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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ003120S
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00:25 In the deserts of the South Australian outback,
00:28 in one of Australia's harshest regions 00:30 and hottest climates, is the town of Coober Pedy. 00:34 It's one of Australia's most unusual places. 00:37 In fact, it's called the world's strangest town. 00:42 In summer, the temperature can reach 50 degrees Celsius, 00:46 and the residents have come up with a novel way 00:49 to keep cool and avoid the burning heat. 00:52 They've gone underground. 00:54 Much of the town has been built 00:57 beneath the blistering hot surface. 00:59 Houses, cafes, shops, 01:02 hotels and churches are all underground. 01:06 Coober Pedy is also known 01:09 as the opal capital of the world. 01:12 Most of the world's opal comes from this tiny outback town. 01:17 Today, we're going underground in this opal mining town, 01:21 in search of treasure, buried treasure. 01:25 And maybe, just maybe, together, 01:28 we'll discover real treasure, the treasure of life. 01:45 Coober Pedy is called the opal mining capital 01:48 of the world and is located 01:50 in the harsh outback of South Australia. 01:53 The town is 845 kilometers north of Adelaide 01:57 and 685 kilometers south of Alice Springs 02:01 along the Stewart highway. 02:03 You know, you are nearing Coober Pedy 02:06 when you see shafts, 02:08 opal mining trucks and thousands of mullock heaps 02:11 from mining activities that make the desert 02:14 look like a lunar landscape. 02:17 Also, as you enter the town, 02:20 perched on top of the town sign is the symbol for this town, 02:24 an old opal mining truck. 02:28 About 95% of the world's precious opals 02:31 come from Australia, and 85% of them 02:35 are found right here in the 70 opal fields 02:38 in the region of Coober Pedy. 02:41 But it's not only famous for opals, 02:43 but also for its unique accommodation, 02:46 and legendary stories of courage and endurance. 02:50 The climate here is harsh. 02:53 Coober Pedy has a hot desert climate, 02:56 with temperatures often climbing towards 02:58 50 degrees Celsius in the summer months. 03:02 The town is surrounded by a flat, 03:04 stony treeless desert, 03:06 with low rainfall and low humidity. 03:10 Residents have found a novel way to keep cool. 03:14 About 50% of the 2,500 residents 03:18 prefer to live underground or in caves 03:21 dug into the hillside that are called dugouts. 03:25 But these aren't just ordinary caves or caverns. 03:28 Many of them are well furnished, 03:30 and they have all the creature comforts 03:32 that make life pleasant and cozy. 03:35 Here in Coober Pedy, you can even stay 03:38 in an underground motel 03:40 that provides luxury accommodation. 03:43 And if you're lucky, you'll find a vein of rich opal 03:47 in the walls of your room. 03:49 There's even an underground camping site. 03:52 There are also underground churches, shops, cafes, 03:56 businesses and, of course, the mines. 04:01 It is believed that some of the soldiers 04:03 who returned from the trenches of France 04:06 after the First World War 04:08 came to Coober Pedy in search of treasure. 04:11 They began the idea of living in the underground homes 04:15 to escape the harsh summer heat 04:17 because the climate underground has an even temperature 04:21 of 19 to 25 degrees Celsius all year. 04:25 The dugout homes are very popular. 04:28 A standard three-bedroom cave home has a lounge, 04:31 kitchen and bathroom excavated out of the rock. 04:35 Apparently, the cost to build an underground home 04:39 is the similar price to building a house 04:41 on the surface. 04:43 And, of course, you save on your power bills 04:45 because you don't need air conditioning 04:47 in summer or winter. 04:49 One of the 10 most unusual golf courses in the world 04:53 is found here in Coober Pedy. 04:55 It's an 18-hole, 72-par grassless golf course. 05:01 The course traverses the desert flats 05:03 and gibber hills of Coober Pedy. 05:05 The greens are black and the fairways are white. 