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00:00How you going Bridge? You looking forward to having the bus out?
00:07Yeah, I'm feeling really excited. We're going to be saving so much time and so much fuel
00:13all that's been out there.
00:14I hope it all works out sweet. Get through this last section and we can relax a bit.
00:18How you going up there Kyle?
00:20Yeah mate, I'm just a couple of k's up ahead of you guys. Track's definitely pretty chopped up.
00:26You're going to need to take it nice and easy.
00:28Cheers buddy. Yeah, this is definitely the sketchiest part of the road so I'm a bit nervous about getting the bus through.
00:34Yeah, the worst thing that could possibly happen is we roll the bus over
00:38or we blow a couple of tyres on these really narrow areas.
00:43Tight around that bend on the creek Levi?
00:46Yep.
00:47Alright Sonny, we're going to wait up here and just make sure Dad gets through that creek okay?
00:52A little bit nerve wracking.
00:54Hopefully there's no damage.
00:56It's like taking your entire home through a two hour earthquake.
01:14Whoa!
01:26Oh my goodness.
01:31Made it!
01:34Well that was pretty sketchy actually.
01:39There's s*** going everywhere in here.
01:48We're here Levi, we made it.
01:50Welcome.
01:51Let's go, let's get in there.
01:53Here we are.
01:55Home sweet home for the next little while.
01:57Oh man, that was crazy.
02:00We did it!
02:02What do you reckon the plan for the week is?
02:04Well, let's just hope this channel keeps producing mate.
02:07I reckon we just keep digging and following it down like the gold's telling us it's going down that way.
02:12Let's just dig it up.
02:14Let's just follow the gold.
02:15Yeah, sounds like a plan there.
02:16We can go in the bus and we're going to set up a fire pit, cook some dinner on the fire, set some shade up.
02:22See you in a bit.
02:23Okay, let's go set up inside Sonny.
02:25We're home!
02:26You're in a digger?
02:27I'm in a digger.
02:28Sweet.
02:29Alright, I'm going to gear up and get ready to go.
02:30Let's do it.
02:38We picked up four and a half ounces last week.
02:41It's a pretty bloody good week considering the breakdown, so that's why we're staying on this area.
02:48We're going to make sure we keep finding enough gold to pay each other and to pay off the digger.
02:53This digger cost us about $70,000.
02:56In gold numbers, that's about 20 ounces, so we're not even halfway to paying off this machine and we're halfway through the season.
03:06This is the beginning of the Wanderers.
03:08This season, Levi and Bridget North have teamed up with Kyle Wilson.
03:14Wow, what a beautiful snake.
03:17Gambling their life savings to stake the Excalibur lease in the harsh Pilbara region of north-western Australia.
03:26This lease has gold all over it.
03:29After proving up their ground, they've moved their converted school bus home onto the lease,
03:34saving them the gruelling four hour daily round trip from town.
03:39I want a boat.
03:42There's little target.
03:45Rocks the ground.
03:49She's out.
03:50Let's see what we've got.
03:52Straight in the scoop too.
03:56Straight in the hand.
03:59Bloody shark.
04:00There's a little bit of steel that's come off the bucket.
04:03Because the ground that we're working so hard, as the bucket scratches along, sometimes it can peel little bits of metal off.
04:12Yeah, the ground's getting super hard the deeper we go.
04:15It's really compacted.
04:17But the gold's just down deep, so we've just got to keep digging down to it.
04:22Millions of years ago, an ancient river system carried gold from the surrounding area into the valley.
04:29As the water dried up, the riverbed was exposed to the sun,
04:33forming a dense, hardened layer known as calcrete, trapping the gold-bearing pay dirt.
04:39How's it going?
04:40Hard digging, man.
04:41Oh, even the batter bucket's getting a bit worn out.
04:44What's the plan?
04:45Let's split it in half and we'll walk the pad and we'll go down again, mate.
04:48Let's rip in.
04:49Bloody oath.
04:54Oh, I recognise that noise.
04:59Beautiful. There's a little signal down there.
05:06Still in there.
05:07Yeah, it's right in the middle.
05:11That's what we want. That's just over a gram.
05:13Another hundred bucks in the kitty.
05:15Ah, look at that.
05:17Hard work getting that one out.
05:19I reckon probably 22, 25 dollar nugget.
05:23Down a couple hundred, so it might be close to getting out now.
05:29So hard to dig.
05:34There it is. Hundred bucks right there.
05:36Alrighty, there she is.
05:39Another little bit of gold, but I'm working hard for it.
05:45My pick's getting pretty blunt.
05:52Yep, still in there.
05:59I'm going to go grab another pick.
06:00I can't keep battling on with this thing.
06:03It's cooked.
06:12This just isn't working.
