- 2 days ago
Outback Crystal Hunters - Season 2 - Episode 04: ROCK HARD
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TVTranscript
00:14¡Suscríbete al canal!
00:30¡Hack y a half!
00:40¡Made it!
00:42¡Kyanite Mountain!
00:44¡Far out!
00:46¡This is incredible!
00:49¡Literally a carpet of kyanite crystals!
00:55So we're standing on top of what I've called kyanite mountain.
00:59We're in the very remote Harts Ranges of the Northern Territory
01:02and what we're looking for is a rare variety of kyanite called Ocean kyanite
01:08which is a really vibrant blue teal coloured kyanite.
01:12As you can see here, kyanite can be incredibly abundant
01:16but to find that ocean colour is just really, really rare.
01:24I've walked all over the top of this mountain many times
01:27and out of the millions of pale crystals
01:29there's probably one or two that might be ocean kyanite.
01:33I'm literally having to revisit some of my old spots
01:36just in the hope that there might be something left there.
01:41here's the only experimental
01:42uh...
01:43uh...
01:51uh...
01:59us
02:00in the
02:02uz
02:06¡Gracias!
02:33The issue is it's on the edge of a cliff.
02:36Really?
02:36Like literally on the edge of a cliff, yeah.
02:38Oh, it's going to make me super nervous.
02:39Yeah.
02:44200 kilometres northeast of the desert town of Alice Springs
02:49lies Hart's Range, mountains rich in the mineral kyanite.
02:56Prized as a jewellery stone, kyanite is also used
02:59in the manufacturing of ceramics and abrasives.
03:04Some claim the sword of Archangel Michael was made from kyanite.
03:14The journey just to get to Hart's Range
03:16is 2,400 kilometres from my hometown.
03:19Close to $5,000 in fuel.
03:20So there's certainly a lot of pressure
03:22for me to actually find something on this trip.
03:29It's so hard to even see where this old track is.
03:33It's like so overgrown.
03:36Could easily happen where we get bogged down
03:38and we get stuck.
03:40We're miles from anywhere,
03:41so to go and get help is going to be hard.
03:47It's a bit of a lane, this thing.
03:51Oh, yeah, that looks a bit leany.
03:53Stay there, Moons.
03:54All right.
04:00That looks like it was going to tip over then.
04:07There's definitely a lot of weight on there, though.
04:08I know, that was dodgy hours.
04:09You look like you're about to tip over.
04:11I felt like I was about to tip.
04:14Yeah, that was kind of...
04:15got my heart racing just then.
04:17That's the sort of accident
04:18you don't want to have to happen out here.
04:22It's not worth taking any more risks.
04:25Unload here, walk the digger in,
04:26and start digging.
04:33So kyanite is actually quite abundant
04:35in this part of Hearts Range,
04:37but the ocean kyanite is, yeah,
04:40quite rare to find.
04:42Ocean kyanite is one of the rarest forms
04:45of the crystal,
04:47found solely in Hearts Range.
04:49The unique colour is caused
04:51by traces of iron and chromium.
04:54It was discovered and named
04:56by Patrick Gunderson 15 years ago.
04:59I came up with that name
05:01when I first found it,
05:02just as a way of kind of describing to people
05:04its incredible ocean blue teal colour.
05:07So it's now known around the world
05:09as ocean kyanite.
05:16It's just here somewhere.
05:21Yeah, you weren't kidding
05:22when you said cliff.
05:23Yeah, it's literally on the edge.
05:30That's got to be a 30, 40 metre drop.
05:34Any long way down there.
05:40It's still going.
05:42I do not want to fall down there.
05:49Actually, I'm Herrera.
05:55It must be finished.
05:58The Senhor
06:05Cabin
06:06Well, well, well.
06:07It is a crash.
06:09It is a crash.
06:09¡Suscríbete al canal!
06:39No.
06:41I did tell them to get going, but it looks like my smoker's paid the price.
06:48Oh, yeah.
06:49Oh, yeah, look at that.
06:52Yeah, tastes like a marine vibe.
06:55We drink a lot of Coke because, you know, it's high in sugar.
07:00And it keeps us going through the day.
07:03Something's going to kill you because I'm all supposed to be Coke.
07:05You can't.
07:06You can't.
