happen again.
19:52Having been stung by Dennis' two-and-a-half-grand repair bill last time,
19:59Dan needs to make sure that this time
20:01the frame on the trommel is secure.
20:04I'm just trying to tuck these pins on
20:06because when they've made these, it was terrible.
20:13Let's face it.
20:15It's cheaper than hiring Dennis
20:17because I've brought a welder
20:19for almost half the price of what I've paid him to do.
20:22Bloody over it.
20:23This is something I hate, you know.
20:26Just got to figure out what we're going to do.
20:38Oh!
20:39Yeah, it broke the side glass.
20:41Oh, no!
20:41Well, I'm lucky I only had half a tank of fuel, didn't it?
20:46A stray branch has broken the fuel gauge on Dennis' loader.
20:50What I'll do is I'll change the top to the bottom
20:52and then that'll keep us going.
20:54Then we'll be able to at least keep operating.
20:56Yeah.
20:56It's about the only way I'm going to get round it.
20:58Ah!
21:01Machinery.
21:01Men and machinery.
21:03This is what happens.
21:04It hasn't actually punched the tank.
21:05It just broke the side glass.
21:06Have a go at it, eh?
21:07Broken boom.
21:08I'll keep digging while you do the operation on that.
21:16At the new dig site,
21:18Donnie's down through the topsoil
21:19and into what he hopes will be paydirt.
21:23Definitely a gravel run in there.
21:25Dennis doesn't want to lose momentum,
21:28so it's a quick bush fix on the fuel gauge.
21:32Fixed.
21:34Before rejoining Donnie in the cut.
21:36All right, I took about 100 mil off the top,
21:41so maybe a bit more than 100 mil.
21:44Bit of swarf, I can see it.
21:50How's the go on that, brother?
21:52I'm liking the sound of that.
21:54Sounds all right, eh?
21:55What if it sharpened your peck, I think?
21:58Sorry.
21:58Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!
22:11At Scratchy Moon,
22:13Lee has returned to sight
22:14with what he hopes will be his secret weapon
22:17in the race to secure a landing with Matt and Damo.
22:21I need to concentrate.
22:23I don't like machines.
22:25I'm not a huge fan of machines.
22:27Lee can't free up enough money in time
22:30to do a cash-only offer
22:32ahead of Donnie and Dennis,
22:34but he does own this,
22:37a highly valuable excavator
22:38which he can throw in as part of the deal.
22:41It's a creative manoeuvre.
22:43So if I can do that deal,
22:45gets me out of the machine,
22:46gets me in a lease,
22:47I'm sorted.
22:48I'm not even watching you two.
22:50Concentrate it.
22:51We could just have it rattling down the driveway.
22:54Lee, Jesus.
22:56The lemon excavator.
22:59A 32-tonne excavator
23:02can be worth as much as 250 grand.
23:05I don't even know how much this weighs.
23:07It's been heavy.
23:08Don't get bogged now, will you?
23:10Who says you need skills to drive your piece of piss?
23:15We got it out.
23:17The problem with Lee's excavator
23:19is that it's seen better days.
23:22It's in need of repair work,
23:24and that will cost money.
23:26It's yellow.
23:27It looks like a lemon,
23:28and it is a bit of a lemon.
23:30The lemon excavator!
23:32Yeah, it's been a lot of money.
23:37So it's got a couple of issues.
23:38It's got some character, anyway.
23:40How much did you find wrong with it?
23:41I'll show you the first one here.
23:43Look at this beauty, Leroy.
23:45You check the fuel like that.
23:48So...
23:48The door's been just about to fall off.
23:54Don't pull it.
23:54It's open.
24:00Wiring inside's been smashed out.
24:02Broken, everything in there.
24:05So it needs a bit of work?
24:07Oh, I don't know what we're going to do with you, Lee.
24:09You want to do a bit of a swap, do you?
24:11Yeah.
24:13To secure the 60 hectares of land,
24:16Lee needs Matt and Damo
24:17to value his beaten-up old excavator
24:20at a whopping 90 grand.
24:23Lee's in for a bit of a shock.
24:25I think the excavator's worth about $40,000.
24:28Yeah, she's a bit of a lemon.
24:30Right, so my option is...
24:31Well, my preferred option, best option.
24:34Swap it for the least.
24:36Swap it.
24:46I want to say,
24:48it's still in the ground.
24:49At the new Swiss digging site,
24:52Donnie and Dennis are focusing on the job at hand.
24:56They're off to a promising start.
25:01Oh, ho, ho, ho!
25:03There it is.
25:04That's all right.