06:13Every nugget is taking like five times longer to get out of the ground than it should.
06:17Oi, Levi.
06:19What's up, mate?
06:20Look.
06:22Well, I got the last pick, mate, so I don't know what we're going to do.
06:25Look at the difference in the two of them, man.
06:27These things are 200 bucks a pop.
06:29This patch of ground that we're working in at the moment is just too hard for picks, hey?
06:33Look, I've got a bit of a plan.
06:36I'm going to head into town.
06:37Leave her with me.
06:38Alright, mate, you do that.
06:39Alright.
06:40Gotcha.
06:41See ya, buddy.
06:43Over the last few seasons, we've found gold, but it's been so hit and miss.
06:48Trying to desperately find something that can deliver us something on a consistent basis
06:51so I can say, right, we know what we're going to get each week.
06:55We're here on my mate Ian's mining licence,
06:57because we might be able to do a deal to buy his pay dirt that he's got stuck in.
07:01So we're going to do that.
07:02We're going to do it.
07:03We're going to do it.
07:04We're going to do it.
07:05We're going to do it.
07:06We're going to do it.
07:07We're going to do it.
07:08We're going to do it.
07:09We're going to do it.
07:10We're going to do it.
07:11We're going to do it.
07:12We're going to do it.
07:13We're going to do it.
07:14We're going to do it.
07:15I've got a load of pay dirt that he's got stockpiled that hopefully has got enough fine gold in it
07:18to deliver the 100% consistency of gold that we really need, and particularly Ethan.
07:22We've got to do a test band first to make sure there's actually enough gold in it.
07:29How's it looking, eh?
07:30You're getting a pop through there, see that?
07:32Well, there's definitely gold there, eh?
07:33Mate, there is.
07:34Did you get those samples all over the heap?
07:35Yeah.
07:36Grabbed different spots?
07:37Absolutely, mate, so you can get an average.
07:39What do you reckon, mate?
07:40Well, if it's up to me, mate, I reckon we've got to try and make a deal, because that's too good, mate.
07:51Hey, Ian.
07:52How'd you go, boys?
07:53Yeah, pretty good.
07:55Mate, if that deal is still available to us, the 300 tonnes plus transport, five grand. Deal?
08:00Yeah, I think most definitely on that one.
08:02Alright, appreciate it.
08:03Thank you very much, mate.
08:04Lifesaver.
08:05Absolutely.
08:06Let's go make it happen.
08:11We've got trucks coming over, so that's all done and sorted out.
08:15How'd you go with big licence?
08:16Yeah, I've been in contact with them, mate.
08:18I've got the keys now.
08:19Everything should turn on and just fire over.
08:21So that deal's in place?
08:22Everything else is sorted there.
08:23But we've got 300 tonnes to test. That's our test.
08:26300 tonnes to test.
08:27Long term, though, if this all works out, there's a hell of a lot more dirt there.
08:32Okay, so there is future opportunity to it.
08:35We'd need to see out of that 300 tonnes, at least three ounces.
08:39It's a big risk, paying five grand to wash some dirt that we don't know if there's five dollars in it.
08:46But there could be 50 grand in it.
08:49I think these are the risks we kind of need to take right now, mate.
08:55Do you think we'll be back here, mate, or what?
08:57I don't know, mate. It's like my first love.
08:58Look at it.
09:00Two years ago, Brent sold the team's 250 hectare big licence lease,
09:06including its million-dollar wash plant,
09:09walking away from a consistent supply of fine gold.
09:14So this is it, eh? This could be our future right here, mate.
09:17All to finance Brent's dream of finding a record-breaking monster nugget
09:22at the legendary Caddo's Paddock.
09:24There's nearly half a tonne of nuggets coming out of this paddock.
09:26Half a tonne.
09:27But so far, he's failed to deliver.
09:30We're not getting any closer to finding anything.
09:32I know, mate. I'm under pressure just as much as you.
09:34Causing tension with right-hand man and brother-in-law, Ethan West.
09:39I know the history.
09:40Mate, $795.
09:41$700.
09:42$600.
09:43$500.
09:44I don't care. How's it looking?
09:45After last week's disastrous weigh-in...
09:47It's not worth the cost, the time, the effort.
09:50..they're banking on their $5,000 pay-dirt purchase
09:53to get them back on the consistent gold.
09:56Let's get into it, eh?
09:57All right, mate.
10:00We haven't got this licence for very long.
10:03Whatever we can do over the next few days to get all this test done
10:07might just give us that consistency that we can do a deal long-term
10:11so we can turn our season around.
10:14Being back here brings back a lot of...
10:16Yeah, it's a lot of nostalgia.
10:18So it's just one of them things I'm really just looking forward to
10:21actually running the plant again.
10:25All right, E.
10:26Ian's coming in now, mate.