07:09What we're after today is topaz, which is a gemstone.
07:14In final Queensland here, there's actually really high-quality topaz.
07:20Topaz is one of the hardest minerals, ranking eight on the Mohs scale.
07:25While commonly colourless, defects in the crystal's atomic structure can produce coloured varieties.
07:33In medieval England, it was believed to cure lunacy and offer protection while travelling.
07:40Imperial topaz, a deep orange, is the rarest form, worth up to $1,000 a carat.
07:51So, I have spent a couple of days up here digging.
07:53I haven't found any topaz yet, but what I did find is a bit of smoky quartz.
07:57Come check this out.
08:00Have a look at that.
08:01You know what they say about smokies?
08:03Here, we should be able to find topaz.
08:05Normally, it's underneath that quartz, being that topaz is heavier than quartz.
08:10Yeah, so we've got a lot riding on this.
08:12A big thing that's playing on the back of my mind at the moment is Luke's school fees.
08:17Good morning, Luke.
08:19Good morning.
08:20Distance education is a godsend for being in rural areas.
08:24I did distance education when I was really young, when my dad and I used to travel.
08:29I'm really thankful for this sort of education system, but it doesn't come cheap.
08:35That Starlink just alone, Starlink Kinternet, is about, what, $2,000 a year.
08:41Luke's schooling, which is costing us $1,200 per year.
08:46I'm the manager of the station at the moment.
08:49I'm not getting paid for it.
08:51The deal is, you know, I look after the place, and in return, I get the opportunity to actually
08:56go around all this place here and search for crystals, and it's a lolly shop on this place
09:00for crystals.
09:02We can live simply out here, but there's bills that you can't get away from.
09:06I don't know how we're going to pay for them if we can't get some crystals.
09:09Well, you can't fit one person in here, so I think what we'll do is we'll get you set
09:13up on a new hole.
09:13We'll see if we can find a nice area for you to dig.
09:18See if there's any signs of anything.
09:21Oh, look here.
09:23There's topaz in this male white.
09:25Oh, right here.
09:26Yeah, I see it.
09:27I've been digging here for a couple of days, and I haven't found any topaz, but now it's
09:31just sitting here in this rock here.
09:33That must be a good luck charm, eh?
09:35I think we're going to dig around here.
09:37That's a great sign.
09:38If we can get that rock out of here and actually dig down beside this rock.
09:42That's a big rock.
09:43We'll wrap the strap around it and then try to flip it over that way.
09:49There's a big rock down there we can anchor it to.
09:53And I can wear my safety boots with this.
10:01That's working really well.
10:07Wrench is flying up.
10:11I haven't got the weight of it there.
10:14Wrench is just sitting on the corner of that rock.
10:17It's lost its winch.
10:19Oh, no.
10:40Anything showing up there, Carl?
10:42Yeah, there's, you know, little crystal signs showing all through there, but, yeah, nothing
10:47big like those other pockets and plates before, so.
10:50Yeah, we need to get onto another zone like that.
10:54You know, we did all right last week, but we're still, like, we're only halfway there.
11:00The Pilbara, spanning over 500,000 square kilometres in the north of Western Australia.
11:10Home to some of the oldest geology on the planet and holding vast mineral riches, including clear quartz.
11:25So, yeah, this is the original zone we found the big clusters in, and we're just trying to get back
11:30to that same depth and hopefully chase the same system that was producing the good clusters.
11:36Yeah, there's a bit of pressure now because, like, we've only got a few more days.
11:41It's going to take us quite a while to wrap up and pack what we've dug so far.
11:45We're probably actually going to lose the best part of a couple of days doing that.
11:48Well, let's hope Pete can speed things up a little bit.
11:56Got a call from Kylie the other day saying that they needed a hand, so I had to just shuffle
12:00stuff around and make it work because that's an opportunity I couldn't really pass up.
12:07My partner and I, Kim, had a little girl six months ago, Tallulah.
12:11You know, obviously you want to give them the best life you possibly can, and crystal hunting is, as much
12:16as I love it, and it's my greatest passion.
12:19Like, it's also a way of earning money.
12:23Although we've got another week here, we had to spend $40,000 up front on this lease, and we've only
12:29dug $30,000 worth of crystal, and we haven't even sold any yet.