25:05That'll be four, five-grammer, four-grammer, what?
25:08Three, four-grammer?
25:09Beautiful.
25:10Heard it.
25:10No problem at all.
25:11Easy.
25:13Right up, sitting up at the top of the ironstone.
25:15It's an $800 nugget.
25:17A welcome find.
25:19But they're still a long way off
25:21reaching their $500,000 season target.
25:24I need to be earning the money now.
25:26So the target of 100 ounces has got to be now.
25:29It cannot be anything different.
25:30It has to be now.
25:31That'll go close.
25:32Three and a half, four-grams?
25:33Yeah, easy.
25:34Definitely.
25:36And there it is.
25:38Good stuff.
25:39The going is slow
25:41because the soil is full of contaminants
25:43that set the machines off.
25:45False positives can be heartbreaking.
25:49This white clay just plays up with your detector so much.
25:53It's so hot.
25:58Well, the machine's just playing a bit up.
26:02Oh, here we go, Donnie.
26:04Got him.
26:06I've got one.
26:07Have a go at that.
26:08We've got multiples, by the way.
26:10Have a go at that.
26:10Oh, God.
26:12Oh, we're a patch, man.
26:15Right there.
26:16Graham?
26:17Oh, I don't know.
26:19I can only see half of it, I think.
26:21Oh, that'd be nearly two grams, I reckon.
26:23A couple of grams.
26:24Easy.
26:25Solid nuggets within striking distance of each other
26:27means Dennis and Donnie may have found a brand-new gold patch.
26:32It's the outcome they've been hoping for.
26:35It just might be enough to give Dennis the confidence
26:38to go in hard for Matt and Damo's land.
26:42You've still got the problem of how much gold's going to be there,
26:46but you're on it.
26:47You've found it.
26:50Here's another one.
26:51Oh, yeah, righto.
26:57So it's a decent piece.
26:58That'll be two grams.
27:00We've got to keep digging, but this is another good little piece.
27:03I reckon we're probably pretty close to about eight grams today already,
27:06if not a little bit more.
27:08Just got to check all that loose dirt
27:09because there could be multiple still in there, bruh.
27:23Best medal.
27:26At 1870,
27:29Kimberley and Kira's nugget hunt
27:31has been plagued by false positives
27:33as they strive to master the art of metal detecting.
27:38There we go.
27:39So go slower.
27:42This is another metal shaving.
27:44It better not be.
27:47You've got to be kidding me.
27:48Want another piece of metal?
27:49Yeah.
27:49No.
27:51Oh, hang on.
27:53That noise?
27:55If I find a freaking piece of a nail or something,
27:59I'll be mad.
27:59That's what's over here.
28:04Beginner's luck.
28:04Here you go.
28:05Come on.
28:07Oh, I can see it.
28:08Oh, my God.
28:09I found a nugget.
28:11Kimberley.
28:12Told you.
28:13Beginner's luck.
28:14That's a decent-sized one, too.
28:16I didn't really know what to expect,
28:17and at the same time, I was like,
28:19I still thought it was going to be...
28:20I'll find something bigger,
28:21so I wasn't that excited.
28:24Top pocket find.
28:28There you go.
28:28My first little nugget.
28:30I'd probably go...
28:32maybe...
28:34four grams?
28:36How much is that worth?
28:37I don't know.
28:39Money.
28:40Good money.
28:41I'll ask the boys later.
28:42Kira's gold weight guesstimate is way off.
28:46The nine-gram nugget should be worth around $1,600.
28:50If the weight's verified,
28:52it'll be the biggest gold find of the week
28:54across all three mining teams.
28:57I just hope this is big enough for today, all right?
29:00We can just chuck it in there.
29:01There we go.
29:02We'll fill it up.
29:02That'll be great.
29:03They've got, like, a vision of, like,
29:05filling up, you know, a little jar,
29:07but I have a vision of filling up my handbag.
29:09Kimberley and Kira have struck gold
29:11at a time when the unhappy family affair
29:14is in desperate need of some good news.
29:17Oh.
29:18Is that right there?
29:19Is it?
29:19Is it?
29:19Yeah.
29:19Literally.
29:20That's awesome.
29:22And the big nuggets keep on coming.
29:25Is it?
29:26Is it?
29:26I think it is.
29:27It looks like gold.
29:28It looks like gold.
29:28Oh, that's mine.
29:30Remember?
29:30I think that's bigger than mine.
29:31Yeah.
29:31I think that's bigger than mine.
29:33At Swiss Diggings, Donnie and Dennis are also on the gold.