10:27I think we might be good to go, bud.
10:29Yeah, no worries, mate.
10:30I'll fire up the plant now, mate, and get it happening.
10:33Yeah, you can bring her down here, Ian, and start dumping them here, mate.
10:36Basically right in front of the bucket.
10:37Right here, mate.
10:41Now it's just a series of sequences just to get her up going.
10:45Just trying to remember them all.
10:48Keep it coming, Ian. Keep it coming.
10:50Yeah, I'll let you, mate.
10:52No worries, mate. We'll send her.
10:58Thanks, mate.
10:59Got about another 29 more loads to go, eh?
11:02Yeah, no worries, mate. I'll keep it going.
11:04Good on you, buddy.
11:06Beautiful. Start spitting.
11:08Got the big friend going.
11:12Hey, E, we right to go yet or what?
11:14Yeah, you're right to go, mate.
11:17As Brent loads dirt into the hopper, grizzly bars filter out larger rocks,
11:22allowing the finer material to enter into the barrel of the trommel,
11:26which uses a tumbling action and water to release the gold.
11:31First bucket in, Heath.
11:37Hey, oi, don't jump it in there, mate. Just hold off.
11:40Mate, this is absolutely rubbish.
11:42Bloody hell.
11:44Look at that.
11:46This is clay.
11:47This should just be basically running through me fingers, not clay balls.
11:51You dump half a load in, look how much is stuck up on those grizzly bars.
11:55We're going to have to scoop this up, re-run it,
11:57and how much gold do we lose in the process from transferring from here to here to here again?
12:02Especially on a test, we want to try and keep it as accurate as we can.
12:08Got 300 tonne of dirt or mud coming.
12:10Look at this.
12:11Not ideal.
12:13Hey, it's got a blockage, eh?
12:15It's not dropping down that material, it's too wet.
12:18We're going to unblock that hopper.
12:29Oh, mate, I hope this idea pays off.
12:32This is such a big risk heading out here.
12:35Oh, look, mate, we've still got 47 ounces to find.
12:38I just think we have to take a risk.
12:40We've got to throw everything at it and try these new spots,
12:43otherwise we're never going to get that target.
12:46Yeah, I know, we're nearly at the halfway point of the season.
12:49But this spot gets a good write-up in the history books,
12:53and you can see on satellite imagery that there's been some work go on there as well.
12:57You said it was on that historical map as a Chinese camp,
13:01so I'm just worried it's all going to be done.
13:03Yeah, I know what you're saying, mate.
13:05They were very good at what they did, but they didn't have detectors.
13:08They didn't have cars, they didn't have satellite imagery.
13:11We've got all these advantages.
13:13Surely we can track down some gold they missed.
13:16Well, I suppose we've just got to find a way in then.
13:29What's going on?
13:31Yeah, we're not driving down there, mate.
13:34Oh, no.
13:36Where's the road gone?
13:38That's completely washed out.
13:40We're pretty well on foot from here.
13:42Let's just get the map out and have a look, try and find some sort of shortcut.
13:46I think I've got a better idea than the maps.
13:49What?
13:51Oh, the drone.
13:53Let's send up the drone.
13:54That's a great idea.
13:55Well, we can see what the country looks like.
13:57We can see the quickest way in.
13:59This is exactly what we got it for.
14:01All right.
14:03All righty-o.
14:04Stand back a bit.
14:05I'm standing back.
14:06Yeah, I would.
14:07I'm still learning.
14:09It's going to save us a lot of legwork.
14:13All righty.
14:14Now we can go wherever we want, mate.
14:16So there's the road.
14:18And look, if we follow that ridgeline, though,
14:20that will take us exactly down to the point where we want to be.
14:24It looks pretty open and clear.
14:26What's that over there?
14:28Hang on.
14:29That's workings or something.
14:31Yeah, certainly looks like old timers' workings to me.
14:34Well, let's aim for that spot then.
14:36At least we know where we're going now.
14:39You did it.
14:40We crossed the Palmer.
14:42After finally crossing the Palmer River,
14:45Jackie and Andy returned to the gold-rich area they worked last season.
14:50Yes, look at that.
14:52That's a nice chunk.
14:53Only to be chased out by an out-of-control bushfire.
14:57Let's go, mate.
14:58Let's get the hell out of here.
15:01Now with half their season gone
15:03and only 20 ounces towards their 65-ounce target,
15:07they're betting on a historic mine site to put them back on track.
15:14This is some pretty interesting ground here.
15:17This looks fantastic.
15:18This is an ancient riverbed for sure.
15:21Well, I'll keep walking down to that next gully
15:23if you want to drop into this one.
15:25Sounds good. Get some gold in your jar, mate.
15:27I'll try.
15:28Good luck.