12:32So there is potential. We can still go home, you know, empty-handed.
12:37My main business now is mining large tonnages of the semi-precious stone.
12:43Just about all get exported on the international market, where it's made into stone jewellery, beads and pendants and little
12:52carvings and so on.
12:55We've got to find a lot of crystals to cover that exploration cost of what the excavator are, and food
13:02and fuel and wages, and on and on it goes.
13:08Oh, there's a digger swinging.
13:15Hey, how you going?
13:16Hey, hey, what's going on, mate?
13:17Get up here, you big, lovely thing.
13:20How you going?
13:21Good, man. How are you?
13:22Hey, Pete.
13:23G'day, Glenn. How are you, mate? Good to see you.
13:25Long time no see.
13:26Yeah, bloody hell.
13:27Thanks for coming up to help us.
13:28My pleasure's all mine. I can't wait to pull some of these crystals out of the ground.
13:32Yeah, we've been busy, haven't we, Carl?
13:33Yeah, this is one we pulled out earlier. Have a look at that.
13:37Wow. You can read through that, bro.
13:40That is epic.
13:43Quartz, composed of silicon and oxygen, makes up 12% of the Earth's crust.
13:51Clear quartz is the purest form, free of trace elements and radiation, which can alter its colour.
13:58In antiquity, it was believed to be permanently frozen water.
14:03You might get a chance to jump down and watch it all unfold.
14:06Might get a chance. Let's get into it.
14:17Oh, hang on a sec.
14:21There we go.
14:24That's got a nice, perfect point on it.
14:26It's got a phantom, which is basically a crystal inside the crystal where it was originally growing,
14:32and then the later generation's growing on top of it.
14:36Nice.
14:45Man, where have all the crystals gone?
14:48You've got nothing on your side.
14:50Absolute dust, bro.
14:51Yeah, I'm sort of coming up empty-handed as well.
14:55You know, a few tiny little crystals in the wall, but nothing like the other day.
14:59No.
15:01Nothing, guys?
15:03No, nothing really.
15:04We're just burning too much time doing this.
15:07There could be a payday waiting in some of those big rocks, so I reckon we just get straight on
15:11with that.
15:12I agree. Let's get out and pop those rocks.
15:18While excavating the open-cut mine, Glenn has been stockpiling boulders he believes could hold pockets of quartz.
15:26So Glenn keeps talking about popping some of these boulders.
15:28What do you reckon we're going to find in them?
15:31Well, you saw down at camp, that big one that was absolutely littered with all those cavities.
15:36You know, before we broke that, this is pretty much what it was looking like, just a big, boring thing
15:40of dolomite.
15:41So I guess this is the sort of thing we've been putting aside in hopes that, you know, we get,
15:45like, another couple of big ones with cavities in it.
15:51That is a big breaker.
15:53Man, look at the size of this.
15:54That's going to move some rock.
16:01Smash.
16:13We've got about 50 rocks.
16:15I reckon if we can find even just two or three that have got something in them, it'll be worthwhile.
16:25No, that one's a dud.
16:29Nothing.
16:34Come, look at this one.
16:37Oh, wow.
16:38Look at that.
16:39Beautiful black coated crystals.
16:41That is stunning.
16:43Very cool.
16:43That's a really nice cavity.
16:45You can see crystals going all the way down in there.
16:47It's partial coating of girthite and then the dolomite crystals going on top of that.
16:53So that's a really nice piece.
17:05Not much.
17:08Probably the outstanding one's that one with the black coatings on it.
17:12Yeah.
17:12Other than that, it doesn't look like we've reclaimed too much out of this lot.
17:25How's it going, Pat?
17:27What's it looking like?
17:29From memory, the really good clinoids were in, like, really dark, Micah.
17:33So I'm just going to keep taking layer by layer.
17:35Yeah, OK.
17:35Just keep peeling it back.
17:37Like an onion.
17:38Like an onion.
17:43On the edge of a sheer rocks-druined cliff in the Harts Range, Patrick Gunderson is hunting
17:49for rare ocean kyanite.
17:58So all this black glittery stuff that you're seeing here, this is called Micah Schist.
18:02This is actually what the kyanite forms in, in these massive books of Micah.