05:08 You can even see the usual golf course sign, 05:12 keep off the grass, even though there isn't a blade 05:15 of grass anywhere in sight. 05:18 This land has long been the home 05:20 of the Aboriginal people 05:22 who were hunters and gatherers and lived a nomadic lifestyle 05:26 in this desert landscape. 05:28 In 1975, they adopted the name Umoona, 05:33 meaning long life. 05:35 The first European explorer in the area 05:38 was John Stewart in 1858. 05:41 And the township was first named after him. 05:44 But in 1920, it was renamed Coober Pedy, 05:49 which comes from the Aboriginal words kupa-piti, 05:52 which are commonly thought to mean white man in a hole. 05:57 The reason the white men were in holes 06:00 is really the story of Coober Pedy. 06:03 Just over 100 years ago, 06:05 a small group of men named 06:07 the new Colorado prospecting syndicate, 06:10 were unsuccessfully searching for gold, 06:13 just south of Coober Pedy. 06:16 On the 1st of February 1915, 06:18 the group camped in a dry riverbed near this area, 06:22 and went looking for water. 06:24 While the adults went in search of water, 06:27 the young 15-year-old William Hutchinson, 06:30 son of the leader of the men picked up some surface 06:33 opals lying on the ground. 06:36 Instead of gold, they had found 06:38 the rare colored gemstone opals. 06:42 Eight days later, 06:43 the first opal claim was picked. 06:46 But due to lack of water, and the extreme summer heat, 06:50 the group left Coober Pedy for William Creek. 06:53 The name Opal comes from the Latin 06:56 and Greek word Opalis, meaning to see a color change. 07:01 It's also known as fire of the desert 07:04 by the local indigenous people. 07:07 They believe the colors of the opal were created 07:10 when a rainbow touched the earth. 07:13 Opals are one of the most beautiful gemstones 07:16 in the world. 07:18 They have an amazing display of fiery colors 07:21 with mesmerizing patterns, 07:23 and are considered a symbol of hope 07:25 and good fortune. 07:27 When news of the opal discovery broke, 07:30 thee O'Neill brothers and Fred Blakely from Tarcoola 07:34 arrived in Coober Pedy and became the pioneers 07:37 of opal mining here. 07:39 Due to the inhospitable conditions of the desert, 07:42 they soon moved underground. 07:45 The opal boom began in 1917 07:49 when the transcontinental railway 07:50 from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie was completed. 07:54 Then just after the end of World War I, 07:57 thousands of soldiers returned to Australia 08:00 and were looking for work. 08:02 They flooded to the opal fields, 08:04 hoping to make their fortune quickly. 08:07 During the Great Depression of the late 1930s, 08:11 opal prices plummeted. 08:13 Mining and production almost came to a standstill. 08:17 Until Toddy Bryant, an Aboriginal woman 08:20 found opal within 20 centimeters of the surface 08:24 at the Eight Mile field in 1946. 08:27 This caused a great sensation, 08:29 and was a turning point 08:31 in the history of opal mining here. 08:34 And then in 1956, one of the most valuable 08:38 and famous opals ever discovered, 08:40 named the Olympic Australis was found 08:43 at the Coober Pedy Eight Mile opal field. 08:46 This stone weighs approximately 3.4 kilos 08:50 and is exquisitely beautiful. 08:52 The discovery rekindled an interest in opal mining. 08:57 But conditions were extremely harsh 09:00 in the early opal fields. 09:02 Water and provisions had to be brought 09:05 in over great distances 09:07 and under very difficult conditions. 09:09 Water was especially scarce and it was strictly rationed. 09:14 But despite these hardships, 09:16 by the 1960s opal mining had developed 09:19 into a multimillion dollar industry and Coober Pedy 09:24 became a modern opal mining center. 09:28 The opals here are mined in an area called 09:32 the Coober Pedy precious stones field, 09:34 which covers an area of almost 5,000 square kilometers. 09:40 Now, the simplest form of opal mining used 09:43 is to sink a shaft with a pick and shovel. 09:46 A shaft is a vertical tunnel dug about 09:49 10 meters below the surface. 