Outback Opal Hunters

The Bushmen, Rod Manning and Les Walsh, alongside new recruit Sam Mehan, put their lives on the line in the most dangerous mine they have ever worked. Gross incompetence with a new bulldozer lands The Blacklighters in hot water with Mark’s wife.

Cody’s eagerness to prove himself becomes a liability as he gets trapped down a mine shaft. Just as they’re making progress at their crumbling, fault-riddled mine, The Bushmen are blindsided by a catastrophic digger failure.

The Misfits struggle to find an opal king stone in time to fulfil a bespoke pendant order for an interstate buyer. Mark Bressan and Chris Cheal battle to fix their downed excavator as encroaching wet weather attracts ratters to their exposed mine.

Slim Pickings’ efforts to mine their claim are derailed by a slipped excavator track and busted wash plant motor belt. The Blacklighters face off against big rain and bigger egos as they scrounge for any last opal at their Land of Promise Claim.

Sam smashes valuable opal with a jackhammer in the Bushmen’s mine, and Rod and Les make a wager that will force the loser to wear one of Sam’s pink shirts in public. The Mooka Boys search for a fabled opal level at the bottom of a dried creek bed.

The Cheals’ dreams of expanding their Opal Empire with partner Mark Bressan are crushed by the reality of juggling two mines. The Misfits are reunited after the return of Issy and Joe. Slim Pickings’ Lee Hobden takes a gamble on mystery opal dirt.

Chris suffers a spider bite, forcing kids Oscar and Luca to take up the mining mantle. Lee from Slim Pickings battles dangerous shaft-riddled ground on a quad bike. A thirty-thousand-dollar mechanical failure brings Dan and Renee’s enterprise to a halt.

The Blacklighters are hit with a double dose of disaster, busting their loader's brakes and the excavator's hydraulic arm. The Bushmen are blindsided by a government decision to shut down thousands of opal claims across New South Wales.

In the wake of sudden Government shutdowns, The Bushmen are forced back into their deadly mine. While Dan and Renee are working overtime into the night, Renee is almost buried alive.

With water running critically low at their only wash dam, The Cheals work double-time to restore a second agitator. Blacklighters Mark I’Anson and Paul Coon get boxed-in during their mission to clear nine metres of overburden at their new Servo claim.

The Misfits are forced to work through the night, betting everything on untested DIY contraptions to meet meet a colossal rainbow matrix order. The Cheals’ million-dollar operation is sent into a tailspin after Oscar drops the bombshell of his departure.

The Blacklighters face off against each other as Mark’s inexperience with the dozer proves too much for Paul. Slim Pickings are forced to relocate their entire wash plant in the rush to fulfil a high-stakes order for an international buyer.

The Bushmen risk their lives 12 metres underground as they attempt to free their stranded digger. On the eve of the famous Lightning Ridge Opal Festival, The Misfits battle to treat 150kg of matrix opal, forcing Cody to cook up a miracle.

The Mooka Boys’ hopes of a season-saving pocket of black opal are decimated by a busted starter motor on their dozer. Oscar sends The Cheals on an important mission to unearth a rare green-orange gemstone for a potential buyer.

The Bushmen scramble to dig to a newly drilled emergency shaft before they can resume mining. As the mercury soars, The Mooka Boys embark on a dangerous mission to crane a vital DIY shelter across the Lunatic Opal Field.

Mining on his own and desperate for cash, Dan Measey takes a gamble on new but unproven opal-detecting AI technology. Locked in the grip of a relentless drought, Slim Pickings are forced to relocate their mining operation in desperate search of water.

After sinking a new shaft to save their backs, The Bushmen are stonewalled by impenetrable rock. The Mooka Boys are finally ready to start tunnelling toward black opal glory, until their last working machine suffers a catastrophic breakdown.

When Mark is hospitalised after a mining accident, Paul and John must work overtime on two separate claims to scrape together enough opal to survive the week. Matt and brother Cozza head on a night mission that unearths unusual glowing yellow rocks.

Lee and Roger attempt to find enough opal to purchase a water saving trommel. The Cheals go into overdrive as they hit a massive pocket of plate sized opal in their open cut mine. Brutal Outback temperatures cripple Cozza with severe heat stroke.

The Bushmen, Rod, Sam and Ben must use their last dig of the season to secure enough opal for Les’ long-awaited retirement. A miscalculation costs The Blacklighters thousands of dollars. Cody almost meets his demise down a 10-metre mine shaft.