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  • 13 hours ago
Outback Crystal Hunters - Season 2 - Episode 03: Heart Of Darwin Glass
Transcript
00:20I
00:20Thought it was there
00:25Have you guys found anything yet?
00:27No, we're still looking
00:29I've been walking for hours
00:39Nothing much here chick
00:42Just a whole lot of granite over here
00:47What we're looking for here is some kind of aqua sign or court signs
00:54Some old digging signs that some of the old-timers might have left down and about in here
00:59The hills the weeds. It's just really hard. It's against you and snakes and all sorts of creatures
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11:1710 buckets
11:18One little
11:19One more
11:21Alright boys
11:23See yous in the up side
11:27Righto send it up when you're ready boys
11:38Oh
11:38Hang on
11:39It's going, it's sliding back down
11:41She keeps jammin' i i don't know what's going on
11:43I don't know if Does accessibility break or what
11:44You're just staying clear of the hole mate
11:46I just don't trust it.
11:47I know what's going on with it.
11:49They've just asked us to stand back a little.
11:52They're not sure how it's going to play out.
11:56I don't think it's actually dumped the bucket up there yet.
11:58I think she's still full.
12:00Give me a minute, mate.
12:01I'm trying to see what's going on.
12:03Yeah, copy that.
12:04Look out.
12:04Look out.
12:05Check it out.
12:06Check it out.
12:07Oh, Jesus.
12:08She just let go, eh?
12:09You all right?
12:10You all right down there, boys?
12:17Yeah, OK, pull.
12:18Yep, that's better.
12:22Hold forward.
12:25OK, swing around, and away we go, yep.
12:27We've got a two-ton copper specimen from the Rockland Mines in Cloncurry.
12:32We're going to put it into an acid tub,
12:33and we're going to clean all the malachite off it
12:36to make it shiny copper colour.
12:39Good my side.
12:40Yep, here we go.
12:43Perfect.
12:44Classes on.
12:47As soon as it comes out, start spraying it.
12:51Wow.
12:52What do you think, guys?
12:53Pretty amazing?
12:54Wow.
12:55Look at that.
12:56It's about $20,000 worth of copper, two tonne,
12:59and then close to about $60,000 as a specimen for a museum.
13:05You can never have too many crystals.
13:07He who dies with the most rocks wins.
13:12Geologist Tom Capitani is Australia's largest commercial dealer of minerals, crystals and
13:19fossils.
13:20Stretching across five acres is his vast collection, unearthed over the last 35 years.
13:27So this is Krista Welby, our exhibition gallery.
13:30This is where I can shuffle my rocks.
13:32Rose quartz spheres, carvings, quartz clusters, large ammonites from Morocco where I've just
13:37been.
13:38You see these beautiful amethyst pieces.
13:42If you have a look at this, this is a crazy piece.
13:44The whole thing closes up.
13:49This is probably the most amazing experience I've ever had.
13:53We drove into Mexico and we went down to Naca.
13:56The Cave of Giants is probably the biggest crystal cave in the world.
14:01There are 15, 20-metre long giant selenite crystals just shooting through the roof in all
14:06directions, grown through these warm hydrothermal solutions percolating through the ground.
14:11It was really one of those moments in life where it's like a spiritual thing.
14:16Like, my God, this is just the ultimate experience in geology, seeing these crystal caverns.
14:22Scientists, collectors, general public, people want weird rocks.
14:25I make an effort to find them.
14:34Hey!
14:35How are you, buddy?
14:36I'm doing well, thank you.
14:39Dutch-born Hank Eaves, a former commercial pilot and now a highly successful collector
14:45and seller.
14:46Hank relies on Tom when he needs rare crystals for his showroom.
14:52So you've got a little project for me, have you, Hank?
14:54Yes, absolutely.
14:56So let's go up to your meteorite room, show me what you're after.
15:01Ta-da!
15:02It looks crazy, doesn't it?
15:04Crazy collection.
15:05Well, about half of it I think I got from you.
15:08Yeah.
15:10Hank's collection features rare palisites, meteorites containing crystals.
15:16Of the 60,000 meteorites that hit Earth, less than a hundred are palisites.
15:23I'm blown away every time I see it.
15:24Look at the...
15:25Oh my God!
15:26What's that?
15:27It's the alarm system.
15:29You know there's one thing missing, don't you?
15:32What's missing, Hank?
15:34Darwin glass.