09:51 Once in the clay, they carefully dig a tunnel 09:55 along that level as they search for the colored stones. 09:59 Each miner then carefully sifts 10:02 through the clay centimeter by centimeter 10:04 until he finds a patch of dirt that has the promise 10:08 of that glimmer of fiery stone. 10:11 Some of the miners call it a rainbow in the dirt. 10:15 Then they delicately use a screwdriver 10:17 or sharp implement to extract the fragile opal. 10:21 Since the 1970s there's been a rapid increase 10:25 in the use of mining machines. 10:28 Most shafts are now dug by a cold weld type drill 10:32 to excavate a one meter in diameter hole 10:35 using an auger bucket. 10:37 These drills can dig to a depth of 28 to 30 meters. 10:42 Today, most opal fields look like a moon landscape 10:47 and are pitted with abandoned cold weld shafts and mallets 10:51 or mounds of waste material. 10:53 These abandoned prospecting drill holes 10:56 are up to 30 meters deep. 10:58 It's estimated that there are over 11:01 one and a half million open shafts in the area. 11:05 Many signs warn visitors of this danger. 11:09 The tunneling machines with revolving cutting heads 11:12 are called boggers. 11:14 Once they've cut the tunnel, 11:16 smaller bulldozers remove the exposed dirt, 11:19 but not before spotters check the site 11:22 for the fiery gemstone. 11:24 All land waste was originally transported to the surface 11:29 by a hand windlass. 11:31 Now a power winch or automatic bucket tipper 11:34 does the job. 11:36 The process of searching through 11:38 the heaps of discarded mullock for pieces of opal missed 11:41 by the miners is called noodling. 11:45 And you can often see tourists trying to find their fortune 11:48 in these mullock heaps. 11:50 But finding opal is only 20% of the work. 11:55 Eighty five percent of all opals found 11:57 are called poch, or an opal without fiery colors, 12:02 which has very little worth. 12:04 Only 10% of opals have the vivid fiery colors 12:08 that are so valuable. 12:11 The process of getting the stone cut, 12:13 polished and designed is lengthy 12:16 and requires a high level of skill. 12:19 The trickiest process is shaping the opal 12:22 to display the best color. 12:24 The most sought-after color is the bright red. 12:28 It's like a fire in the desert. 12:31 Opals are classed according to their quality, brilliance, 12:34 clarity, variety and pattern. 12:38 And there are three main factors 12:39 in determining their value, 12:41 base color, brilliance and patterns. 12:45 The highest priced opals have a black base, 12:49 have red fire colors, 12:50 and the Harlequin color pattern. 12:53 The most expensive opal was found here 12:56 at Eight Mile in Coober Pedy. 12:58 It is said to glow in the dark 13:00 and is worth well over a million dollars. 13:04 The brilliant colors of opals are considered so unique 13:07 and valuable that in 1993 13:11 the opal was named Australia's national gemstone 13:15 and there are legendary stories of courage and endurance 13:18 associated with searching for them. 13:21 But opals aren't the only thing of interest in the outback. 13:25 Just 15 kilometers northeast of Coober Pedy, 13:29 you can see part of the 5,300 kilometer 13:32 Dingo Fence. 13:33 It's the world's longest continuous construction 13:37 and stretches from Surfers Paradise 13:39 in Queensland to the cliffs at Ceduna 13:43 in the Great Australian Bight along the Nullarbor Plain. 13:47 The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is the pest-exclusion fence 13:51 that was built in Australia during the 1880s. 13:55 Its purpose is to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile 13:59 southeast part of the continent 14:01 and protect the sheep flocks of Southern Queensland. 14:05 Now just 33 kilometers north of Coober Pedy, 14:09 there is a conservation park called the Breakaways. 14:13 This striking rock landscape of flat-topped mesas 14:16 is home to a wonderful array of Australian fauna and flora. 14:21 There are kangaroos, wallabies, emus, 14:24 a variety of reptiles, including lizards and snakes, 14:28 as well as numerous varieties of desert birds, 14:31 such as eagles, parrots and finches. 