15:30MUSIC
15:35So I'm just trying to find these old-timers' workings
15:38that we saw on the drone.
15:40Look at this.
15:42These rock formations aren't natural.
15:45I think we're standing on an old-timers' camp.
15:48See how it's like this rectangle shape?
15:51I actually think that could be a grave.
15:54This is facing straight down into that gully,
15:57which would have been where the water ran through.
16:00And one thing we know about the Chinese
16:03was that it was quite a ritual when someone had passed.
16:07They would bury them on the top of a hill like this,
16:11facing...overlooking the water.
16:15During the 1800s, with the promise of vast amounts of gold,
16:19over 40,000 Chinese immigrants
16:22made the four-month journey by sea to Australia.
16:26They then travelled for weeks by foot
16:28just to reach the Palmer River.
16:30Some found a fortune in gold,
16:32but many returned to China penniless
16:35or perished under the harsh Australian sun.
16:42So I'm going to head into this gully
16:44and start detecting around these edges,
16:46see what I can pick up.
16:51Oh, look at this.
16:53There's diggings everywhere.
16:55Yes, it's great.
16:57I hope they're less than gold behind, though.
17:17Yeah, you're getting a lot of false signals in here,
17:20like rocks or just noisy ground.
17:23I actually haven't got a normal signal yet.
17:26I haven't picked up a bit of junk.
17:28I definitely haven't picked up a bit of gold,
17:30and the jar's still empty.
17:32I'm starting to get a bit worried as to what's going on.
17:35When you see this many old timers working,
17:38there should just be junk everywhere.
17:40There should be, you know, bits of rusty tin
17:42and old boot tacks and shotgun pellets
17:44and all types of junk sitting around.
17:46The fact that I haven't found a single thing yet
17:49is starting to make me a little bit worried
17:52that somebody's already been in here
17:54and detected this gully out.
18:06Have you got a copy there, Levi?
18:09Hey, buddy, you're back.
18:11I'm back, mate.
18:13I've got something here that might solve our problems.
18:18Hey, mate.
18:19Hey!
18:20What's happening?
18:21Say hello to my little friend!
18:24What is that?
18:26What are you doing?
18:28This is a petrol jackhammer.
18:30Yeah.
18:31I've never even seen a petrol jackhammer before.
18:33It's a little two-stroke, man.
18:35How much does this cost us?
18:36Two and a half picks, man, 500 bucks.
18:38No way.
18:39Yeah.
18:40It's pretty light, too.
18:41It's a big super light.
18:42Let's wind it down the pad
18:43and see if we can kick it in the guts, eh?
18:45All right, mate.
18:46Sounds good.
18:51Hey, there we go.
18:53Beautiful little target there.
18:55We're going to put a bit of a circle around it like that.
18:57I'll come back with the jackhammer after,
18:59break this ground up for Levi,
19:01and then he can go through and get the target out.
19:03Got a little target.
19:06Hello there.
19:08Blowing it up here.
19:10Looks like we've got a bit of digging to do.
19:12Certainly does.
19:28Look at that, like a hot nitro burner.
19:31Look at that.
19:32Look how soft that is now.
19:34That takes me 20 minutes to dig that deep in this ground,
19:37so, no, I'm really stoked.
19:42Get a little bit deeper.
19:44Not too far away.
19:47Let's have a listen.
19:49Oh, she's singing to me, baby.
19:53First scoop.
19:57Ooh, there it is.
19:58Look at that beauty.
20:00That is nice.
20:02That's a good couple of grams right there.
20:04That's $200 in the pocket.
20:06Took me 30 seconds to dig it up,
20:08so that's a pretty good hourly rate right there.
20:11Bit of a different story to yesterday, right?
20:13Yeah.
20:15Sounds good.
20:17We'll just rip it straight out of the ground.
20:19Don't muck around here.
20:21We're getting late in the day.
20:24Yep, she's out.
20:28There it is.
20:30Nice little one.
20:32This is a good one.
20:34That's a good one.
20:36That's a good one.
20:38That's a good one.
20:40That's a good one.
20:42That's a good one.
20:44This thing's booming.
20:46I definitely reckon I'm onto a multi-gram here.
20:51Oh, it's in me hand.
20:53Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
20:56That thing's got to be going close to 10 grams.
20:58$1,000 right there.
21:00Congrats, mate.
21:02We've been on today.
21:03Been our day, buddy.
21:09Hey, buddy.
21:11Welcome back, team.
21:13Hey, honey.
21:15There's no better feeling than coming back to a ready-to-eat campfire
21:18after a day's work.
21:20Dinner's on the stove.
21:22Thanks, hun.
21:23And camping out tonight, Kyle.
21:24Yeah, I got my swag.
21:25I'll make sure I keep the scorpions at bay.
21:27How did you go today?