29:47This was the original small gold detector
29:50for creeks and gullies and things like that.
29:53There's more in there.
29:54Yeah.
29:55There's another one in there.
29:57The nuggets are small, but the volume is good.
30:01Scream when they get on it, eh?
30:02There she is.
30:04Yeah, them little torpedo pieces.
30:05Look at that.
30:06And honestly, you know, that'll be half a gram.
30:11Yeah, it is.
30:11Close to half a gram.
30:12You've got the bottle.
30:13I haven't got the bottle.
30:13You have got the bottle.
30:15I don't have the bottle.
30:16Yeah, you do.
30:16No, I don't.
30:17Yeah, you do.
30:18No, you've got it.
30:19No, I gave it back to you.
30:20No, you didn't.
30:21I'm telling you.
30:23Here we go.
30:23We lost the bottle episode now.
30:26I'm telling you, I haven't got the bottle.
30:29You've got it.
30:30I don't have it.
30:31You took it off me and I gave it to you
30:33and you put it in your pocket.
30:34I'm telling you.
30:35No.
30:36I don't have the bottle.
30:37You did.
30:38I said, yeah, yeah, put it in your pocket.
30:41I could bat him down.
30:42It is.
30:43I couldn't feel it.
30:50Hey.
30:51He's either.
30:52On her feet.
30:54Hey.
30:56Stealing me bottom.
30:57I couldn't feel it.
30:58Crisis narrowly averted.
31:00Oh, that's a nice bit too.
31:02We've got a gram, maybe a bit more than that there.
31:03It's probably, that'll be a couple hundred dollar nugget
31:05every day of the week.
31:06Oh, piss off, that's mine.
31:14Remember?
31:15Oh, I think that's bigger than mine.
31:18At 1870,
31:20Kimberley and Kira's hot streak is continuing,
31:23putting Claremont's experienced gold miners to shame.
31:27Looks good.
31:28Looks good to me.
31:28I'm happy with that.
31:29Their second nugget find is even bigger than the first.
31:33Work out the green binge.
31:35What do you got?
31:35Don't ask me.
31:36I don't know either.
31:37I'm terrible.
31:38That's what the scales are for.
31:42Oh, it's very nice.
31:43Nice, nice.
31:46How's it going, girls?
31:47Time for some show and tell with mine manager Dan.
31:51Please be the size of that bag.
31:53Oh, I wish.
31:54Did you find it amongst all our jewellery?
31:57I'm trying.
31:58Did you?
31:58Yeah.
31:59Didn't even know that.
31:59I don't know.
32:00Yeah.
32:01I think they're all right.
32:02Are they okay?
32:04Better than nothing.
32:04Yeah, that's awesome, girls.
32:06That's so good.
32:09Oh, here you go.
32:10Just dropped two nuggets.
32:11That's over $5,000 worth of gold in my hand.
32:15That's amazing, eh?
32:17And they were so casual about it.
32:19And we're only novices.
32:21Not bad.
32:22That is awesome.
32:23Well, that's made my day.
32:26The first nugget I found was probably worth $1,600.
32:29I know a lot of people get excited about it, but I want to find the big nuggets.
32:33And, yeah, I don't know.
32:34I probably should have been a little bit more excited than I was.
32:37That makes up for all of the stuff ups of the dry blower.
32:41That's crazy.
32:42We're in our keep, Kara.
32:44Oh, that's good.
32:45You did well.
32:45That's awesome.
32:47Just under $2,500 for that.
32:49That's what I reckon.
32:50Not bad.
32:51Not bad.
32:51Only the scales will tell.
32:53That's probably about eight or nine grams, too.
32:55Oh, so I was only half off?
32:57So $1,400, $1,500 as well.
33:00I think Kimberley and I are on two very different economic levels.
33:06You know, maybe one of those nuggets could have paid for a bag or something,
33:10whereas it could have probably paid for my first car.
33:12It's a little bit different.
33:20Swap it.
33:21For pegging rights.
33:22For pegging rights.
33:24Okay.
33:25At Scratchy Moo, Lee's trying to trade his derelict excavator
33:30for 60 hectares of gold-bearing ground.
33:34Matt and Damo thought they'd be getting a cash offer.
33:37The excavator deal is left of field,
33:40but it may just help them scale up their operation.
33:44Well, in terms of dollar value,
33:45this is probably a fair way behind what we're going to pay for it.
33:49So really weren't interested in the machine.
33:50Start with, which was a negotiation tactic.
33:53I get that.
33:55Listen, I want to try and swap it.
33:56So you're at about $80,000.
33:57And what do you reckon?
33:58This is $40,000.