15:36To complete his collection, Hank needs Darwin glass, named after Mount Darwin in West Tasmania,
15:43where it was first discovered.
15:45Known as an impactite, it formed after a meteorite struck with the force of a 20 megaton nuclear
15:51warhead, creating a 1.2 kilometre wide crater.
15:55The impact ejected molten terrestrial rock into the air, which cooled and solidified into
16:01glass mid flight.
16:03This glass was thrown up to 30, 40 kilometres from the crater.
16:07But this is nearly a million years ago.
16:10Really the challenge of finding a bit of Darwin glass can be problematic to say the least.
16:16I've known Tom 20 years.
16:18Probably the most knowledgeable person that I know.
16:21If it exists, he will get it for you.
16:23There's no question about that.
16:31So we're coming in from Cradle Mountain.
16:34We're going to zoom down here, spin around the crater.
16:38Then we're going to land on the plateau.
16:41Ideally, we're going to try to look for Darwin glass and then onto Ten Mile Hill.
16:44What sort of piece is Hank actually after?
16:47Well, Hank had his weight one piece.
16:50One foot long, weighing 20 kilos, translucent yellow green colour.
16:55Realistically, what's the factability of what we can actually get?
16:57He'd be lucky if we were getting a one cent piece size and a one cent piece.
17:01I've got my guys on board, Andy and Josh.
17:04Josh is my resident geologist in training.
17:06He's a university graduate.
17:08Andy's a guy that will do the impossible, you know, impenetrable forest here.
17:12And so Andy's a guy that can get in there and do what we've got to do.
17:16He's put up with me for 24 years.
17:17That says a lot about his personality.
17:21It's all a bit new to me looking at this material and that from what we usually do.
17:25But yeah, hopefully we'll come up with some pieces.
17:2830 years ago, I spent a lot of time in the southwest doing exploration work and pretty well impenetrable bush.
17:33The only way in was really helicopters in and out.
17:35It was just crazy stuff.
17:36You don't want to be on any of these roads or any of these tracks.
17:38The risk is not worth it.
17:39It's far more practical using a helicopter.
17:41Plus it gives us better access to where we want to go.
17:44The weather forecast at the moment is pretty unstable tomorrow.
17:47A lot of wind.
17:48This is a pretty horrifically expensive exercise.
17:50You know, we can't afford delays.
17:52I'm paying my staff to be here.
17:54I mean, so I'm paying their wages.
17:56Helicopter fees, accommodation, vehicle hire, airplane flights down here.
18:01Hello, Josh speaking.
18:02Hey, Josh.
18:02Tom for tomorrow, helicopter.
18:04How's it going?
18:06Yeah, good, Tom.
18:07How are you?
18:07Good, good, good.
18:08What's the plan for tomorrow?
18:09We are on?
18:11Mate, unfortunately, I've just had another look at the forecast there.
18:14That low cloud's still hanging around the area and it's not going to let us get anywhere near the Darwin
18:19crater there.
18:20So I reckon we're better off pushing it back a day.
18:22No worries.
18:23Thanks, Josh.
18:24I'm in a really limited timeframe.
18:25We've got to be back in Melbourne in two days' time.
18:28Costing me a fortune to be here, particularly with my crew standing by.
18:32So we really want to get this deal going.
18:34We can't afford to have these delays.
18:42I'm so close, like the diggings are literally, I don't know, not even 20 metres away.
18:48But I'm trying to build a road down to it here and it's really hard.
18:54I've got giant boulders ahead of me and we're running out of time as well.
18:58So hopefully I can get this road through in the next couple of hours.
19:01Patrick Gunderson is banking on unearthing aquamarine to finance a massive new mine base to store machinery and commercial grade
19:10crystal.
19:13I've got Luke helping out now.
19:15He's grabbing any small rocks that he can find to fill up the gaps between these giant boulders and hopefully
19:20we can make a road.
19:22Otherwise there's no way I'm getting down there.
19:25We're not far away from a really productive area down there.
19:28All of this time we're chewing up making this road is cutting down on the time that we get to
19:34actually go digging.
19:42Just so many like sketchy things.
19:44I've just discovered that these rubber track excavators, as soon as they try and get traction on a granite boulder
19:50they just start slipping.
19:51Today I've had a few instances this morning already with the excavator getting caught up on rocks and sort of
19:57slipping sideways and it's not a good feeling.
20:01And I'm faced with probably one of the steepest sections of this track that I'm trying to build right now.