21:28We went really well.
21:29We had a cracker of a day.
21:30Yeah, we got full jars.
21:32What?
21:33Yeah.
21:34I mean, how beautiful is this?
21:36Look over my shoulder.
21:37Look what's coming up over the hills.
21:38Wow.
21:39Cheers to the Wanderers.
21:40Cheers.
21:41Cheers to the Wanderers.
21:42What an effort.
21:43All we've got to do is walk down that little red driveway here
21:46and we're straight back on the gold.
22:00The ground's really quiet.
22:03Hardly a signal to be found at this point in time.
22:06It makes me a little bit worried.
22:08We've gambled a fair bit coming in here.
22:11Now, based it all on this history and the Chinese diggings
22:14and the old township.
22:26All right.
22:27Finally a signal.
22:38All right.
22:39Hopefully this is gold.
22:48Look at that sitting there.
22:49That is a piece of gold.
22:51It's probably a gram or so there too.
22:53That's $100 worth.
22:55That's not a bad piece of gold, but it's one of the first signals
22:58I've got in this whole area.
23:00It just doesn't make any sense that there's no targets in the ground.
23:03Anyway, we'll just keep going for now.
23:07Let's hope this area's got some more gold in it.
23:10At least we know there's some here.
23:13And about 100 more pieces that size.
23:22That's a really weird signal.
23:24It's like a double signal.
23:27We do know the old timers dug these gullies right down
23:31to the bedrock, but it doesn't mean they got it all,
23:35as we've found a lot of times.
23:40Hang on.
23:41Do you hear that?
23:43So there's two targets.
23:44That's why it sounded weird.
23:46All right.
23:47I'll get this one first because it's out of the hole.
23:51All right.
23:52Well, whatever it is, I've got it in the scoop now.
23:56I think I just felt a piece of gold.
24:00I did.
24:01There is gold here.
24:03Thank God.
24:04Oh, brilliant.
24:06Cool.
24:07That piece is probably over a gram as well, so maybe $150 worth of gold.
24:12Now let's see if we can find another piece of gold.
24:17Sounds like it's coming from right up against that bedrock there.
24:23You're literally just chipping away at anything that's caught
24:27in the crevices in the bedrock.
24:35Oh, it's out.
24:37All right.
24:39First scoop that time.
24:41Not seeing anything.
24:45There we go.
24:47Awesome.
24:48That one's even bigger than the other one.
24:50That's great.
24:51At least two grams in that, so another couple of hundred dollars.
24:55That's brilliant.
24:58No way.
25:00Andy, you got a copy?
25:03Hey, mate.
25:04Yeah, I've got ya.
25:05You've got to get up here.
25:07What's going on?
25:08Are you all right?
25:09You've just got to see this, mate.
25:12It's just a piece of gold.
25:14A piece of gold, is that all?
25:16Yeah.
25:17What's going on?
25:18I do not know, but I'm sorry.
25:20Yeah, but we've got to get up there and move on,
25:22because this is what we're trying to do.
25:25You've got to see this, mate.
25:27Where are you?
25:28I'm not far.
25:29Keep walking.
25:31Yo.
25:32Yeah, I'll see ya.
25:34Look at this.
25:36You've got to be kidding me.
25:38What the hell is this?
25:48Those big clumps getting them blocked up down there,
25:50that's the problem.
25:51We'll have to open it up.
25:52I think we lift that chute up, mate.
25:53Yeah, absolutely.
25:54Lift it right up.
26:08Look at this.
26:10They get caught up behind that door,
26:12they bind up, they hit on each other
26:14and they just don't break down,
26:15they don't pull through.
26:16Now the dirt can start flowing out a bit freely,
26:19but we can't have too much material going through,
26:21otherwise it'll start to lose gold
26:24and won't wash it through the trommel.
26:26Too much going in, not enough wash time,
26:29gold going out the end.
26:31A day of coming back in again, mate.
26:34We still haven't washed the first load yet.
26:37We haven't got the time to be stuffing around.
26:39We want to be able to keep feeding dirt in this plant.
26:41We've got 300 tonne to put through in a limited time.
26:45I'm hoping to see out of that 300 tonne,
26:47three ounces at an absolute minimum.
26:51If we do, we can do a future deal on all of Ian's dirt,
26:55because if we can have something
26:57that can bring in consistent gold,
26:59that's really what I'm trying to achieve right now.
27:03Ethan can only go on so long on just hopes and dreams.
27:08He's got to see some consistent gold,
27:10because he works on a percentage.
27:12So I feel this season is make or break for us.
27:15I need to deliver a season target.
27:22Everything seems to be running real smooth with the plant,
27:24apart from this material being the main issue.
27:30Sorry, mate, I've just got to take this.
27:34How you going, mate?