18:09And you'll see little lumps, and that will be a kyanite crystal, and you'll sort of break
18:12it apart, and slowly, slowly, that will reveal the kyanite sitting in the Micah.
18:20Set the target for this season at $750,000, which is quite high.
18:27I've actually poured a lot of money into exploration license, admin fees, and all of that.
18:33So this tenement alone probably owes me about $30,000 already.
18:36But my goal for the year is to buy myself a bigger property.
18:41I'm actually running out of room at home now.
18:44I've got so many crystals and rocks, and now I've got a little mini excavator and a truck.
18:48So getting a bigger property with a big shed on it, that's my goal for this year.
18:53So I'm really hoping we do find something, not just for that financial reasons, but, you
18:57know, I have this real connection with ocean kyanite.
19:00It'd be nice to sort of know that it does keep going, and it doesn't just finish.
19:07What's that near the edge of the bucket there?
19:10I can see it.
19:17Yeah?
19:18Oh, this is a really nice ocean kyanite crystal.
19:22That's what we're looking for.
19:27Getting into them now.
19:29The Micah felt a lot harder there.
19:30Oi!
19:31That's a bi-colour one.
19:32Yeah, really.
19:34We're into a good patch now, I reckon.
19:36Look.
19:38This one's ocean kyanite.
19:39This one's actually quite rare.
19:41It's a bi-colour piece, so it's got ocean kyanite on top, and then goes to almost like
19:46a clear white, which is quite unusual.
19:50This piece here confirms to me that it's still going, definitely.
19:53Yeah.
20:00Super rich in kyanite in this corner.
20:03Some more there.
20:05Another one there.
20:06Yeah, we're definitely into a zone.
20:08Yeah.
20:09Just there.
20:10And this is definitely not the size I remember getting here, but at least we're into the
20:15zone, so I've just got to keep chasing it.
20:18Maybe it's a little bit deeper where the big ones are.
20:22Yeah, they're in this too.
20:24Check that up here.
20:25Yep.
20:28I just brought out this boulder, and I can see, like, it's full of kyanite.
20:32Look at it.
20:33Look at all that.
20:34That'd be worth...
20:35Putting aside.
20:36Yeah.
20:37In some cases, if we do find a big chunk of mica that's full of ocean kyanite, it's actually
20:42better to leave it as an entire specimen and just clean it up with all the beautiful kyanite
20:46crystals exposed.
20:48I'll put this aside.
20:49That can be worth quite a lot of money.
21:05Come on, look at this.
21:13That was just...
21:13That was just here, was it?
21:14Yeah, it was just literally just there.
21:15That is freaking amazing.
21:17Kersi just splattered a beautiful, really gemmy ocean kyanite crystal just here where we dumped
21:24and dumped out some dirt.
21:25That's what we're looking for.
21:27Yeah!
21:38So, we've been digging this spot for a while now, but at the moment it seems that the zone
21:44we were chasing is either pinching out or we've lost it.
21:48It must be such a thin layer and we've sort of intersected it at some point, but now it's...
21:53We've either gone through it or it's just petered out, I'm not sure.
21:56So, it's not going down deep?
21:58It doesn't seem to be, no.
22:01That just seems to have stopped.
22:03Bit disappointed, but that's crystal hunting for you.
22:14Lost this winch.
22:15Oh, no.
22:16We need a hammer.
22:21Right, we're in business again.
22:24It's just about going.
22:28All right, we're going.
22:31That's perfect.
22:33Canoe ice for better, except for a better winch.
22:36Dad will be able to get in here now, make a nice hole for yourself and I'll get into my
22:41hole.
22:41Good work.
22:44On a remote granite outcrop, Neil and his father are attempting to extract topaz from beneath
22:51a smoky quartz deposit.
22:54I only use the screwdriver where the smoky quartz are.
22:58I don't want to damage anything.
23:00So, I'm just taking it easy, real slow, making sure I don't crack or break any of these crystals.
23:15Oh, here it comes.
23:17Oh, it's looking around.
23:19Oh, no.
23:20It broke.
23:22That just breaks my heart.
23:24Like that was a nice smoky quartz.
23:26It's not what we're after at the end of the day.
23:28We're after topaz.
23:30So, I'll keep going and see if we can find anything.
23:34I mean.
23:35Oh.
23:37That is topaz.