20:07I'm literally perched on the side of a giant boulder field down here.
20:12And off to my right is just a 45 degree drop full of huge boulders.
20:17So the last thing I want to do is slip sideways and end up tumbling down this hill.
20:22That would be probably the end of me actually.
20:26Take it nice and easy mate.
20:39It's slippery.
20:43I'm going to have to get rid of this tree.
20:44It's like the only place I can really get it is on a steep slope.
20:49So to add to the challenge of just trying to get down this slope, this steep slope, I've got a
20:54dead tree in front of me that's actually overhanging me and I really need to get that out of the
20:59way.
20:59So that I can actually get through this last little gap.
21:02If the tree falls this way, it's going to come straight down on the excavator.
21:06So I've just got to be super bloody careful here.
21:09And hopefully I've got enough reach in my boom here that I can push it the other way.
21:14I'm shitting myself to be honest.
21:16Nice and easy.
21:26Just keep that boom extended.
21:28Yeah, but then when I let the boom go.
21:38So far, hell.
21:41My heart is racing.
21:48Look out mate, look out.
21:50Oh jeez!
21:52Bro, stop! Stop!
21:54Oi!
21:54Come here bro.
21:56The bucket just let go.
21:57Just let go aye.
21:58Just come flying right down there boys.
22:01Oh yeah, everyone's alright.
22:02Holy!
22:03Must be the cable.
22:05Oh the belt's jumped off.
22:06That's what's going on.
22:14Yeah, that was pretty dangerous man.
22:15I could have killed my brother.
22:16I could have killed Tyson or whoever was standing there.
22:19Yeah, we don't.
22:20We don't want that.
22:22I don't know mate, the belt was jumped off.
22:25All clear.
22:25But yeah, she's not broken.
22:28I think it was this bit of wire here mate.
22:30I don't know where the wire came from.
22:32She caught up on the belt and spat it off.
22:34Chew through it too, the wire.
22:35Alrighty, I've got a new belt mate.
22:37Beauty mate.
22:38Sweet.
22:38Same size.
22:39Little bit tighter.
22:41Beautiful.
22:42So she'll be alright.
22:43Whacky morn bro.
22:49Yes, look at that.
22:50Look at that.
22:51Snug.
22:52Righto, we're just going to give it a test run.
22:54Make sure it's all safe.
22:55Here we go.
22:56Alright, everyone stand back boys.
22:58Up she comes.
23:01Fingers crossed.
23:08There she goes.
23:09There she goes.
23:11Sweet as.
23:12Happy days.
23:13Beautiful.
23:14All back and running.
23:16We're good to go mate, we're running again.
23:17Let's get some dirt up.
23:18Couple of hiccups here and there.
23:20What's mining without them?
23:24The Ruby Vale boys are working with neighbour Tim Pettick
23:27at his claim on a 49 to 51% split.
23:31They need to find enough sapphire to expand their mining operations
23:35and fill an order for Tim Spies.
23:39Oh man.
23:41That's him.
23:42Oh, what?
23:42There you go.
23:43He just blew his sapphire to pieces.
23:45Look at that.
23:45Hit it with a jackhammer.
23:47Oh, you're kidding.
23:48That's what they look like when they get shattered.
23:50Yeah, I hit it with the jackhammer and yeah, these things happen.
23:56Usually you don't see them when they pop because it's a puff of smoke
24:00and sometimes you hit big ones and that's a pretty good size.
24:04Oh man.
24:05Yeah, look at that.
24:06Oh, it's Christmas.
24:07No, don't.
24:09Timmy.
24:10I reckon it'll be 50, 60 carat.
24:12You're pretty good.
24:13I'm guessing 70 carat.
24:1470.
24:15150 a carat, which is 200.
24:17Times 100.
24:18From 15 grand it's gone to probably about 4,000 bucks worth.
24:24Oh, you're going home, Timmy.
24:26Oh, yeah.
24:26So everyone was laughing about it but that's a lot of money we've lost there
24:29and that's why we're here, you know, that's what we're trying to find.
24:32We've done all this work and that was our payday.
24:48All righty.
24:50Cradle mountain traffic.
24:51Robbie 44, Hotel Echo, Foxtrot becoming airborne from the Pencilpine helipad.
24:55We'll be on climb to 4,500 tracking south west for Darwin Crater.
25:01Cradle mountain.
25:02Up we come, gentlemen.