27:36Everything's going good, buddy.
27:37No real major hiccups at all, mate, so it's all turning.
27:41Yeah, right, OK.
27:45Full time.
27:47I just need to nut out a few things, mate.
27:49I'm definitely interested.
27:51Give me the time I need, mate,
27:53and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.
27:56Thanks, mate, bye.
28:01So that was the new owners of this licence.
28:04They've offered me a job
28:06to be basically plant manager out here.
28:10Now I've really got to decide what I want to do,
28:12whether I want to stick it out with Brent going forward.
28:15It's my brother-in-law, he's married to my sister,
28:17and I've got to say, I've got a difficult decision to make.
28:30What the hell is this?
28:31I've never come across anything like this.
28:33It's like an old site where they used to live
28:36while they were mining here.
28:37This isn't good, mate.
28:39There's modern timber in there and there's concrete in all the tin.
28:42I think this is from the 1980s.
28:45When they came back and re-mined all the original workings.
28:48Yep.
28:54Hey, this is pottery.
28:56It looks like old pottery too.
28:58Perhaps these guys built their camp on top of an old-timers' camp.
29:03So they could mine their old diggings.
29:05It makes sense to me.
29:07Check out their oven.
29:10This is where they would have cooked their dinner?
29:11Or were they melting gold in here, you reckon?
29:14It's just an oven, that's not a furnace, I don't think.
29:17There's some more old pottery over in there too.
29:19Another piece of it.
29:21Hang on.
29:23Andy, this is a whole pot.
29:25That's an old Chinese water jug, mate.
29:29There's another one, Andy.
29:30Are you serious?
29:31Yes, I'm serious.
29:33So they'd just fill it up and there's a little spout
29:36to pour on the water out of.
29:37They look like little teapots.
29:39Yeah.
29:40Are these worth anything?
29:41$200 or $300.
29:42What?
29:43Goldfield's pottery is really collectible.
29:46All right, let's stash them here.
29:49And then we'll come back on the way out when we leave today.
29:51Righto, sounds good.
29:53Mate, this area was worked so thoroughly
29:55for at least 100 years from what I can see just being here.
29:59Seems like they scoured the area pretty well.
30:01Their 1980s crews might have taken all the pay to it.
30:04Yeah.
30:05So I think these are our best finds.
30:08So far.
30:11Righto, good luck.
30:12All right.
30:16Back in the 1800s gold rush,
30:18the old timers worked this country with picks and shovels.
30:21Really basic.
30:22But then in the 1980s, there was another gold rush.
30:26A lot of contractors came in with heavy machinery
30:29and they extracted all the pay dirt
30:31from all the old mining sites.
30:33It was pretty much a smash and grab.
30:35Now, we're just hoping that these guys
30:37didn't get all the gold out of the gullies
30:39and they've left some for us.
30:43That's a screamer.
30:54OK.
30:56Could be a nugget, could be a boot tack.
30:58Let's hope it's a nugget.
31:02Oh, she loud.
31:04Oh, she loud.
31:06Oh, she loud.
31:07Oh, she loud.
31:08Oh, she loud.
31:09Oh, she loud.
31:10Oh, she loud.
31:11Oh, she loud.
31:13Oh, I'm gonna be gold.
31:16Oh, that's gold.
31:18Yes!
31:20Woo, that's a nice one.
31:22At least four grams or so, that's a decent piece.
31:25So, four or five hundred bucks just there out of that hole.
31:28All right, another one to the kitty.
31:32We could end up doing pretty well here.
31:42Hey, Brent, you got a minute, mate?
31:45Yeah, bud.
31:46Yeah, he's pulled up here, mate.
31:47He's got to have a chat to you.
31:48Bloody hell, what's wrong now?
31:52Everything all right, mate?
31:54Mate.
31:55What's wrong?
31:56I've had a call from the new owners of the license here.
31:59In a nutshell, mate, they've offered me a job.
32:02Right.
32:04I'll be basically managing the company.
32:06I'll be managing the company.
32:09I'll be basically managing this whole operation.
32:12Job security behind it.
32:14I don't have to rely on a gold percentage.
32:18Yeah, right.
32:20Mate, if this dirt goes really well,
32:23it could be three or four years of dirt down there at Ian's, right,
32:27that can give us that consistency back.
32:29Because we don't know what's in it.
32:31It could have 30 ounces come out of this stuff
32:33or it could only have a couple of grams.
32:35I don't know, but just give us that chance.
32:38What do you think?
32:43Three ounces, mate.
32:45Three ounces on the scale?
32:46That's the deal.
32:47And you're still sticking with us?
32:48Yep, if not, I'm gone.
32:50All right.
32:51Done.
32:52Hey, it'll work out.
32:53We'll get three ounces.