23:39Oh.
23:40Woo-hoo.
23:42Hey, Dad.
23:44Come on, have a look at this.
23:49Holy.
23:49That was just underneath it, straight up.
23:51Oh.
23:51Heavy carat.
23:52I would say that there's about, what, 500 carat.
23:54I mean, that is just.
23:56Oh, yeah.
23:56Oh.
23:57That is awesome.
23:59Oh, look at that.
24:00I can't believe it was just.
24:01Look at that.
24:01That's so cool.
24:048A.
24:05Yeah.
24:06Yes.
24:06That's awesome.
24:07I've never found anything that size before.
24:10I mean, I've been digging here for days and not finding nothing.
24:14And then just come out with one big one.
24:15You can see the stones shaking.
24:17So cool.
24:18Yeah.
24:18I'm shaking.
24:19And being that it's not terminated, that termination is actually still maybe down here somewhere.
24:24So.
24:26Oh.
24:26Legs hurting.
24:34I fell off a motorbike probably a couple of weeks ago.
24:36And a stump went straight through my leg.
24:41Just fell over onto this log.
24:43That's my leg through that.
24:45Oh.
24:47Just ripping the whole leg apart.
24:49Oh, it hurts.
24:51It's hurting bad because I've been digging in that hole there.
24:54I'm hoping it's not getting infected.
24:57We just found a good topaz in that hole.
25:00The last thing I want is to go back to hospital right now.
25:02It's three hours away.
25:03It's a long way away.
25:06I might have to go back to the doctors, but we've got to get in there and grab what we
25:10can out of there as quick as possible.
25:14I reckon that tip is there.
25:16You be careful with it.
25:17I'm going to dig around it very slowly, alright?
25:19Because it's still stuck in the mud here.
25:21It's not moving at all.
25:25Oh, it's still not moving.
25:32Just be careful.
25:33Don't, don't, don't.
25:34No, I don't want to.
25:35Don't do that.
25:36I'm just getting too impatient.
25:38I reckon I've got to go behind it here.
25:39Just be careful.
25:40There could be more around it.
25:41Yeah, I know.
25:42Oh, here we go.
25:43Here we go.
25:45Oh, it's still stuck in there, but oh, I got it.
25:48Oh.
25:50Holy crap.
25:50Don't look at that.
25:51That's a termination.
25:52It's going to be that one.
25:53Have a look.
25:54Oh, yeah.
25:54I reckon it's going to go with it.
25:57Oh, yeah.
25:58It goes straight on there.
26:00Wow.
26:01That is awesome.
26:02That is better.
26:03How incredible that is.
26:06I can't express what I'm feeling right now.
26:08That's awesome.
26:11Oh, it's in the sun too.
26:12Oh, it's going to be that in the sun.
26:13Beautiful.
26:23It definitely is the tip of one.
26:26Have a look at that.
26:27Oh, wow.
26:28Look at that.
26:29That's the bottom of it.
26:30This is...
26:31All our Christmas has come at once here.
26:34Go on.
26:35It's got to come.
26:36Oh, wow.
26:37Oh, yes.
26:37Okay, here we go.
26:39Here we go.
26:39Ready?
26:40Slowly over.
26:42Whoa.
26:43Holy ****.
26:44That is a stunker.
26:45That is a stunker.
26:47Have a look at that.
26:49Woo-hoo-hoo.
26:51That's what we want.
26:52That's actually bigger than all the others we've gotten.
26:55Have a look at the blue in that.
27:01It's a big relief.
27:03It's just a load off.
27:04This just means I'll be able to get some good money, pay these bills that I need.
27:09It's made me so happy.
27:11Wow.
27:22Yeah, you're finding your way over here all right, eh, Kyle?
27:25Yeah, we're just down below you in the gully here.
27:28I've got the machine over across on top of the hill now.
27:32Let's hopefully we can make up a few tons here quickly.
27:36But I mean, it's going to take a bit of hard work now that I'm actually on the spot here.
27:40It actually looks pretty tough.
27:48Glen and Kyle's quartz mine has run dry.
27:52To have any chance of hitting their dig target,
27:55they need to move their entire operation to a steep incline,
27:59littered with boulders potentially bearing a black agate.