25:05In near freezing conditions, Tom Capitani and his crew Josh and Andy
25:10are on a mission to secure rare Darwin glass for collector Hank Ebes.
25:22A little low cloud cover over the crater at the moment.
25:26We're just circling around now.
25:28Just seeing how thick and dense the bush is, why it's so inaccessible
25:32and why we need a helicopter.
25:33Just crazy.
25:36If there's our landing area, we're going to be landing somewhere out that way.
25:39This is it.
25:55Touchdown.
25:56All righty, guys.
25:58We'll be ready to rock and roll.
25:59But here we are.
26:01Darwin Plateau.
26:06On a razor tight schedule, the team has time for just two search locations.
26:10The first is a mountainside plateau of low-lying vegetation two kilometres from Darwin Crater.
26:17It's just a tiny fraction of the 400 square kilometres where Darwin glass could be buried.
26:28Oh, my...
26:28Oh, God, is that delaminating?
26:30My God.
26:32I'm wondering why my toes were feeling cold.
26:42Nothing so far, unfortunately.
26:44I thought there may have been something up on the top here and that.
26:48Pretty well in the middle of nowhere.
26:50It's the most out-of-the-way place I've ever been in that.
26:52The fact we came in here by helicopter, that just shows the remoteness of it.
26:56No-one's ever been here before, the way it feels.
26:59A place you definitely wouldn't want to get stuck, particularly at the moment stuck overnight.
27:03If something went wrong out here, anything like that, you'd be in a lot of trouble.
27:08Hey, Andrew, how's it going?
27:12Yeah, all good.
27:13It's nice out here, but no Darwin glass, unfortunately.
27:17Got to get back to the chopper.
27:18The pilot's really wanting us... wanting to go.
27:21We've got to get down Ten Mile Hill.
27:22No worries.
27:23All good.
27:23I'll make a move.
27:24I'll head back there.
27:25Should see you shortly.
27:27Had a good look around the area and that there, and...
27:29as good as if it was standing here and that would have found it.
27:33Unfortunately than that, no go on this one.
27:47Dump him in.
27:50Another bucket.
27:51Another bucket.
27:5356 wobble bowers done today.
27:55That's going to be a great load.
27:57So there's going to be heaps of ironstone and hopefully heaps of sapphire,
28:01and that will make us all very happy,
28:03and I'll be able to do my parcel for my buyers,
28:08and it should be good.
28:10Hopefully.
28:10Fingers crossed.
28:14It'll be good to get a couple of grand each.
28:17Anything to pay the bills, that's good money.
28:19$3,000 each or so.
28:21Six grand all up.
28:23Hopefully we get that out.
28:28All right.
28:29All right.
28:29Picture off.
28:32Oh, no, lads.
28:34Let it drain out.
28:35Here comes the verdict.
28:37Excited.
28:38All right, let's go.
28:40Let's go.
28:41Yeah, mate.
28:41This is it.
28:46Look at that.
28:47Wow.
28:48It's everywhere.
28:49You've got to pick that up.
28:51Oh!
28:54Woo-hoo!
28:55Yeah!
28:56Yes!
28:56Yes!
28:57Yes!
28:58Yes!
28:58Oh, look at it.
28:59Yellow.
29:00Blue.
29:01Green.
29:02She's a party.
29:03She's a big party.
29:04Party all right.
29:05Party.
29:05Oh!
29:06Oh, look!
29:07There's one.
29:08Come on.
29:09That is awesome.
29:10Yeah!
29:11Look at that.
29:12She's a royal blue.
29:13That's royal blue.
29:14That's beautiful.
29:15That is gorgeous.
29:16That's the colour of the one that we've busted, eh?
29:18Yeah, actually.
29:20Yeah.
29:20So far, so good.
29:21I'm ecstatic.
29:22Oh!
29:22Another one?
29:23Ecstatic.
29:23Oh, look at this wash, would you, boys?
29:26Just everywhere.
29:27Holy hell, man.
29:28This is insane.
29:30Good, eh?
29:31Yep.
29:31Unbelievable.
29:32I bet we cut some of these instead of just selling them all in the rough.
29:35Value-added.
29:35Well, that'll turn it from 150 carats, isn't it?
29:38Yeah.
29:38To, what, a thousand bucks a carat or more?
29:39Yeah, it can be.
29:40Yeah, sounds good.
29:41Sounds good.
29:41Let's go.
29:44I gave it a little bit of port.