14:37 Back in February, 1920, a rugged looking muscular man 14:42 over 1.8 meters in height and weighing 102 kilograms, 14:46 stepped off the train at Tarcoola. 14:49 Iron man Jim Shaw had traveled all the way by train 14:53 from Western Australia. 14:55 And he asked the man, 14:56 how he could get from there to Coober Pedy 14:59 and the opal mines. 15:01 He was told that the only way was to wait 15:04 for the station truck and pay for a ride 15:07 to the opal field. 15:08 But the truck had left yesterday 15:10 and wouldn't be back for a while. 15:12 So he just have to wait around Tarcoola until it returned. 15:17 Well, that didn't suit Jim. 15:20 He couldn't wait to find his share of buried treasure 15:23 in the opal fields. 15:25 So he decided to push his wheelbarrow 15:28 the 241 kilometers across the desert, 15:32 all the way to Coober Pedy. 15:34 Pushing a wheelbarrow was apparently a common form 15:38 of transport for miners back then. 15:40 They would put all their possessions 15:42 and mining tools in their wheelbarrow 15:44 and off they would go. 15:46 And there were a lot of stories of them 15:48 dying next to their wheelbarrows too. 15:51 Jim's wheelbarrow was no ordinary wheelbarrow. 15:55 He riveted the 12-gauge iron tire 15:57 for sand country. 15:59 And he lubricated the bearing with graphite. 16:02 Into the wheelbarrow, 16:03 he piled a prospector's outfit of pick, 16:07 shovel, two rock drills, a hammer, a blanket roll, 16:11 some spare clothing, and a small Calico tent. 16:16 He also had a billycan, frying pan, food, 16:19 a water bag for immediate use, and a galantine as a reserve. 16:24 He was carrying around five liters of water. 16:27 One onlooker said that it looked 16:29 as if he was putting a horse out of a job. 16:33 Jim would have to push his wheelbarrow 16:35 across endless sand hills in desert in temperatures 16:38 over 30 degrees Celsius during the day 16:41 and approaching freezing at night. 16:44 The Tarcoola locals tried to talk him out of it, 16:47 but Jim was adamant. 16:50 When he came to his first sand hill, 16:53 he discovered that it was impossible 16:55 to push his loaded wheelbarrow up the sand hill. 16:58 So he unloaded everything and carried all his equipment 17:03 and food up the hill in a number of trips. 17:06 Then he pulled the empty wheelbarrow 17:09 up to the top and reloaded it for the downhill trip. 17:13 Eventually, after countless sand hills 17:16 and completely exhausted, 17:18 he arrived at Bulgannia Station Homestead. 17:21 The manager of the station couldn't believe his eyes 17:26 and quickly gave Jim some water with which to drench himself. 17:31 Refreshed from his overnight stay at the homestead, 17:34 he headed off the next day. 17:36 The track was now a bit better, 17:38 and the weather was cooler. 17:39 But the flies were worse than ever. 17:43 Eventually, Jim reached Ingomar Station, 17:47 where the manager tried to convince him 17:49 not to continue, 17:51 as he still had more than 80 kilometers to go 17:54 and it was madness for him to continue 17:56 in the middle of summer. 17:57 There were also long stretches with no water. 18:01 But Jim would not be deterred. 18:03 Jim thanked the manager, 18:06 but told him that he would continue on his journey. 18:09 But Jim asked if he could stay a few days 18:12 and have some leather to resole his shoes 18:15 as they were just about worn out 18:17 from the sand and stones. 18:19 Jim set off from Ingomar in the afternoon, 18:23 and walked again until late at night. 18:25 He was even beginning to doubt that finding opals 18:29 was worth what he was putting himself through. 18:33 He was dismayed to see that the wheel of his barrow 18:37 was buckling due to the heavy load 18:39 and the very rough conditions. 18:41 His feet were also very sore from walking. 18:44 He was still 48 kilometers from Coober Pedy. 18:48 But Jim just kept on going. 18:52 Despite the flies, heat, stones and sand, 18:56 he finally made it to Coober Pedy 18:58 in the opal fields with his wheelbarrow and equipment. 