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00:00There's a secret war going on in the outback town of Claremont.
00:12The gold here is so good and the value of gold now is so high.
00:19Look at that.
00:20Dog ate dog.
00:21The wars are on.
00:23Why are you entertaining this city?
00:25I was a bit pissed off when Donnie come in.
00:28How good's that?
00:29Three mining teams.
00:31We have a lot 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.
00:43Guy's full of s***.
00:43He'd be lucky if I don't walk over his big nose.
00:47This time.
00:48I don't want someone coming back saying that we have accepted stolen goods.
00:52No, but you haven't.
00:53Lee's excavator trade deal turns sour for Matt and Damo.
00:58It's just typical crap that, you know, just sneaks up on you when you're dealing with Lee sometimes.
01:08Richie hurt himself.
01:09Richie suffers a serious injury.
01:13A scale of one to ten, it's around about an eight or nine.
01:16I'm positive I've broken something.
01:20I think that's broken your out of action for a while though.
01:23Three steps forward, two steps back.
01:25And Dennis offers Donnie the land deal of the year.
01:31I think I'll sell you the lease.
01:33But it comes with a catch.
01:35So what I need you to do, mate, is to get yourself 37 and a half grand by the end of the season.
01:41I'm not about to let anything stand in my road.
01:43You'll know it when we're near here.
02:00Scratchy moo, Claremont, Queensland.
02:03I can't believe how lame the last couple of scrapes have been.
02:07And Matt and Damo's blistering start to the season is slowing down.
02:13It's a bit deflating.
02:15But we had a couple of, you know, pretty solid weeks.
02:19Give us some sounds here.
02:21What's going on?
02:22I would like to think that it would continue.
02:24But you've got to go with your ups and downs.
02:26Their tally stands at 70 ounces of gold.
02:32That's about $150,000 short of their $500,000 season target.
02:38But they're still the front runners on the Claremont gold fields.
02:43What we want is a nice, deep inverted one.
02:45Look out.
02:46Can you pay that up?
02:47Well, if it needs to happen, it needs to happen now.
02:50Damo and Matt are hoping to pound their way out of the slump.
02:54You got some deposit money the other day.
02:56Finally.
02:56Hit the bank yesterday.
02:57That's good.
02:58But we need to work out this title for the JBC.
03:01Yeah, clear that.
03:03Meanwhile, Lee's running through the numbers on the landing with Matt's wife, Cherie, who
03:08manages the finances at Scratchy Moo.
03:11Lee's paid the $15,000 cash component of the deal.
03:15But Cherie's discovered there's finance still owing on the excavator Lee threw in as part of
03:22the exchange.
03:23So I just got the paperwork back from DS.
03:27So I just shot that through.
03:28So everything's cleared.
03:30I've got access.
03:31So give me access.
03:32Obviously we need that.
03:32So I'm clear to pay.
03:33Yeah.
03:34And that's great.
03:35You got access.
03:35But you're not getting access until the title's done.
03:37Correct.
03:38Yeah.
03:38And then we also need to sort out this bucket issue.
03:41So we've got a bit of an issue with buckets.
03:44So we've bought the excavator, or we've done an exchange for that excavator as is.
03:52And then next thing you know, someone's coming out of the woodwork saying that there is buckets.
03:58You know, this other guy's buckets.
03:59And it's like...
04:01There was a little bit of conjecture about how many buckets the machine come with.
04:05As far as I'm concerned, the machine came with two buckets.
04:09This whole bucket issue has been a schmozzle.
04:11Hasn't that finished with you?
04:13Well, I told you, you need to sort it.
04:15It's not our issue.
04:16I've got the paperwork for that, so...
04:19Yeah, but you haven't provided it to me.
04:20I've asked you a couple of times.
04:21I don't want someone coming back saying that we have accepted stolen goods.
04:25Yeah, but you haven't.
04:26One of the things we said to him is, look, we just don't want any dramas.
04:30We want a smooth transaction.
04:32And, of course, it's just typical crap that, you know, just sneaks up on you when you're dealing with Lee sometimes.
04:41But until we're satisfied that the machine is rightfully ours, no pegs are going in the ground.
04:46Hey, mate.
04:55Hey, mate.
04:57How you going?
04:58Oh, yeah.
04:59Hot.
05:00If the land deal falls through with Lee, Matt and Damo might be forced to renegotiate terms with Dennis and Donnie over at Swiss Diggings.
05:10We lost it, mate.
05:11We lost the deal.
05:12Hey.
05:12I got a phone call from Damo letting us know that old Lee McGrath got the lease.
05:20So he sort of gazumped us on it.
05:22But, you know, I have no doubt in my mind that there will be some swindling thing going on there that will be underhanded in some way, shape or form.
05:32But Dennis is not waiting round to see how Lee's antics play out.
05:38He's already come up with a plan B to keep Donnie on side.
05:43Look, mate.
05:43So it's a setback, but it's not a big setback.
05:46I've got another plan.