29:47Yeah.
29:47We'll kick you off.
29:49What are we going to roll with?
29:51There it is.
29:53That pretty one here.
29:54Oh, yeah.
29:54Nice little yellow.
29:56Yep.
29:56Oh, yellow.
29:57Rare.
29:57Nice rare one.
29:58Yes.
29:59Highly valued.
30:00No pressure, mate.
30:02Leave it with me.
30:03Leave it with me.
30:05And we're going to try to maximise the value of it.
30:08This type of colour will be worth 1,000 plus per carat.
30:13But if there's a crack in it, well, then it becomes hardly anything.
30:1850 bucks.
30:20We've got our sapphire here.
30:21We've glued it onto the dog stick.
30:23And we're ready to start to make the girdle.
30:27The girdle's the round part, just that goes around the outside.
30:31It'll give us our basic shape and size.
30:34Nice and slow.
30:35And then add a bit of water.
30:37So it cuts without scratching it too much.
30:41The less I can take off here, the better.
30:43It's crazy how much of the sapphire you actually lose when you cut it down.
30:47Yeah, around 75% of the stone you can lose sometimes.
30:54A little bit stressful when they're all counting on you.
30:57And be careful not to bump it or drop it or crack it.
31:01If I crack it, it's going to be worthless.
31:06The following day, the team are ready to value their sapphire haul,
31:10with the spoils being split 49 to 51% in Tim's favour.
31:16Good morning, gents.
31:17Hey, Timmy.
31:18Good morning, Tim.
31:19How are you?
31:20Very good. How are you?
31:21Oh, excellent.
31:22Good, excellent.
31:23Very excited.
31:23I've done a bit of sorting here.
31:25Yep.
31:26We're going to start with the small ones, gents.
31:28And here we go.
31:30So we've got 60 carats.
31:3260 carats.
31:33By 25?
31:3425, yeah.
31:35Okay.
31:351,500.
31:36Okay.
31:37That's the first slot.
31:40Okay, this is the big one.
31:42Wow.
31:44244 carats.
31:46Wow.
31:46Yeah.
31:47244 carats.
31:48So these are 150 carats.
31:49150.
31:50150.
31:51Now these three.
31:5128,1 we're at.
31:52Okay, 43 carats.
31:55Wow.
31:55Now, these are a prize stone, so I would turn around and demand at least 400 per carat on
32:03this one.
32:03Wow.
32:04Yeah.
32:0517,2.
32:06Wow.
32:0717,200 for these three stones.
32:09Wow.
32:11Well, that's not the end of it, Timmy.
32:14What about this one, remember?
32:16Oh, right.
32:16Okay.
32:16This is the one I spent a bit of time on the other day.
32:19What is this worth now?
32:23Oh, wow.
32:24Wow.
32:25That's magic.
32:26That's nice, isn't it?
32:26Oh, nice work, bro.
32:27That is magic.
32:29Flawless?
32:29Yeah, flawless.
32:30Flawless.
32:31Crystal green, flawless, no cracks.
32:33Wow.
32:34That is absolutely gorgeous.
32:36You don't get them very often.
32:37Yeah.
32:37Two grand a carrot.
32:38Yeah, two grand.
32:39Two grand per carrot.
32:41Want to work out it?
32:411.5 carats.
32:43Wow.
32:433,000 bucks.
32:45Woo.
32:45That bumps up the key.
32:47That's a quick three grand.
32:47That's a quick three grand.
32:49That is nice.
32:49And that's the big change from $100 per carrot in the rough.
32:53Look at that.
32:55So what does that take us to, mate?
32:57What are we up to?
32:57Well, if that's $3,000, that equals $61,000.
33:03Wow.
33:04$61,000.
33:05$61,000.
33:07Nice.
33:07Nice one, Timmy.
33:08Nice one.
33:09Done, eh?
33:10This beat's working, eh?
33:11Yeah.
33:12Thanks very much, guys.
33:14I've got enough of my parcel now.
33:16Don't be happy.
33:16I just need your details and I'll send you the 30 grand.
33:19Yeah.
33:19No problem.
33:20What do you reckon, guys?
33:21We hit the pub?
33:22Yeah, I'll go in for a beer.
33:23I know.
33:24You can have a beer.
33:24Nice shot.
33:33All righty, guys, so I'm just going to drop you down in this little clearing here.
33:36I've got to run off for a little while.
33:38Pickup's going to be at 3.30 on the dock.