19:03 Many of the miners had heard of Jim's amazing journey 19:07 and were waiting for him to celebrate his arrival. 19:10 And that's how Jim Shaw came to be known 19:13 as Iron Man Jim Shaw, 19:16 a true legend of the outback, 19:18 the man who pushed his wheelbarrow 241 kilometers 19:22 across the desert to search for buried treasure. 19:27 What happened to Jim after that? 19:30 Well, he settled in Coober Pedy and worked several opal plains, 19:35 but for all his hard efforts to get there, sadly, 19:39 he never found much. 19:41 It's an epic story of a man who risked everything 19:44 to find buried treasure in the opal fields. 19:49 However, there is a sure way to obtain treasure, 19:53 real treasure, the treasure of life. 19:56 Jesus told an epic story about buried treasure also. 20:00 Here it is in Matthew 13:44. 20:05 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. 20:09 When a man found it, he hid it again, 20:12 and then in his joy went and sold all he had 20:16 and bought that field." 20:18 People didn't have banks in the same way as we do today. 20:22 And they didn't use safes to protect their money. 20:24 Instead, they would choose a spot under their house, 20:28 or often just an unlikely spot in an open field. 20:32 They would dig a hole and bury their money there. 20:36 And what would often happen is that the owner would die, 20:40 and no one would know where he buried the money. 20:43 Everyone used to do this, including the rich. 20:47 That's why it's quite common even today for people 20:50 to find buried treasure cases in random places 20:54 across the lands of the Bible. 20:56 And back then, it was basically finders keepers. 21:00 If you found treasure, it's yours, 21:03 especially if you own the land. 21:05 Now, let's use our imagination a little as we think about 21:09 this story that Jesus told. 21:12 Here is a man who perhaps is just plowing a field 21:16 when his plow jams against something solid. 21:19 When the man digs down, he finds a box. 21:23 And immediately he's excited, 21:25 because he knows that it's buried treasure. 21:28 And when he opens the box, 21:30 he finds that it's a hoard of treasure 21:33 beyond his wildest dreams. 21:36 Immediately, he buries it again to keep it safe, 21:40 because he knows what he has to do. 21:43 The man goes to the owner of the field 21:45 and says to him, "I want to buy your field. 21:48 What will you sell it to me for?" 21:51 "It's not for sale," he's told. 21:55 "Everything's got a price. 21:57 I'll give you whatever you want for it. 21:59 Name your price." 22:01 The owner gives him a price. 22:03 "That's ridiculous," the man says. 22:06 "That's my price," the owner replies. 22:10 Even though the price is exorbitant, 22:13 the man decides that he will do whatever 22:15 it takes, because he must have the land. 22:20 He starts off by selling his own house and land, 22:24 but it's still not enough. 22:26 He then sells off his donkey and his work tools, 22:29 but it still isn't enough. 22:31 Finally, he sells all his household contents. 22:35 His family and his neighbors think he's mad. 22:38 But he doesn't care because he knows 22:41 what he's doing. 22:42 He counts his money, 22:44 and he has just enough to buy the field. 22:48 And so he hurries back to the owner, 22:51 pays him the money and buys the field. 22:54 And instead of suffering from buyer's remorse, 22:57 he's over the moon with joy. 23:00 He can't believe his good fortune. 23:03 Everyone thought he had gone mad. 23:06 After all, he had sold his own seemingly 23:09 good property, and everything else he owned, 23:12 even the clothes off his back to buy this field. 23:15 He had paid a price that was far higher 23:18 than anyone else could ever thought it was worth. 23:22 But he did it because he knew what was buried in that field. 23:27 It was a treasure that was far, 23:28 far more valuable than the one Iron Man Jim Shaw 23:32 was looking for in Coober Pedy. 23:35 You see the treasure buried in the field in Jesus story 23:39 represents the treasure of salvation, eternal life, 23:44 a treasure that is worth far more than anything else 23:47 we could ever look for on this earth. 