33:59Well, even if we went $1,000 a hectare...
34:01Yeah.
34:02And said, and you threw us $15,000, that's another option.
34:07I don't know if Damo's in for that.
34:09Something to talk about.
34:10I'd say that'd be pretty close to the mark.
34:12Yeah.
34:12There you go.
34:14What about this and $10,000?
34:15That puts me at $80,000.
34:17Oh, no.
34:19No.
34:19I mean, that puts me at $80,000.
34:21$15,000.
34:21$15,000.
34:23All the parts, it's got to go into it.
34:25So you're still at $15,000.
34:27Yep.
34:28So we're looking at the machine?
34:31Yep.
34:31At $15,000.
34:32Mm-hmm.
34:33Yep.
34:33And that'll do the deal?
34:34That'll do the deal.
34:35In reality, in every way.
34:37When they just said that $15,000 on top of the machine,
34:42I was doing my numbers, and it just made sense to me.
34:45It still makes sense.
34:47It's a good deal.
34:51All right, Leroy.
34:52Good to have you to the neighbour.
34:55Yeah, she'll be too close for comfort.
34:58He had a bit of gall doing that, just dragging it in there.
35:02But at the end of the day, he got the result.
35:08When I'm fast-dated, I know where to come for a cuddle.
35:12Lee's done it.
35:13He's pulled off the deal of the season.
35:16What's more, he's managed to outmanoeuvre Dennis and Donnie.
35:28Let me take this pin out.
35:30Oh, my goodness, man.
35:35At 1870, eagle-eyed newbies Kira and Kimberley
35:39are helping to claw back some of the losses
35:41mine manager Dan has had to wear.
35:45Here.
35:45There?
35:46Yes, ma'am.
35:48The boys are also making steady progress
35:51with the wash plant assembly.
35:54Got to get it down to site.
35:55We've got to see how we're going to set it up as well.
35:57There's just so much to do.
36:03You going to put any different type of ripples in it?
36:05Yeah, I think we need to put the Hungarian ripples in it.
36:08I've been putting a lot of pressure on the team
36:11to get the wash plant at least down to site.
36:14I'm about to weld some legs onto the sluice boxes.
36:17So I've just created an earth.
36:20A sluice box is a trough with ripples in it
36:23designed to separate the gold from the gravel and sand.
36:26If these sluice boxes don't work,
36:28the whole operation is useless.
36:31Richie's welding needs to be A+.
36:34A dodgy job could undermine the entire operation.
36:38Last time I welded, I think I was around about 16 or 18,
36:43so let's say it's 32 years ago.
36:46Time for the lucky apprentice jacket to make an appearance.
36:49I have to lose some milk wearing this jacket.
36:53He'll be a divorce.
36:56Richard's got a jacket he made in high school
36:57that I want to burn.
36:59It's awful.
37:00It needs to go.
37:02I am going to throw it in the fire pit at some point
37:04when he's not looking.
37:05Awful.
37:07Awful.
37:08He's like a hobo.
37:09Nobody owns.
37:10But it looks as though the lucky jacket is doing the trick.
37:27That's pretty bloody good.
37:30Professional.
37:32You got Braden to do that, didn't you?
37:33Yeah, you were going to say
37:34I had someone else do it.
37:35Oh, good.
37:36Now you've only got another, what, six to go.
37:40This is really overwhelming
37:41because it's literally to me in parts
37:43and every single part of it has to be welded.
37:53How do you reckon we went today?
37:55Oh, mate.
37:57Scales will tell us.
37:58Yeah.
37:58I think we went all right.
37:59See how she goes, eh?
38:00Donnie and Dennis are blissfully unaware
38:05that Lee has literally cut the ground
38:07from underneath their feet.
38:10At least the Swiss Digging's mind
38:12is still delivering the goods.
38:1531.30.
38:17Oh, ho, ho, ho.
38:18We got it.
38:19One ounce.
38:20They're now halfway towards reaching
38:22their 100-ounce season target.
38:24We just got it.
38:26Cheers, eh?
38:27It's a good one.
38:27Yeah, cheers, mate.
38:28What's that?
38:32He's got a camera notification.
38:37You're not joking.
38:38There's someone in the pit.
38:39Poacher down there.
38:40Are you serious, mate?
38:41No, they're down at the pit.
38:42Look.
38:42In the cut.
38:43Yep.
38:44Me, man.
38:45There's a poacher.
38:46We got a bloke that's in the pit.
38:48Go for it.
38:48Go for it.
38:49Rollo's.
38:49Go for it, Donnie.
38:50Righto.