33:41We need to leave here at 3.30 and we won't have enough light to get home.
33:47In the rugged Tasmanian Mountains, Tom and his crew have less than four hours to find rare
33:53Darwin glass for collector Hank Eves.
33:56As we're flying over from the crater, I notice these erosional points of old quarries
34:01and pits and, you know, that's a good spot to start looking.
34:05We'll start here.
34:06We'll work a few hundred metres down the side of Mount Darwin and see what we can find.
34:13No.
34:15Thought that was going to be something then, but nope.
34:19Oh, we've just been looking around here and that last probably 15, 20 minutes and that
34:26doesn't appear to be anything here.
34:27I think we would have found something by now if there was.
34:30Nothing exposed at all.
34:33We'll go further up this track.
34:36There's too much eroded material fallen down here, so we're not really seeing anything.
34:40We go a little bit higher up, there'll be less erosion and more likely to find the layer
34:46in which the Darwin glass is accumulating.
34:51They should be here.
34:57What?
34:58Oh, look at this.
34:59Oh, wow.
34:59Look.
35:00There's a piece there too.
35:01There's more in that one here.
35:03Yep.
35:04Look at that.
35:05Isn't that beautiful?
35:05Jemmy too.
35:06Wow.
35:08I just found the most beautiful jemmy little piece of Darwin glass here.
35:12This is what we're looking for.
35:14This is Darwin glass.
35:15It's not just Darwin glass.
35:17It's gem grade Darwin glass.
35:18The greenest, the greenest I've ever seen.
35:21Gem grade Darwin glass is coveted by collectors for its translucency and vivid green hue.
35:28I'm relieved.
35:30That is a good space.
35:31This is the first find for the day, and surprisingly, it's all around us.
35:36I've just been looking at maybe the top 30 centimetres of this road cutting, and I've
35:42found some pretty big bits of Darwin glass.
35:44So that's really important now.
35:46Now we know where the Darwin glass is deposited.
35:49We know the rise in which it's in.
35:51So theoretically, if we went above it and dug down into that 12 inches of topsoil, we'll
35:56find lots of Darwin glass.
35:58Definitely a job for Andy.
36:04Yep.
36:05Yep.
36:06There's some here.
36:07There's a little bit here.
36:08You find one bit, there's usually more around, so that's definitely a good start.
36:14That'll keep going up, see if we can find any openings.
36:23Oh my God.
36:24Hey.
36:26That's what I've been looking for.
36:27Look at this.
36:28This thing is unreal.
36:30This is the biggest piece I've ever seen.
36:33Definitely what it is.
36:34There's no doubt about it.
36:35It's Darwin glass.
36:36Didn't think we'd ever seen like that.
36:38That's definitely a Hank piece.
36:39Hank will be over the moon with this one, literally.
36:42Woo!
36:47How'd you go, Andy?
36:48Find anything?
36:49No, not much.
36:50You guys didn't find much?
36:52A little bit in the hill, but not that much.
36:54Oh, well, a bit of a shame, isn't it?
36:56What?
36:58Wow.
36:58What?
36:59Wow.
37:01My God.
37:02That's just amazing.
37:03Hank's got to love that.
37:05Smile.
37:06Look at that.
37:07Wow.
37:09All right.
37:10There's Josh.
37:11Let's get a move on.
37:17Glad you've got like too many more rocks because we're at maximum power getting down here.
37:21All right.
37:23You guys have done well.
37:24Greg, thank you very much.
37:25Big dinner tonight.
37:26Yeah, we'll eat well tonight.
37:32All right.
37:33What have we got here?
37:35What do you recommend value is here we've got?
37:38This is my favourite piece, which is really gemmy little one.
37:42I'd be faceting that.
37:43That's going to be a really nice little piece.
37:45That's a killer piece.
37:46But the best, the big one you found, Andy.
37:49That's worth a couple of grand, really.
37:51All this stuff's worth probably about $1,000.
37:55It's worth about $4,000.
37:57But really, it's not about the money.
37:59It's the challenge of going there.
38:01You guys had fun?
38:02Yeah.
38:02Wonderful.
38:03Amazing trip in there.
38:04Get out here and actually get what we got and get to where we did.
38:09Wonderful experience.
38:10I mean, really, I've buckled this thing that I've always wanted to do.
38:13And we did it successfully.
38:14We found some Darwin glass.
38:16Hank's always happy with what I give him.
38:17We've got to go home.