05:47I've got another idea.
05:48I want to run past you.
05:49I reckon we've got an 80-hectare area up there on that western boundary.
05:54Yeah.
05:54You can pick a lease in there.
05:56I don't understand Dennis' motivation to put me on ground.
06:02That doesn't mean I'm not going to take it.
06:04It just doesn't get much better than that.
06:07Buying and selling ground is all part of making money in the goldfields.
06:11Dennis owns 3,000 hectares of unpegged ground surrounding Swiss diggings that he can sell the mining rights to to make a bit of money on the side.
06:22OK, so how do you reckon that would work?
06:27Well, look, I've been put a little bit of thought into that too.
06:30And I think what I'm going to do is I'm going to, I think I'll sell you the lease at a fixed rate today at 75k.
06:3975k?
06:39Yep.
06:40Serious?
06:40We're looking after you, mate.
06:42We're trying to get you into your own ground, mate, onto your own dirt.
06:45And I think this is the way to do it.
06:47So I reckon that's the plan, mate.
06:48And I've come up with a name for it as well.
06:52Yeah?
06:53Hmm.
06:54Ah!
06:561880.
06:581880 gold.
07:001880 is the sequel to 1870.
07:02And what makes us better, I think, is it's the people.
07:05And everyone knows they're going to get a good product.
07:08It's a win-win for both minors.
07:12Donnie finally gets on his own gold ground.
07:14And Dennis gets a much-needed cash injection.
07:18But Dennis' offer comes with a huge catch.
07:21How do you like that one?
07:22What I'd like you to do, or aim for, mate, is to put a bit of carrot in front of your nose here.
07:28So what I need you to do, mate, is to get yourself 37 and a half grand.
07:31At least buy yourself in by 50% of the lease cost by the end of the season.
07:36Now you're much fairer than that, man.
07:42Mate, you come out here and help me out, so I'm coming to help you out.
07:46Wow.
07:47Donnie has five weeks to come up with 37 and a half grand.
07:51Or the deal is off.
07:53Honestly, Donnie really needs to be on his own lease.
07:56And that's why I've decided to, you know, throw the option out there to peg a lease.
08:00He will put the best foot forward, but he needs it to be on his own lease.
08:04Cool, cool.
08:04Ronny!
08:06Come on!
08:17Over at 1870, it's relocation day.
08:22Today is the big day.
08:2412 months in the making.
08:26We're finally getting all the down to the mine.
08:29So it's going to be convoy after convoy.
08:31Richie and Kimberly's $1 million mining gamble all rests on the outcome of today's wash plant move.
08:42The wash plant set up has cost me around about half a million dollars.
08:45So taking it down to site, I want to make sure we don't...
08:48Well...
08:49All right, last couple of days I've created a pad down the bottom where all this gear's going.
08:54Tried making the roads as wide as I could get with what we've got at the moment.
08:58The half-a-million-dollar wash plant is made up of three big components.
09:04The conveyor...
09:05..the hopper...
09:07..and the trommel.
09:09If a single piece is damaged in the move, 1870's season will be over.
09:16Richie's starting to get a little stressed with the bank balance going down and down.
09:19So, yeah, everyone's coming together to try and get it done
09:22because we're just so behind and, you know, we need to get on the gold fast.
09:25Adding to the stress and lack of cash flow,
09:301870's dry-blowing operation will go on hold until the wash plant is delivered to site.
09:36Their modest gold tally remains unchanged at 32 ounces.
09:42I'm more nervous about the length of it and taking stuff out.
09:45So I'll sit behind in the buggy with Kira and we'll just monitor what's going and we'll just keep talking.
09:51Let's get all the gear down.
09:52Done, let's go.
09:53All right.
09:54Kimberley's been given the job of towing the conveyor.
09:57Yeah, I've never toed anything this long before.
10:00I've towed boats and wasn't very successful.
10:02Dracking off the trailer.
10:03So it's nice that they've let me, you know, be in charge of this.
10:06Let's see how we go.
10:08Richie will ride shotgun and keep an eye on the tow.
10:12OK.
10:15Dan and Kira will follow behind and provide an extra set of eyes.
10:21The Kimbo Express is ready to go.
10:24It's a two kilometre drive along a treacherous bush track to the processing site.
10:29But it's not their first rodeo.
10:31I've got to be careful of the trees.
10:33I don't want to hit any trees.
10:35There's tight corners.
10:37There's a few gullies I've got to go through.
10:39There's a lot of obstacles.
10:40So we've just got to take our time, get it down in one piece.
10:44The last time Team 1870 drove along the track, they nearly rode off the dry blower completely.
10:53The whole team is on edge.
10:54I've got to be going too fast.
10:58So go wider at that one.
11:00See how close they get closer to go wide.
11:08I'm going to hold up for a second, guys.
11:12Just like slow down here because we know what happened last off the dry blower.
11:15Yeah, but we've got a good driver this time.
11:18We've got a good driver this time, okay.