38:51Righto.
38:51I'm more interested in getting this.
39:07How are you getting a bloody bolt down there now, man?
39:14Jesus.
39:16Whereabouts?
39:17Wait up, wait up, wait up.
39:19Watch out.
39:19Oh, I can see him.
39:20Can you see him?
39:21Yeah, and he's ducked off the back of that pile of dirt there.
39:24Oh, look at this.
39:25Oh, he's left his pick and scooping it.
39:28Here we go.
39:29Oh, look at this.
39:30There he is.
39:31Oh, look.
39:32Get the side jump out.
39:35Come on, Paulie.
39:38Hold on, Donnie.
39:40Oh.
39:43Dust.
39:44Dust.
39:46Man.
39:47I can't even see it.
39:48He's heading out towards the gate, mate.
39:53Did you roll those GoPros, Donnie?
39:56Yeah, they're on.
39:57Yeah, those Rows are on, mate.
39:59You're not worried about your GoPros.
40:01I can't see.
40:02He's gone, man.
40:05He's gone.
40:06Did he get out through the gates?
40:08I bet he's come through the timber.
40:10I bet he has as well.
40:11That's exactly what he's done.
40:13He's come over to the other side here, probably.
40:14Probably gone down through here or something.
40:16The poacher has managed to outrun Dennis and Donnie.
40:20But he's left some evidence behind, which may help track him down.
40:26That was wild.
40:28Yeah, that was wild.
40:30I was just like, have a go at this.
40:32This is, it's been all in the polls.
40:34Look at him.
40:34There's dug holes everywhere.
40:35That buggy is just, that's incredible.
40:40Oh, look at this.
40:42Well, that's not a, that's a pretty distinctive handle.
40:45He certainly left us a nice little present there, hasn't he?
40:48Have a go at him.
40:49You've got the price of gold going through the roof at the moment.
40:52Well, everyone wants a part of it.
40:54So they all seem to want to take this big chance of coming out here and trying to get it.
40:59Now, that had a bit of excitement, didn't it, for the night?
41:02Oh, dust.
41:11Finally, Team 1870 has something to celebrate.
41:20Cheers.
41:21Cheers, guys.
41:21Cheers, guys.
41:22100 plus ounces and twice them out next year.
41:25That's it.
41:26Kimberly and Kira's nuggets weighed in at 33 grams.
41:31They've delivered a five and a half grand cash boost to 1870's dismal gold tally.
41:36Combined with three ounces of dry blower gold, the team has banked $20,000 for the week.
41:46Oh, you didn't pay for that, did you?
41:49No.
41:51It's an odd beer.
41:53Team 1870 is still a long way shy of their $500,000 target.
41:58But Dan knows better than anyone, it only takes one nugget to turn your fortunes around.
42:06In that area down there, there's a 90-ounce gold specie coming out of there.
42:13Awesome.
42:13I can see it.
42:14But also in that same area, there's a 110-ounce nugget.
42:17So that would be worth, with the price of nuggets being higher than the gold price,
42:21it would be, like, closer to a million bucks.
42:22If we found two nuggets that were 200 ounces, that's a million dollars.
42:27So they would pay off the debt like that.
42:29Six of the ten biggest nuggets found anywhere in the world were found right here in Australia.
42:37Claremont is gold country, and the dream of striking it rich is an alluring one.
42:43We know the gold's here and we've just got to find it.
42:45We've just got to find the big nuggets.
42:46So why haven't you found one of those for me?
42:48We'll get there.
42:49I reckon we'll find bigger than that.
42:50I really do.
42:52I reckon we'll have the biggest nugget in this whole area.
42:59Next time.
43:01I don't want someone coming back saying that we have accepted stolen goods.
43:05But you haven't.
43:07Lee's excavator for land deal turns sour.
43:11It's just typical crap that, you know, just sneaks up on you when you're dealing with Lee sometimes.
43:18But until we're satisfied that the machine is rightfully ours, no pegs are going in the ground.
43:24Dennis offers Donnie the deal of the year.
43:27I think I'll sell you the lease, but it comes with a catch.
43:31What I want you to try and do is gather yourself 32 and a half grand by the end of the season.
43:36I'm not about to let anything stand in my road.
43:38And Richie suffers a major injury.
43:45Richie hurt himself.
43:48A scale of 1 to 10, it's at around about an 8 or 9.
43:51I'm positive.
43:52I've broken something.
43:54That threatens to sink 1870's season.
43:58If that's broken, you're out of action.
44:00Three steps forward, two steps back.
44:03I just need a break.
44:04I'm positive.
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