32:57Oh, bloody hell.
32:59So they're trying to poach me, boy.
33:02This could be the most important three ounces
33:04that I've ever had to try and find, that's for certain.
33:09I don't want to see Ethan go
33:11and I'm going to fight tooth and nail
33:13to get all this dirt through and all the gold on the scales
33:17because he's more than a worker for me.
33:19He's me brother-in-law, he's me mate,
33:21he's someone that I trust
33:23and I really don't want to lose him.
33:27This is about me and my future,
33:29me and me family's future
33:30and how we go forward from here on in.
33:33We've set a target.
33:34If it's not there...
33:38I'm off.
33:53Well, it's getting to the pointy end of the week now.
33:57Probably the last cut
33:58and then we'll probably think about doing a weigh-up.
34:01We're all pretty tired.
34:04You know, hands are sore, backs are sore.
34:08We've worked really hard this week.
34:12Let's do it, last pad, mate.
34:14And then we're due for a big old weigh-up, eh?
34:16Oh, that sounds awesome.
34:20You ready?
34:21I'm ready, mate.
34:22I'm going to bring the noise!
34:23You dig them old detective!
34:24Woo!
34:31I love this thing!
34:33So good!
34:38Oh!
34:39Man, give me goosebumps!
34:41This one's going to be so good, I can feel it.
34:51Getting hard again!
34:52Alrighty!
34:53Bring the jackhammer over, mate.
34:54Oh, that's a good sign!
34:57Just bust around and go...
34:58I'll just punch around the outsides and be careful.
35:04It's going to be a good one!
35:08Pull that out!
35:09There you go!
35:15Nothing on the edge yet.
35:16Another 200, bro.
35:26Rip into that, man!
35:32Oh, she's going nuts!
35:33I reckon I might have to get the pointer, eh?
35:35Yeah, we don't want to damage this one, eh?
35:38It seemed to work.
35:40Let's see if we can locate this sucker.
35:42The last thing that we want to do
35:44is ruin a beautiful nugget with a jackhammer or a pick.
35:47It just decreases the value.
35:48We want to keep this thing looking naturally beautiful.
35:51Ooh, getting a signal.
35:55Close.
35:58Oh!
35:59Dad!
36:00Dad!
36:01Dad!
36:02Dad!
36:03No way!
36:06Look at that!
36:07What a chunk!
36:08That's an ounce nugget right there.
36:10What a slug!
36:11That's at least three and a half grand.
36:14Just gives you faith in us being out here, doesn't it, man?
36:16It does.
36:17When something like that comes out of the ground.
36:18Yeah, man.
36:19This is just going to bump us up for the end of the week.
36:22I guess we just don't want to know what we've got
36:23till we get up there and get it on the scales.
36:25Let's do it, eh?
36:26One week.
36:33I absolutely love these water pots.
36:38They're a great find, that's for sure.
36:40Never seen anything like it before.
36:43Yeah, a little collector's item for us.
36:45The gold in that area, it was there, but it's just small.
36:49There's not much weight here, mate.
36:51Yeah.
36:52Well, we're sitting on about 17 ounces plus
36:55whatever comes out of that jar.
36:59Ready?
37:01Ready?
37:02I'm ready.
37:03At least get over an ounce, hey?
37:07Oh!
37:08Dead on two ounces on the nose.
37:10Two ounces!
37:11That's not so bad.
37:12Yep.
37:13That's seven grand's worth.
37:15So that puts us not too far under 20 ounces now,
37:18but we're at the halfway mark.
37:2045 to go, and it's only going to get hotter and harder from here.
37:25I feel like I let us down a bit, to be honest.
37:27I mean, you know, I picked that spot
37:29and thought it was going to be the one for the year.
37:31What we do is 100% a gamble.
37:33Will it pay or won't it pay?
37:35And the only way to find out is going in there and doing it.
37:38Yeah.
37:39If we use all that technology we've got as well,
37:41the drone, the good detectors, just our know-how at the Palmer too.
37:44Like, we're pretty experienced here now.
37:46We'll make a plan and get ready, and we'll do it all again.
37:50Hit the maps, find the next spot.
37:52Get the gold.
37:54Right, I'm going to wash my jar first.
37:56I want to be able to have water out of my water jug.
38:00At least you can keep cool with some nice cold water now,
38:04just like the old-timers did.
38:15Hey, buddy.
38:16Howdy, guys.
38:17Hey, Kyle.
38:18How are we?
38:19Fire out. I'm knackered.
38:20Yeah, man, I mean, the hard ground was killing me,
38:23and it was costing us time.
38:24That jackhammer just changed everything for us.
38:26Like, we were just motoring through.
38:28I was having a blast on that thing yesterday.
38:30You were out of control, mate.
38:33Couldn't get the thing out of your hands.