11:21Right, Hilt.
11:22One poor decision now and Ritchie and Kimberley's mining dream will come crashing down.
11:36At Swiss Diggies, Dennis is installing security cameras around the perimeter of his lease
11:42following a daring gold poacher raid on his property a few nights ago.
11:47The old poacher's were here the other night and we've amped up our security.
11:53We've had enough of it, basically.
11:54We've just completely done with it.
12:00Dennis and Donnie were completely outrun by a brazen gold thief raiding their pit under
12:06the cover of darkness.
12:07Oh, look at this thing.
12:08Oh, no, no.
12:09Hold it.
12:11There you are.
12:12Hold on, Donnie.
12:13Hold on.
12:14I can't see.
12:15He's gone, man.
12:17He's gone.
12:20The recent spate of gold theft in Claremont has all three mining teams on red alert.
12:27The price of gold is driving this through the roof.
12:30He says the poaching now is becoming crazy.
12:35Thing is, you know, we don't know how much if they did get any gold or, you know, we can
12:40see that they've been digging in our piles.
12:41But whether they actually got gold or whether they were actually getting steel, I hope to
12:46frick they got steel and not gold, but we just don't know.
12:50Ramping up security around the lease is an unwanted distraction.
12:53But with a $500,000 season target on the line, Dennis can't afford to lose any gold, and
13:01neither can Donnie.
13:04We've got a good range of different cameras here at the moment, and these are just an added
13:08thing.
13:08These are the old bush cameras that, you know, for looking for animals and so forth, but
13:14we're actually using them for, I suppose, looking for animals.
13:16Dennis will need hard evidence if he wants to catch the poachers out and report them to
13:22police.
13:23The Claremont community, we know who the poachers are, but, you know, it's whether you can prove
13:28it or not, you have to actually catch them.
13:31And then we need to make an internet sensation out of them.
13:36At the mine site, a re-motivated Donnie has responded with pace and vigour to Dennis' offer
13:43to peg new ground at 1880.
13:45Like, to have my own lease has been the end game since I started out here, and I'm not
13:51about to let anything stand in my road.
13:55He's brought in his mate, Ronnie, to help speed things up.
13:59We've been on a good running, so hopefully it'll keep up.
14:03Ronnie's still learning, but he's doing his best, and, you know, he's never let me down.
14:13He's here, he tells me he's going to be here at 6.30, he's here at 6 o'clock, and he works
14:18all day, he doesn't complain.
14:19I've had to pull it up sometimes because I can tell he's buggered, and he won't say anything.
14:25So, you know, you can't ask for better than that.
14:28It's a big rock in this.
14:30Yeah, I'm not expecting you to get anything yet, mate.
14:32All I did was take the loose off the top.
14:35It'll be the next cut that'll reduce.
14:38But you never know, one might pop up.
14:40But Dennis isn't sold on Donnie's new upscaling strategy.
14:44I thought I actually motivated him to, you know, to get going and get more gold in his
14:49jar, and, well, now he's having to pay Ronnie, and I'd...
14:55Donnie needs to come up with the $37,500 deposit to ink the new land deal with Dennis.
15:03Problem is, he's agreed to pay Ronnie 10% of his share of the proceeds from Swiss Diggings.
15:10I don't get philosophy that you can be quicker when you do the digging and then sit in the
15:17cab and bark orders.
15:19I can't remember what I did there, so I think we're still detecting from about where that
15:24scrape is back.
15:26Donnie, however, begs to differ.
15:29But having both of us there, I can dig, Ron detects, and it just speeds it up a little
15:36bit and gives us a little bit more labour time on the cuts.
15:40Only time will tell if the Donnie, Ronnie show will pay dividends or not.
15:46So we need to, we need to, we've got to get cracking, man.
15:59I was just trying to get down to a pay layer.
16:02You still probably know the $300 or $400 off.
16:04But he's also knocked a bit of this stuff off, so I just want to go around and do a bit
16:08of a check through here.
16:10At Scratchy Moon, Lee's jumped in to give Damo a hand in the mega pit.
16:15He's waiting on ownership documents to come through for his excavator so he can sign off
16:20on the land deal.
16:21So yeah, we should find something in here.
16:23But if this was so rich, there's got to be something in these piles.
16:25So far, the mega pit has delivered 25 ounces of gold for Matt and Damo, but the run has
16:33dried up in recent weeks.
16:35I'm just being systematic.
16:37I'm just digging through my area and I'm staying in that area.
16:40Is it the only area that I can stink the bucket?
16:42No.
16:43I'm being patient.
16:43All right, let's do this.
16:51We had two pretty mediocre cuts there and there.
16:55And I know there's gold here under this tree, right, because the old-timers, I've been finding
17:02it in the heaps.
17:03So there's gold on the bottom.
17:04They've brought it up.
17:05So we're right in the zone.
17:07Like where we're standing here, should start to make some sounds.
17:13Damo's instincts are telling him they're only a few scrapes away from hitting the next
17:20pay layer.