23:49 Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 16:26. 23:55 "For what profit is that to a man, 23:57 if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul." 24:03 Here, Jesus is talking about the real treasure of life, 24:08 the treasure that is really worth everything, 24:10 which is life itself. 24:12 What He's saying is that people go to enormous lengths 24:16 to gain the world, but miss the real treasure. 24:20 Why do they miss it? 24:21 Well, first of all, because it's buried in a field. 24:25 You have to dig a bit deeper than the shallow stuff 24:28 with which our society surrounds us every day. 24:32 But the other reason why so many people 24:34 miss the real treasure of life is that like Jim, 24:38 they think that they'll find it by pushing wheelbarrows. 24:41 In other words, by working hard for it, 24:45 so people can work hard all their lives, 24:48 but never become truly rich. 24:51 They can live amazing lives and be good people, 24:54 but never find the greatest treasure 24:56 of all, eternal life. 24:59 The reason is that you don't find it 25:01 by pushing wheelbarrows. 25:04 You find it by simply accepting it as a gift from Jesus Christ. 25:08 How do you accept the free gift? 25:11 By admitting that you're a sinner, 25:13 and that you need Jesus and asking Him to forgive you 25:16 and to come into your life, then you'll have eternal life. 25:21 Really, when you consider the incredible efforts 25:24 by people like Iron Man Jim Shaw to find 25:28 some shiny stones in the ground, 25:30 you have to ask yourself, 25:32 if you're satisfied with the way your life is now, 25:35 and what you'd be willing to do to have something better. 25:40 And when you realize what Jesus is offering you, 25:43 there's no sacrifice that would be too much 25:46 for the gift of eternal life, 25:48 a forever life of happiness and peace. 25:51 Except what's most amazing about God's offer to you 25:55 is that He isn't asking you to pay any money 25:59 or to push wheelbarrows. 26:01 He's offering you salvation as a gift. 26:05 So if you're sick of pushing wheelbarrows in life, 26:08 and you'd like to say to Jesus, 26:11 that you accept His free gift 26:12 of the greatest treasure of all, 26:14 then I'd like to recommend the free gift 26:17 we have for all our incredible journey viewers today. 26:21 It's the easy to read booklet, 26:23 "Finding Treasure: A Beginner's Guide." 26:27 This small book will share with you the way 26:29 to find the most important treasure in life. 26:32 It's our gift to you and is absolutely free. 26:36 I guarantee that there are no costs 26:37 or obligations whatsoever. 26:40 So don't miss this wonderful opportunity 26:43 to receive the free gift we have for you today. 26:48 Phone or text us at 0436 333 555 in Australia, 26:54 or 020 422 2042 in New Zealand, 26:59 or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free offer 27:05 and we'll send it to you totally free of charge 27:08 and with no obligation. 27:09 Write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney, New South Wales 2001, 27:15 Australia or PO Box 76673, 27:20 Manukau, Auckland 2241, New Zealand. 27:23 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:28 If you've enjoyed our journey to Coober Pedy 27:30 to see the opals, the fire of the desert, 27:33 along with the story of Iron Man Jim Shaw, 27:36 then be sure to join us again next week 27:39 when we'll share another of life's journeys together. 27:43 Until then, let's ask God to lead us 27:46 to our own buried treasure 27:48 that He has prepared for us in Jesus Christ. 27:51 Let's pray. 27:53 Dear Heavenly Father, 27:55 thank You for the beauty of opals, 27:57 the fire of the desert. 27:59 Lord, we're all interested in buried treasure. 28:02 But may we always focus first and foremost 28:06 on the greatest treasure of all, 28:08 Jesus and the gift of salvation that He offers us 28:12 and the inner peace and happiness He brings. 28:16 We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2020-10-04