38:35Now, we're going to need a fair bit on the scales
38:37to be getting close to this 120-ounce target.
38:40We are nearly halfway through our season,
38:43and our total is 9.4 ounces.
38:46We've got a fair bit of gold to get there.
38:48Yeah, we haven't hit 5 ounces yet for a week's work,
38:51so I think this week we'll get it.
38:53I'm nervous to see what numbers come up on those scales, though.
38:56Yeah.
38:57All right, team, ready?
38:59I'll show you.
39:00Hey, Sonny, we're weighing it up.
39:02Weighing the gold.
39:03Do you want to come and see?
39:04Ready?
39:05You won't hear that.
39:06Are you ready?
39:07Here we go.
39:12Ooh, 9.1 ounces.
39:15And the biggies?
39:16We've got a couple of biggies.
39:17What?
39:18One, two.
39:2111.5 ounces.
39:2311.5.
39:25Just over 40 grand's worth.
39:27Epic.
39:28That brings us up to just over 21 ounces.
39:30That's over 70 grand.
39:32We'll just pay that digger off.
39:33No way.
39:34Everything's all up from here,
39:35and we're actually making some profit.
39:37Amazing.
39:38Okay, Sonny, ready to pack it up?
39:40I'm going to sell this.
39:45All right.
39:46Well, I think Sonny wants to go digging.
39:48I can't see.
39:51Where's Dad going?
39:52What are we doing, Sonny?
39:53Digging.
39:54Digging?
39:55Going to dig.
39:56All right, mate.
39:57Well, let's pack it up.
39:58All right, I'll pack this up, and let's get into it.
40:00Well, here's to an epic week, guys.
40:09I'm ready.
40:10You ready?
40:11Not really, mate.
40:12I'm bloody nervous, to be honest.
40:14There's a lot riding on this weigh-in.
40:16Well, I'll tell you what, mate.
40:18The future is in this jar right now, mate.
40:21That's the hard part about it, mate.
40:22It's a gut-wrenching feeling, though,
40:23and that's going to determine our future.
40:25Three ounces, right?
40:27We just might get there.
40:29So you might still be stuck with me, mate.
40:32Let's just get it on there.
40:33Let's see what happens.
40:39An ounce and a half, mate.
40:442.6.
40:45That's going.
40:46That's not bad.
40:482 point...
40:50What is it, Ethan?
40:522.82, mate.
40:54It's close.
40:55That's bloody close.
40:572.82 ounces, that's nearly 10 grand's worth of gold.
41:01At least we've got our money back.
41:03But we haven't hit target, so what's it going to be, mate?
41:08It's a tough call, mate, but I think that's it.
41:11OK?
41:14It's just...
41:16It's absolutely heartbreaking, mate,
41:17but I think that's the way it's going to have to go.
41:20This is the end of the road.
41:22I've got an opportunity that I have to jump on,
41:24and you're my family, 100%,
41:27but I've got to worry about my little family.
41:29Yeah, I understand, mate.
41:30You've got all the skill set perfect for here.
41:33You know, when you first come to me, you could barely...
41:36You could barely move a dozer back and forth.
41:38Now, mate, you can operate everything and anything.
41:41To be honest, mate, that's what makes it so much harder,
41:43is because I've now got those skill sets because of you,
41:47and now I've been offered that, you know?
41:50Mate, it's your turn to fly, yeah?
41:52Look, I ain't looking like that.
41:54It's your turn to spread your wings, right,
41:57and go on to maybe better and bigger things, you know?
42:00My dream over at Caddo's is still very much still alive.
42:04That's my dream of Chase Bignone. That's my dream.
42:07You've got to start looking after your dreams, and this is it?
42:10I think so.
42:11Come here. Come here, you.
42:13Thank you, mate. Thanks.
42:15Hey, we've done all right, eh?
42:17We're still only five minutes from each other, mate, so we're close.
42:19You never know, I might call you for an adventure if I need you.
42:22I'll be there, mate.
42:23I'm going to get going before I start bloody balling up.
42:26Thanks, buddy. I'll talk to you.
42:28Talk to you later, Eith.
42:41It's by far one of the hardest things I've had to do, you know?
42:44It's...it's one journey over,
42:47but another one that's going to, you know, start for me.
42:50It's time, you know?
42:52It's just ironic that where I started is where I'm going to end up.
43:00While Ethan's future looks pretty certain now,
43:04well, I just don't know where I'm going to go from here.
43:07Gold is just more than a job for me.
43:10It's a passion.
43:12And for me, that passion keeps growing stronger and stronger.
43:17Mining is not over for me.
43:19Yes, it's changing a big way,
43:21but it's still going to be there
43:24and I'm still going to chase that dream of mine.
43:37AVAILABLE NOW