17:28But there's a hiccup.
17:30Had a good run.
17:33The starter motor on the excavator has died.
17:37Exactly what I didn't need, because I just need to be digging every day.
17:41You know, we've got a lot of ground to dig.
17:43It takes a lot of time to get down to the gold, and when you get onto that pay layer.
17:48Hey, Mook, how are you on channel?
17:51Damo's business partner, Matt, has a replacement starter motor in his truck.
17:57But he's on the other side of the lease, and he's not answering Damo's SOS call.
18:05He's got it straight on for that, man.
18:21Don't see that big pile of dirt there.
18:23Which one?
18:24That's it.
18:24Kimberley has successfully made it through Dan's ditch and onto side with the first piece
18:32of the new wash plant.
18:35You made it.
18:36We made it in one piece.
18:39But there's much more to be done.
18:41They still need to move the hopper and the trommel.
18:46Any damage to either piece of equipment, and it's game over for the season.
18:52Dan's a bit scared about taking this one down.
18:55So we've just made a new tow hitch on it and all that type of stuff.
19:00And it's not that long, so that's how it goes.
19:04But, yeah, it'll be interesting.
19:08That's pretty bloody big.
19:09That's huge.
19:12The hopper's short drawbar gives Dan less manoeuvrability and less visibility on the load.
19:20You're only about six inches from hitting that, then.
19:23It's going to be hard to see if you're going to hit it from behind.
19:27It is fitting in by, like, an inch that side and two inches that side.
19:41If he goes any further, he's going to take out the farmer's fences.
19:45I ain't sticking around to fix those fences.
19:47It's clear in this situation we're the best supervisors.
19:52I've got fairly steep walls on either side of me here,
19:55so I'll see if it fits.
20:00Yeah, can you see the left-hand side all right?
20:10I'm actually really loving it right now.
20:12I can just see it.
20:13It's all coming together.
20:17Dan has nailed it.
20:20One more machine down.
20:22That's...we're getting closer.
20:23The team needs to quickly put the stabilisation legs in place
20:30before unhooking the hopper.
20:32Wind that left-hand side one up a little bit.
20:35Going up or down?
20:36Down.
20:37Oh, good.
20:37Okay.
20:43That enough?
20:43She hurt himself.
20:55The kickback on the drill has twisted Richie's hand.
21:00Oh.
21:01Oh, that hurt.
21:03I sort of see he was in some pain.
21:05He was trying to hide it,
21:07but he was in some wicked pain, eh?
21:09If Richie has broken his hand,
21:11he won't be able to do any heavy lifting,
21:14and that'll leave Dan a man down
21:16until the end of the season.
21:19It's not that.
21:19It feels like I've broken all that.
21:21Yeah, so...
21:22No-one likes being a wuss,
21:24but...
21:26it bloody killed.
21:27It really hurt.
21:28I knew instantly I'd broken my hand.
21:30Well, this machine, the starter's finally...
21:40It's finally finished.
21:41...finally packed it in.
21:42So, that's it.
21:43If we want to finish this cut,
21:45we need to get this starter going.
21:48At Scratchy Moo,
21:49the replacement starter motor
21:51Damo needs for his excavator
21:53is sitting in the back of Matt's truck.
21:58Moo, how are you on channel?
22:01But Matt's been out of range
22:03and hasn't been able to answer Damo's calls.
22:08Moo, how are you on channel?
22:10I guess that's yes.
22:15This machine has started.
22:17Man, I'm going to get something going on here
22:18because I've got to finish this cut.
22:21Tracks, wheels or tracks,
22:23there is always drama.
22:26It appears so.
22:27Can you get your arse over here
22:28and get this cracking?
22:28I'll be there in five.
22:34There's no doubt that out here
22:37you want to be able to be handy,
22:41particularly mechanically handy.
22:44Mechanic's truck.
22:45And so there's no doubt
22:47Vukia is incredibly valuable
22:49when it comes to all that
22:50because, you know,
22:51he just gets in and does it.
22:52He's done it for years.
22:53That's his skill.
22:55What's happened to our machine?
22:57Well, it just needs a bit of...
22:58You brought the lemon.
22:59You brought the lemon
23:00and now it's broken down the high-end eye.
23:03Yeah, but you're going to fix it, see,
23:04because of your skill.
23:06The excavator Lee's hoping to sell
23:08to Matt and Damo
23:09as part of the land deal
23:10can't be used
23:12until the question of
23:13who owns the buckets
23:14is resolved.
23:16And that just puts pressure
23:18on Matt and Damo
23:19to get their digger
23:20back up and running.
23:21Catch.
23:23No, don't!
23:26Come on.
23:30Lee, what do you think
23:32you're doing up there?
23:33I'm just going to open the cover
23:34and do some preparation.
23:35You might pull a fingernail
23:36or get some dirt
23:39under those nails of yours.
23:41Lee can't even lift the lid.
23:48Oh, yeah, I'm just
23:49the punching bag sometimes.