28:05We're just going to see whether we can scratch together a few tons here
28:08to make up the shortfall on recovering our expenses for this trip.
28:16Black agate is a microcrystalline form of quartz.
28:21And once cut, the concentric bands within are revealed,
28:25making it highly prized by specimen collectors.
28:48Look at this, guys.
28:50What have you got?
28:51Got a bit of copper mineralisation in it.
28:53Oh, no way.
28:54As well as the pattern.
28:56Wow.
28:59That's beautiful stuff.
29:01Do you reckon that'll take a polish?
29:02Oh, absolutely, like glass.
29:03If I cut it in slices, there's thousands of dollars in that.
29:08Serious.
29:08Well, what would you pay for a big polish slice like that?
29:12Oh, hundreds.
29:12Yeah.
29:13For one slice.
29:14And, you know, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,
29:16you know, it just goes on.
29:19Oh, well, looks like we started on the right rock.
29:22Absolutely, yeah.
29:22There's more of them there.
29:24Just need a hundred more of them.
29:25All right, I'll hook a few more out.
29:39We've only got a couple of hours' daylight left.
29:41I've broken those few boulders up.
29:43If you can chuck them into a pile.
29:49Well, I was a bit sceptical at the start, to be honest,
29:51but this is actually a nice change from finding no crystals.
29:56We've really got to pull our finger out,
29:58and hopefully get this done before, you know, nightfall.
30:02We need as much rock as we can.
30:20I know there was stuff coming out here,
30:22but there's nothing on this side of the hole at all.
30:24No, there's no crystal whatsoever.
30:29It's been pretty elusive.
30:30Like, we found some beautiful pieces,
30:32but just trying to track where they're coming from
30:34has been challenging.
30:36It's such a thin zone.
30:38Patrick and Kirsty have travelled over 2,000 kilometres
30:42to the Harts Range on the hunt for ocean kyanite.
30:47They need to unearth at least $10,000 worth of the crystal
30:51just to break even.
30:54I can take another bucket width off here
30:59and try and just see if it goes this way.
31:01Yep.
31:03And then we've run out of space anyway, so...
31:05Mm.
31:23I can actually see kyanite in the wall there.
31:26Oh, what's that?
31:30Just keep going.
31:36What?
31:38What is it?
31:39Oh, I think that's ocean kyanite.
31:41Oh!
31:42That is huge!
31:46Oh, my God.
31:47Oh, my God, it is ocean kyanite.
31:49Look at the size of it.
31:50That's literally the biggest I've ever seen.
31:53That is absolutely a stonker.
31:57That's what we were finding here 15 years ago.
32:00Just to pull another one out is just such an incredible buzz.
32:06Yeah, if that's in there, surely there's something else.
32:08Where there's one, there's got to be more.
32:11What's that?
32:13Might be another one here.
32:15Really?
32:15I don't know whether it's ocean kyanite, but it's...
32:19Oh!
32:20I think it is.
32:21Have you got that water bottle?
32:22Yeah.
32:25I think it is.
32:25It is!
32:26I think it is.
32:29Yeah.
32:33I can't believe it!
32:35Yes!
32:38That is a collector's piece right there.
32:41Well, thank you, Nature, for gifting us just a couple more.
32:46Yeah, it's a bittersweet moment, finding these two big pieces.
32:50Where the kyanite is going is literally just out into the edge of the cliff.
32:55So we've got nowhere left to dig.
32:57It could well be the end of ocean kyanite out here.
33:00But I can really appreciate pieces like this now, knowing how rare they are.
33:04So stoked to have put a couple out.
33:14Picked out one of the bigger clusters that we just found.
33:17So I'm just going to use some high-pressure water,
33:19try and blast away some of the mica and expose these kyanite pieces.
33:27Prep this up as best as possible as a display specimen.
33:31They can be worth quite a lot of money.
33:37How are they cleaning up?
33:38Yeah, they're really nice.
33:39Let's check out the colour.
33:40Ooh!
33:40Yeah, they're super pretty.
33:42What do you reckon though?
33:43Have we got enough?
33:44We've got like two kilos here, approximately.
33:47But it is definitely mixed grade.
33:48Like, there's some beautiful pieces.
33:49I reckon we've easily got, you know, there's ten grand there.
33:53You know, plus these two beautiful big ones.
