Outback Opal Hunters - Series 2 (ATOM Study Guide)

Overview

Following a motley selection of free-spirited and determined Australian miners, the series travels to remote pockets of Australia's vast desert interior to capture the miners' search for one of the world's most coveted gems: opal. 90 percent of the world's entire opal supply is found in the Australian Outback. With world prices doubling every five years, a single piece can be worth millions of dollars, making a miner rich overnight.

Favourite teams from the series' first season The Rookies, Col's Crew, The Cooke Brothers and The Opal Queen return. They are joined by brand new team The Fire Crew, a family risking all their savings hoping to strike it rich hunting valuable new opal in a totally new region of Australia. With five teams over four states, the series follows their roller-coaster ride of frustration and discovery as they measure themselves each day against the vastness of the unforgiving outback. Along the way they must confront cunning gem dealers, grizzled veterans and untamed outback characters.

The series provokes considerations not simply of mining, but of the Australian 'pioneering' values of independence and liberty. To what extent is the pursuit of private wealth and material happiness representative of what it means to be an Australian citizen?

Curriculum Links

Outback Opal Hunters is a resource that can be used in middle and senior secondary classes to engage students in a variety of curriculum areas:

• Geography: What is the nature of the Australian outback environment? How do weather, distance, climate and environments affect individuals and communities?
• Civics and Citizenship: What is good citizenship in remote communities?
• English: What qualities are needed for individuals to respond positively to the challenges they face?
• Media Arts: How do filmmakers construct effective documentaries?
• Economics: What are the economic contributions and costs of the opal mining industry to individuals, communities and the nation?