23:50I like to take the piss
23:51out of me.
23:54It's just...
23:55It's one of those days
23:57it's just...
23:57It's so annoying.
23:59I'm fairly used
24:00to getting quite good gold.
24:01So to be on a cut
24:02that's just not really paying,
24:05it's giving me the...
24:05actually.
24:07I'll get rid of the rubbish.
24:08You slice those fingernails,
24:09will you like?
24:10Yeah.
24:13Probably at least
24:14four hours of mucking around
24:15in that cut.
24:16Found half a gram
24:17and now that new starter,
24:19$650 bucks.
24:21We haven't made enough
24:22to cover the diesel,
24:23of getting down to the pay layer
24:25and haven't covered
24:26the starter motor.
24:32You better get in that excavator.
24:36Come on, start it.
24:37It's slowing me down now.
24:39We're back in action.
24:47Only $650 bucks
24:48and ten minutes later.
24:50Crisis averted
24:51for the moment.
24:52We don't want to
24:53around anymore.
24:54We don't need
24:55any more downtime.
24:56I'm starting to get
24:57a bit antsy
24:57because we're getting
24:59into the week
24:59and the tallies are down.
25:02This is the big one.
25:12At 1870,
25:14Richie's crushed his hand
25:16and thinks he may have broken it,
25:18but there's much work
25:19still to be done,
25:20so he's going to
25:21tough it out.
25:22This has got a
25:23swivel steering system on it,
25:26so it's like
25:26sort of backing a trailer
25:28when you're driving.
25:28It's more complicated
25:30than it looks,
25:31so figure it out.
25:34The final piece
25:35of the wash plan
25:36still has to be
25:37moved aside
25:38if they're to get
25:38back on schedule.
25:40I'm tired,
25:41I'm stuffed,
25:42and this is going
25:42to go to plan,
25:44but we haven't
25:46towed this before,
25:47so everything
25:52at the moment
25:52is a bit of a challenge.
25:55Keep going,
25:55straight back.
25:58Back.
25:58Tiny bit more.
26:00Yep.
26:01Let's go, Richie.
26:02I'll just go forward
26:03and tell me when to turn
26:04once I pass this bucket.
26:07Richie's in serious pain,
26:09but he's going to tow
26:10the $200,000 trommel
26:12to side
26:13if he can.
26:14This is going to be
26:15long trip and scary,
26:18and I can barely
26:18use my hand.
26:21Team 1870's success
26:23depends on the wash plan
26:25making it safely to side
26:26and working to capacity.
26:29scale of 1 to 10,
26:30it's at around
26:30about an 8 or 9.
26:32It's, um,
26:34I'm positive.
26:37I've broken something.
26:38What's really going through
26:43my mind at the moment
26:44is how am I going to
26:45keep moving forward?
26:47I don't want to hold up
26:47the team,
26:48and I know Dan was
26:50relying on me,
26:51giving him a hand,
26:51and literally,
26:52I've got no hand
26:53to give him now.
26:54I don't know whether I should
26:57go to a hospital
27:00or a doctor
27:01or something like that,
27:02but I don't know
27:02what they can do.
27:05I don't even know
27:06where I could go,
27:07which is a bit silly.
27:07All right, mate,
27:14we're coming up
27:14to Dan's ditch.
27:17I'm taking it real slow.
27:21There's a lot of weight
27:22to it,
27:22and it's weighing.
27:23It's obviously
27:24very top-heavy,
27:24so...
27:29Just stay back a bit
27:30just in case it comes off.
27:44Might have to get
27:45Kimberley to drive
27:46the car back
27:46because I can't even
27:47hold the steering wheel.
27:51It's a bittersweet outcome.
27:53Richie has managed
27:55to get the wash plant
27:56to side
27:57without damaging it.
27:58The same can't be said
28:00for his injured hand.
28:02He's now facing
28:03a spell on the sidelines.
28:05Yeah-ha!
28:09I'm pretty happy
28:10about getting
28:11the wash plant down there.
28:12It went fairly smooth.
28:14Normally,
28:15when something's
28:15going to go wrong,
28:16it goes wrong,
28:17and it goes wrong
28:18in a big, big way.
28:20But that went...
28:20That went way better
28:22than I was expecting.
28:22It's done!
28:24That only took
28:25a bloody year.
28:26Yeah.
28:27Yeah, no,
28:27it's not happening.
28:29How's it here, man?
28:30I'm not going to lie to you.
28:31I think I broke it.
28:32Yeah, it's starting
28:33to change colour, man.
28:34I thought it was shaking.
28:35Can't even close it.
28:36I think you need
28:36to go put some ice
28:37on it, man.
28:38If that's broken,
28:40you're out of action
28:40for a while, though.
28:45Lee's still waiting
28:46for the excavator
28:48ownership documents
28:49to come through.
28:49But Damo and Matt
28:51have given him
28:52an early entry pass
28:53to do some detecting
28:54on his new lease
28:56next door
28:57to Scratchy Moo.