33:55Yeah, those are crazy.
33:57That's got to be like a grand, you know, for the pair.
34:02And, oh, I spent a lot of time cleaning up this one.
34:05Oh, no way.
34:09A collector would probably pay four grand for that, so that's 15.
34:12That's gorgeous, that cluster.
34:13And then just taking a gamble on what we've got left, you know, hidden in those mica boulders.
34:18I reckon we've got 20 grand.
34:2020?
34:21Yeah, I'm stoked.
34:24My season target for this year is 700,000.
34:28With this dig now, we're kind of sitting at just under $100,000.
34:31So, yeah, I've got a long way to go.
34:34But nature has this just incredible way of gifting you things when you put in the hard work.
34:39So, even though it's not abundant anymore, the ocean kyanite,
34:42I'm still able to find just a few pieces and it keeps me coming back.
34:45So, yeah, I love it.
34:47Well done.
34:48We did it.
34:49Let's hit the road.
34:50Yeah.
35:06How's your leg going?
35:07I might get you to have a look at it because it's hurting now.
35:13Oh.
35:15That's a hole.
35:17Yeah, that's getting infected.
35:20We're going to have to take him to hospital, which is a fair drive away.
35:23So, unfortunately, it's not what we want.
35:25But his leg's more important than finding Topaz at the moment, I think.
35:34In far north Queensland, Neil Wilkinson's motorcycle injury
35:38has shut down all efforts to find crystals to pay for mounting family bills.
35:45There's no doubt that I've got to go back to hospital and get it checked out.
35:49I'm thinking what we might do is, if we're going three hours to town,
35:54that's a long way away.
35:55We might as well make a trip of it and actually sell some rocks on the side of the road.
35:58We're just doing a bit of a stock take here.
36:01We're going to be seeing what these Topaz weigh and putting a price on them.
36:04This one here is the biggest one we've found.
36:07Yeah.
36:08All right, here we go.
36:08This is going to be good.
36:13Oh!
36:151,488 carats.
36:17That's unbelievable.
36:20You probably average around 50 cents a carat for the smaller sort of stuff.
36:24But once you start getting into that specimen size, I reckon you're looking at at least a dollar.
36:29Yeah, I reckon a dollar.
36:29We're going to go 1,500 or...?
36:32I'm going with that.
36:321,500 bucks.
36:35This one here, my favourite.
36:37That is a beautiful sight.
36:39There has the clarity, has the colour, has the size.
36:43Perfect termination.
36:44I believe we should get around $2 a carat for that.
36:47Put it on the scales.
36:48Let's see what we've got.
36:48Here we go.
36:53500.
36:54514 carats.
36:55Over a thousand bucks just for that one there.
36:58Might take all these in plus whatever else we've got.
37:01Bundle them all in there and see what we can get at the end of the day.
37:26How you going, mate?
37:32Nice topaz, eh?
37:34You at your best, man?
37:35Oh, yeah.
37:38What's it worth?
37:40We're looking at a thousand bucks for that one.
37:46Would you come down?
37:48Oh, we're pretty keen on a thousand dollars, eh?
37:57I like it.
37:58You like it?
37:59There's a thousand there.
38:01Do me a favour, look after that.
38:02That's one of our favourites.
38:04Oh, good.
38:04I had a feeling that one there would go first, being that's the most beautiful one out of the lot.
38:09How's your leg feel now?
38:10A thousand times better?
38:11That's a thousand times better.
38:12That's unreal.
38:16Huge, aren't they?
38:18No, it's actually topaz.
38:19Wow.
38:20That's a topaz?
38:21That is topaz, yeah.
38:22125 bucks.
38:24Beautiful.
38:24Thank you very much.
38:25Too easy.
38:26$25 for that one.
38:28Too easy, matey?
38:29It's $190.
38:32Sounds real.
38:33Would you make a bit of a deal for two?
38:35For the both?
38:37I probably won't move much on that, but I can move on this one.
38:40I can do this one for $15 and do this one for $150 if you like.
38:45Damn.
38:49All right, boys, I reckon I'm going to do an A.
38:51Yeah?
38:51Yeah?
38:52Let's do it.
38:52Perfect.
38:53Cheers.
38:54Thank you.
38:54All right.
38:55Thank you.
