Returning: Outback Opal Hunters

Season 4 of Outback Opal Hunters returns to Discovery in early February.

The 12-part series from Prospero Productions features nine teams across three states.

The quest to find opal is gruelling work and there’s no shortage of blood, sweat and tears. For the crews it means life off the grid; surviving the searing heat and mechanical breakdowns, ruthless opal thieves and haemorrhaging bank accounts before their next big find. Their livelihood depends on finding opal, and under intense amounts of pressure, some relationships will strengthen and grow, while others will be torn apart.

In this season of Outback Opal Hunters, the opal mission continues for Col Duff (Opalton, QLD), The Boulder Boys – led by Aaron Grotjahn (Opalton, QLD), The Bros – Pete Cooke & Sam Westra (Lightning Ridge, NSW), The Young Guns – Jaymin Sullivan Noah McDonough & James ‘JC’ Caruana (White Cliffs, NSW), The Bushmen – Rod Manning & Les Walsh (Sheepyards, NSW) and The Tunnel Rats – father-son duo Rodney & Bayden Pearse and Elisa Grobe.

New crews joining the mix are The Poms – Carl Grice and jeweller Mary McMillan (White Cliffs, NSW) who are taking their very first steps as opal hunters; The McFarlanes family (Lightning Ridge, NSW) Gavan, his wife Connie and 16-year-old daughter Teagan who are desperate to find opal to literally keep a roof over their head; and The Cheals – father and son Chris and Oscar Cheal who smash into the season late and have to race to dig a new mine and hit a new opal seam before the brutal summer temperatures hit.

The epic new season of Outback Opal Hunters rides the gamut of human emotion; from unimaginable highs as life-changing discoveries are made, to bust ups, heartbreak and defeat. But these crews know all too well that once opal fever sets in, there’s no escaping it and will push their bodies, bank accounts and willpower to the limit, determined to made a fortune hunting one of the most valuable gemstones on the planet.

Thursday 6 February at 8:30pm on Discovery Channel.