28:58If he's going to peg there,
29:00we want to be successful.
29:02Yeah, get out there
29:02and have a go,
29:03and he might be able
29:04to find a few spots
29:04where he can start digging
29:06once the lease is through.
29:11So this is a gully system here.
29:13So we've got a big gully system
29:14coming off the hill
29:15that pushes all the way
29:16through here.
29:17But I know there's shallow ground
29:19back up here
29:19because I can see bedrock.
29:21I can see, yeah,
29:22large, large, heavy shifts
29:24just across the road here.
29:26So I'm saying that
29:27this is going to push
29:28back through here.
29:29I should find more shallow ground.
29:30So the ground's going to be shallow.
29:32Gold will sit in our low points.
29:35To have the ground
29:36just behind 1870,
29:37it just gives me
29:38a massive advantage
29:39of where to dig straight away.
29:43Lee's planning on running
29:45gold detecting lessons
29:46on the land
29:47to help recoup
29:48some of his start-up costs.
29:50It's the same thing
29:51he did on his old lease,
29:521870,
29:53back in the day.
29:54Due to some regulation changes
29:56only in the last week,
29:58it has changed a few things
29:59where now,
30:00if you have a pegged lease,
30:03you can actually go on
30:04and do your exploration.
30:06So in saying that,
30:08I'll be able to get straight on
30:09and start exploring
30:10with detecting.
30:11Bingo.
30:13That's the target.
30:18Charcoal.
30:22All right,
30:22so this will be noisy everywhere.
30:24Issue I've got here
30:25is I've got charcoal.
30:27Charcoal sends your machine off.
30:29It's a false target.
30:37All right,
30:38where are you?
30:39There's always,
30:41there's always got to be
30:42a couple of big ones
30:42at the bottom of the cut
30:43that they miss,
30:44the old timers.
30:46Damo's finally back in business
30:48in the cut.
30:49The replacement starter motor works
30:52and the excavator's humming.
30:54He now just needs
30:55to get a wriggle on.
30:57But the old timers
30:58have really done a good job
30:59at cleaning out
31:00a big drive through here.
31:02so it was probably pretty rich
31:03so it was probably pretty rich
31:03but we've found
31:03lots of little pieces
31:05all around it.
31:07I've had it before
31:08where the tail end of the cut
31:09starts to peak.
31:11When you get onto that pay layer,
31:13if you get down there
31:14and it's just a big swarf fest,
31:16it's just sometimes
31:16a bit frustrating.
31:17That's going to be a good nugget.
31:22That's a good nugget.
31:25The old timers
31:27left millions of dollars
31:28worth of gold here
31:29undiscovered
31:30following the Claremont gold rush
31:32back in 1861.
31:34When you walk over
31:35Scotchimoo,
31:36you realise
31:38that there's a whole bunch
31:39of ground
31:39that the old timers work.
31:41This one's definitely
31:41over a gram.
31:43There's more gold
31:43under here by far
31:44than what's been found,
31:45without a doubt.
31:47It's not a stoinker,
31:48but there it is there.
31:50Oh, it's like
31:52almost a love art shape.
31:53Beautiful.
31:55That's a good two grammer.
31:57It's probably $350.
32:11Those two holes, mate,
32:12right in front of your coil.
32:15Yeah.
32:16Well, I started
32:17to walk up here
32:18and you told me...
32:19I wanted you to do
32:19the cut first, mate.
32:20You start walking away
32:21halfway through a job,
32:22you start forgetting
32:23where you're at.
32:24At Swiss Diggings,
32:26Donnie's racing
32:27against the clock.
32:28Just do the hole, mate.
32:30He needs to cough up
32:31six ounces of gold
32:33in five weeks
32:34to secure the rights
32:35to peg 1880.
32:37Whoa.
32:38Whoa.
32:41Hold the phone.
32:42Well, hopefully,
32:45it's not ground noise.
32:52Go over and have a squiz.
33:03Yeah.
33:05We're going to have trouble
33:06with hot rocks today,
33:07Link, mate.
33:07I'll jump back
33:09in the machine
33:09and I'll open this cut up
33:10a bit more, mate.
33:11Yeah.
33:28Give it a big clear, mate.
33:30Clear it all.
33:31Yeah.
33:31Give all that dirt away.
33:32Still in the ground.
33:33That's good.
33:35Oh, I've been waiting
33:36for that sound there.
33:38Oh.
33:40Come on.
33:45Oh, it's in the clod.
33:47Come on.
33:48Is that it?
33:49That's it.
33:51Be 10 grams, all right.
33:5310 grams?
33:54A 10 gram nugget
33:57is worth around
33:57two grand
33:58at today's gold price.
34:00Only trouble is,
34:02it's not gold.
34:03Oh, it's a...
34:04Oh, it's a...
34:05Bullets, you rat bag.
34:08Daddy, your eyes
34:09painted on men.