38:55I'll get them wrapped up for you.
38:57Thanks, mate.
38:58I'll chuck that in the car.
38:59Don't drop it.
39:00All right, cheers, guys.
39:02Thanks, mate.
39:03See you later.
39:03All right?
39:03Yeah, daddy.
39:05Congratulations.
39:06Yes.
39:07That topaz was once in a lifetime fine.
39:10We just sold it for $1,500.
39:12We made three and a half grand on crystals today,
39:14and we still got about two grand worth of topaz left.
39:18We've got five and a half grand week there.
39:20That's brilliant.
39:22Being that today was so good, we've got bills paid.
39:26I've got to get to the hospital now.
39:28I can actually breast and let it heal properly until the next time.
39:44It's been about a week since the three of us got back from the bush.
39:47Since then, we've been pedal to the metal,
39:50just trying to clean as many crystals as we can
39:52so we can figure out sort of what we've got.
39:55We've got Pete.
39:56He's doing the initial cleans.
39:57He'll wash off all the excess dirt,
39:59and then here we have our acid,
40:01and then also a neutralising solution.
40:03So to give you an idea,
40:05this is what the crystals look like
40:07before they go in the acid solution.
40:10This is the end result.
40:12So you can see the difference between each one.
40:21After two weeks at their Pilbara mine,
40:23Glen, Pete and Kyle have driven 1,500 kilometres south
40:28to their home base with the spoilers of their dig,
40:31quartz and agate.
40:35Yeah, so that's the rough agate there.
40:38It doesn't look very inspiring when it comes fresh out of the ground.
40:41So here's one that's just been finished.
40:43And there, you can see the beautiful pattern on that.
40:49But it doesn't really show that amazing banding until it's cut.
40:53And then we'll polish that over on the Vibrolap.
40:58The Vibrolap is a vibrating flat steel lap,
41:02and there's an abrasive grit that goes on just with water.
41:06And these have actually been on for 24 hours.
41:09Let's see what this one looks like.
41:18Nice big swirls in it.
41:21Once they're polished,
41:22the value of the rock increases tenfold, maybe even more.
41:28I am nervous as to whether we've made the target of 60.
41:32You know, hopefully it's all worthwhile.
41:35Until we actually lay it all out, have a good look at it,
41:38then we'll know where we stand
41:40in terms of having got our investment back.
41:45Haven't got enough tables for them all.
41:57Alright boys, moment of truth.
42:00So we've got basically anything from here down is our first week,
42:04and everything from this point all the way to the ends,
42:07our second week of work.
42:08Man, you mine a lot of crystal in that first week.
42:11And what's that come to?
42:1130 grand?
42:12Yeah, so we got that 30,000 the first week,
42:15and we had to make another 30 to make it worthwhile.
42:18So what do you reckon?
42:19Yeah, we weren't doing well,
42:20and that's why we made the decision to go across to the agate.
42:23That turned out pretty well in the end, didn't it?
42:25Well, I think it has.
42:26Three tonnes in total.
42:29That's got to be...
42:30It's about 10 a kilo for the rough,
42:32so there's like 30 grand there.
42:34Holy moly!
42:35So 30,000 just in agate.
42:36Just in the rough.
42:37And then 3,500 for the big slab there.
42:40Wow.
42:40And then there's all this polished stuff,
42:41there's going to easy be like another 10.
42:44So that's 40 for the agate.
42:4640,000 just in agate.
42:4740 just for the agate.
42:49Jesus.
42:50Man, we dug that in that afternoon.
42:52That's incredible.
42:53So 40,000 plus I reckon there's $10,000 worth of crystal as well,
42:58so we're looking at 50,000 for that second week.
43:01That's ridiculous.
43:02This black and white stuff absolutely saved the day.
43:05Wait, so you're saying for the two weeks you made 80 grand?
43:0980,000.
43:10That's incredible.
43:11Well done.
43:12Congratulations.
43:13Well done, Greg.
43:17Come on then, let's pack up.
43:18We're going back again to get some more of this black stuff.
43:20I'll fill the troop up with fuel.
43:452,000.
43:46Oh, I'll follow you.
43:49Hang on.
43:50We're going back again to get your part of how we zoo.
43:50We're going to burnежuity.
43:50Okay, come on.
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