38:18Freezing, guys.
38:19Get out of here.
38:19Pick it up.
38:20Bang it up.
38:20Josh.
38:21Get it up.
38:22Get going, man.
38:32If I overexert the excavator, I'll put pressure on a particular angle.
38:36It's going to spin my cab around.
38:37And below me is just a sheer drop.
38:39So, yeah, really got to just go slowly here.
39:00You've done it.
39:02We made it.
39:05Beautiful, mate.
39:07Bit nerve wracking there for a minute.
39:10I'll spin the dig around and we'll be able to start emptying out these old pits.
39:13And hopefully by this afternoon, we'll be having aquamarine and beers.
39:19After battling for days to reach an old-timers aquamarine dig, Patrick and his team have just
39:26hours left to mine.
39:28So, I'm just emptying out this old hole here and noticing that there's chunks of crystalline
39:34quartz just falling out of the wall.
39:35So, I reckon there's a vein just behind here somewhere.
39:39Yeah, getting some really good signs.
39:41Nice quartz crystal has rolled out.
39:44Pretty nice little indicator that we're definitely in the right direction.
39:49I love crystals.
39:57Oi!
40:02What is it?
40:08What is it?
40:10Oh my gosh.
40:11You ready?
40:13I saw something.
40:15Oh!
40:16Oh!
40:21Oh!
40:21Oh!
40:23Oh!
40:23Oh!
40:23Oh!
40:23Oh!
40:23Oh!
40:24Oh, oh, oh, oh!
40:24Oh, oh, oh.
40:26Oh!
40:28Yeah!
40:29No way.
40:30Look at the termination on it too.
40:31That is insane.
40:33Just goes to show that like, at any moment, anything could roll out of here.
40:38And it was just like sitting next to the bucket.
40:40Oh, I'm so lucky I didn't put the bucket through that.
40:44Where's it come from?
40:45That's the thing.
40:47Are you finding other bits amongst it, or?
40:48There's a few pieces starting to come out.
40:51Is there?
40:55Luke, that's a nice one, Luke.
40:57Oh!
40:58That's a decent song.
41:00Oh, look at that.
41:02That's going to be a screamer.
41:04Wipe it.
41:05Yeah, throw it in, girl.
41:08Oh, so Jamie.
41:12What's that there?
41:15Oh, my God.
41:16No.
41:17No way.
41:21Oh, my God.
41:23That's massive.
41:24That's huge.
41:26Wow.
41:27This is by far the biggest piece I've found here.
41:31Again, confirms that this is an incredible aquamarine deposit here.
41:35Well, I reckon these are so amazing.
41:37We should go back down and clean everything up,
41:39and I just want to see them all cleaned up and see what we got.
41:41Sounds like a plan.
41:49How are they cleaning up?
41:50Yeah, they're looking good.
41:51Yeah.
41:52Really nice colours.
41:53Do you want to tip some of this water out and have a proper look?
41:56Sounds good.
41:59Whoa.
42:01That's amazing.
42:03Ridiculous.
42:04Look at the colour in them.
42:05I reckon we should buy the two big ones.
42:07See what they're worth.
42:08Yep.
42:08Start with this one.
42:10What do we reckon?
42:13Oh, 90 carats.
42:15Yeah, wow.
42:17That's a decent-sized crystal, that one.
42:18And that is just gem quality.
42:21There's eight grand in that.
42:23Eight grand?
42:25Yeah.
42:25Nice job.
42:27And what about the really big one?
42:32Oh, 270 carats.
42:35Wow.
42:36That's crazy.
42:38I would say there's at least a three grand stone inside that one.
42:41Maybe four, probably four grand actually.
42:42There's a big chunk inside that.
42:45And then these other pieces, I reckon we've got 15 grand all up.
42:50Oh, yeah.
42:53Good work, team.
42:54That's great work.
42:55Yeah.
42:56That's amazing.
42:57So what does that bring our season target up to at this point?
43:00So we're at 62 grand for last week.
43:03Already?
43:04Yeah.
43:04Nice.
43:05Plus 15 for this one, so that's 77 grand.
43:08Well, with the 750 grand target, that's a long way to go.
43:12It's a long way to go.
43:14But, yeah, got a good feeling about it.
43:16Got high hopes.
43:17Absolutely.
43:18Yeah.
43:19Well, let's go have a beer and celebrate.
43:21Yeah, that's good.
43:22Sounds good.
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