34:13Well, I figured out
34:14his eyesight's not great.
34:16No, it's not.
34:17It's not a bullet.
34:19It's the tip off
34:20a conical tooth.
34:20The dud fine
34:22is a case
34:23of double disappointment.
34:25The conical tooth
34:26suggests they're
34:27no longer mining
34:28on virgin ground.
34:29This ground
34:30could have already
34:30been turned over
34:31years ago.
34:34The gold's
34:35starting to get thin.
34:37The ground's
34:37starting to get scarce.
34:39And, you know,
34:41if I don't produce
34:42and I don't find the gold,
34:44it's not happening.
34:45At Scratchy Moo,
34:55Lee's soon-to-be
34:56pegged ground
34:56has so far
34:57only produced
34:58false positives.
35:04Yeah.
35:05There's nothing in there.
35:06There.
35:10There you are.
35:15There we go.
35:20It's a bit grunty.
35:23Oh, no, it's not.
35:25No, it's not.
35:28I can clunker.
35:29I can't believe clunker.
35:31I can't believe that.
35:35That's six grams.
35:38The $1,200 nugget
35:40is a positive sign.
35:42The land suddenly
35:43looks like a steal.
35:45Has Lee
35:46pulled off
35:46a masterstroke?
35:48It's beautiful gold.
35:49It's just stunning.
35:51Cleaned up
35:52so well.
35:54Yeah, so I've been
35:55watching the boys
35:56over there.
35:56They're getting
35:56a lot of small stuff.
35:59Start getting crackers
36:00like this.
36:00This is what we want.
36:01This is what I want.
36:02So to head straight
36:03over onto the new lease
36:04and to pick up
36:05six grams
36:06quite quickly,
36:08that's a really,
36:09really good sign for me.
36:10I know I've got
36:11a good location
36:12and I know there's
36:12going to be good gold there.
36:15That's a better target.
36:27Hear that inverted tone.
36:30Back in the mega pit,
36:32Damo's fortunes
36:33are also on the rise.
36:34met me at this point.
36:41Oh.
36:45That just popped out.
36:47I reckon that was
36:47in the old time of spoil.
36:49There's the edge there.
36:52Check that out.
36:53It's Scratchy Moo's
36:56biggest nugget
36:57of the season,
36:58an eight-grammer
36:59worth $1,600.
37:02That's the sort of stuff
37:03that helps your day
37:04a lot.
37:05It's been a tough cut
37:06and I've had a couple
37:06of tough cuts
37:07and that's a beauty.
37:08That does make me
37:10pretty happy.
37:12Tension's building up,
37:13building up,
37:13and then suddenly
37:15it's like,
37:15ah,
37:15and the gold starts
37:16to flow
37:16and the bottle
37:17starts to shake.
37:18That's awesome.
37:23That's really good.
37:30Haven't got anything yet.
37:34At Swiss Diggings,
37:36Dennis is back
37:37in his pit
37:37just a few hundred
37:38metres away
37:39from Donnie and Ronnie's
37:41new cut.
37:41Probably just,
37:42just a little bit slower on.
37:45The dynamic duo
37:46has so far
37:47found nothing
37:48but rubbish.
37:49And that's not
37:50a good outcome
37:51for Donnie.
37:52He employed Ronnie
37:53to try and double
37:54his gold output.
37:57Whoa,
37:57whoa,
37:58whoa.
37:59Oh,
38:00that sounds good,
38:01Ron.
38:02Yeah.
38:04It's laying
38:05in the dirt somewhere.
38:06It's laying
38:07in the dirt somewhere.
38:09I'll bet you,
38:10I'll bet you
38:11were the ducks
38:11of high school,
38:12were you?
38:15It's laying
38:16in the dirt.
38:16It's right where you've...
38:17It's laying
38:17in the dirt somewhere.
38:19Yeah.
38:19Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
38:27Keep going.
38:29When it gets loudest,
38:30you're right on it.
38:34It's got to be
38:35in the dirt
38:35here somewhere.
38:36Oh, yeah,
38:36shut up.
38:37Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
38:38Look what I've got.
38:40What do you got?
38:41Oh, yeah, man.
38:43Come on.
38:44For him to hit
38:49that seven grammer,
38:51that was pretty cool.
38:56And now Ronny's
38:57got another target.
38:58Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
39:02Sounds good.
39:04Come on.
39:15Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
39:16Another one.
39:16Good stuff, Ron.
39:18Yeah.
39:21Well, there you go, man.
39:22What's that?
39:23It's 1,800 bucks.
39:25Two nugs.
39:26Beautiful.
39:30The two nuggets
39:31cap off a four-ounce
39:33weekly haul
39:34for Team Swiss diggings.
39:36You start pulling out
39:37some decent gold
39:38and it's sort of
39:39all your worries
39:40just seem to disappear.
39:42The maths, however,
39:44tells a less exciting story.
39:46By the time
39:47Donny hands over
39:4860% of the gold
39:49he's found to Dennis
39:50and Ronny
39:51takes his 10% cut,
39:53he'll be just
39:54$648 closer
39:56to that elusive
39:5837 and a half grand
39:59down payment
40:00for the new lease.
40:02Donny
40:02has a long way to go.
40:05Beautiful.
40:06Keep it going.
40:12It's been a mixed week
40:13for Team Scratchy Moo.
40:15There's always something
40:15breaking down in this game.
40:17Always.
40:17Always.
40:18Looks alright, though.
40:19But
40:19this is
40:20some tasty-looking
40:21gold right there.
40:23Along with
40:24machinery breakdowns,
40:25Matt and Damo
40:26have had to cope
40:27with Lee's
40:28dodgy dealings.
40:29That's good.
40:29It saves us
40:30having to chase him.
40:31It's priority number
40:31one for me now.
40:32I just need to get
40:33this ticked off
40:33and done.
40:34Fair enough.
40:35I'm getting it done.
40:35Hear that?
40:36Priority number one.
40:37I'll remember that.
40:38I hope you do.
40:40This week is
40:41travelling along
40:42pretty nicely
40:42in terms of the gold tally.
40:44It's around the target
40:45every day is coming in.
40:46Yeah, 217.6.
40:50Woo-hoo!
40:51Yeah, that's good work.
40:51Good week, boys.
40:54Now, Cherie,
40:54as the paperwork's
40:56not through yet
40:56and as you
40:58allowed me to go
40:58and have a little look over there.
40:59What kind of story
41:00are we coming up with now?
41:02Ooh.
41:03It's a little 7-grammer
41:04I found next door.
41:05A little 7-grammer.
41:07Wow.
41:07As you let me go
41:07for a little wander next door.
41:09It's a ripper.
41:09So that's ours to keep?
41:11Well, as I haven't
41:12paid for it yet.
41:13That's a bonus.
41:14I suppose it is our gold
41:15until you peg a leg.
41:16Sure it wasn't a poach
41:16out of the cut.
41:17Well, it wasn't a poach
41:18out of the cut
41:19but it's a poach
41:19from over there
41:20that I'm pretty happy about.
41:22Lee's 7-gram gift
41:24is just what the doctor ordered.
41:26He's back in the good books
41:27with Team Scratchy Moo.
41:28It's pushing us closer
41:30and it's giving me
41:30more confidence
41:31that we're going
41:32to reach our tally.
41:33Good stuff.
41:34Good job.
41:40At 1870
41:42the mood is more sombre.
41:44The machinery relocation
41:46was a hard-fought battle.
41:48On a scale of 1 to 10
41:49I'm at a 9.5
41:51of about to cry.
41:53Richie's broken his hand.
41:55He's in excruciating pain.
41:58There you go, mate.
41:58Obviously, I'm disappointed.
42:02Now I'm out of action.
42:03I don't know how long.
42:04I moved up here
42:05to give down a hand
42:06and literally now I can't.
42:09The extent of the damage
42:10and the amount of time
42:11he'll need to spend
42:12back on the Gold Coast
42:13is yet to be determined.
42:16Yeah.
42:17I just did this
42:18so I don't have to work.
42:18That's all it is.
42:19That's all it is.
42:21It's hardly working anyway.
42:22I'm good at supervising.
42:26This is going to put us
42:27all back behind again.
42:29I don't think Dan and Kira
42:30would be too impressed
42:31that we've had to leave them.
42:33But, yeah.
42:35Happens.
42:36Can I top that up
42:37a bit, please?
42:39Sure.
42:39With Richie heading home
42:43to recover
42:44and Kimberley by his side,
42:471870 season
42:48now rests
42:49on Dan's shoulders.
42:51Now, he's going to be
42:52out of action
42:52for weeks now.
42:54I'm back to square one.
42:56Next time.
42:58I'm knackered,
42:58but I'm excited.
43:00Dan's mega wash plan
43:01is finally in place.
43:03But will Richie
43:04ever make it back to site?
43:06We're back at the surgeon
43:07today to see
43:08if Richie needs surgery.
43:10So, the last week's
43:11been crazy.
43:12Well, I just need a break.
43:14Dan, you have to lift
43:16your game
43:16and do even more
43:17mental work.
43:19So, Lee's off
43:20trudging around the bush,
43:21banging some pegs in
43:22and hopefully he doesn't
43:23trip over a snake.
43:24Lee comes good
43:25with his finances
43:26and stakes his claim
43:28in the Claremont gold fields.
43:30It's a damn good feeling.
43:32Start me off.
43:33$400.
43:34$400.
43:34And Donnie's
43:36brainwave gold auction idea.
43:38When you're sitting there
43:39and there's no bids
43:40coming through
43:40and you're like,
43:41oh my God, here we go.
43:43To fund his
43:43$18.80 land purchase.
43:45$38.50
43:47once,
43:49twice,
43:50$3.00.
43:52And Peggy's own lease
43:53in the Claremont gold fields.
43:55Solved.
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