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Two men embark on an adventure. After Mat has picked up his German buddy Andreas from the airport in Queensland, the two start straight away. Their plan: look for gold in the Australian outback! The first port of call Down Under is the "Miner's Den", the first address on site if you need equipment. Then it's off into the bush, straight to Mat's gold mine. There, the friends will dig up tons of earth with the excavator in order to then wash it out. But before they can do that, they first have to clear the boat: After three months of rainy season, everything is in a desolate state – from the drinking water supply to the truck engines. Only when the men have got everything going on the mine site can they hope for the big find.
Gold fever drives Mat and his German buddy Andreas into the Australian bush. There, the two adventurers use detectors to search for precious metals. Then it's time to roll up your sleeves, because treasure hunting is hard work. The duo build a camp for Andreas on the Palmer River Goldfields in Queensland. Will the men Down Under be rewarded for their efforts or will their big dream soon go up in smoke?
Mats Mine Down Under is located approximately five hours from Cairns in the Palmer River Gold Field. After numerous visits in recent years, it has become Andreas Macherey's second home. In the next three weeks, the men want to build a large wash plant there. No easy and no cheap undertaking: But the investment could pay off, because the capacity of the shaker is enormous. With its help, the duo can mine the precious metal deposits much faster than with gold pans.
Things rarely go according to plan in the Palmer River goldfields. But that doesn't upset treasure hunter Andreas Macherey and his buddy Mat: Because then Down Under Plan B will come into play! The men need more steel so that they can continue building their wash plant. But the dealer has delivery problems. Therefore, the adventurers use the time and straighten the access route to the camp - so that the freight can be delivered to the Australian bush at all.
During the rainy season there is little to be had at the Palmer River Goldfields in Australia. So Mat and his buddy Andreas Macherey are looking for an alternative prospect. About 500 miles away on the Cape York Peninsula, the treasure hunters have discovered a promising area that they want to test for gold deposits. However, the terrain is very rough. For this reason, the men switch from four wheels to four legs and ride horses through the bush Down Under.
Andreas Macherey was in Europe for almost a year. That's why the adventurer can't wait to return to Australia. But in his absence a lot has changed Down Under: Mat has now become a father and has to support a family. Is there still enough time to dig up precious metals in the outback? When Andreas gets stuck in the mud with his truck on the way to the mine, his buddy doesn't let him down. But after that, Mat first has to take care of repairing his house before heading into the wilderness with his German friend.
The machinery is rusted, the dams need to be strengthened and the big shaker, which is urgently needed to finally win gold on a large scale, is not yet ready for use: Mat and Andreas roll up their sleeves at Palmer River Camp. But during the rainy season, clean-up becomes an exhausting challenge as violent thunderstorms have turned Australia's rivers into raging white-water. Is the mini-boat with an electric motor that the duo will use to fetch supplies up to the task?
Tire tracks, burnt brushwood, and deep holes that were hastily filled in: unknown persons have been tampering with the Hodgkinson Goldfields. The area is too far away from the camp to be guarded permanently. With Mat unable to protect the claim from intruders, he has no choice but to sell the claims. Of course, if potential buyers came across gold during the viewing, that would be helpful. That's why the adventurers go in search of the best spots.
The financial pressure is growing, so the gold diggers urgently need to find investors. But finding investors in this risky business isn't easy. Nevertheless, Andreas manages to get a business partner in South Australia interested in the project. Now the men have to negotiate well. The previously developed prospects at the Palmer River Goldfields have been a well-kept treasure to date. There, Mat never wanted to involve a partner. But in order to come to an agreement with the prospect, the adventurer may have to make compromises.
The investor's money has arrived in the account. Now the treasure hunters can finally take their business to the next level. Machines, trucks and staff: Mat goes shopping in Queensland and his first big purchases are a Caterpillar and a huge truck. The monster has three axles and six wheels - so the adventurers can transport twice as much soil to the wash plant. But first they have to move the vehicles over 100 kilometres through the outback - and paved roads are rarely found there.
It's the crowd! Instead of a pan of gold, machines weighing tons are used in treasure hunts these days. Because it can be used to process many cubic meters of soil in just a few hours. That's why Mat and Andreas have acquired a large fleet of vehicles in the Australian outback. And there's more good news: the duo have been granted mining rights! The adventurers can finally search for precious metal at a promising spot. Is there actually a vein of gold there, as the men suspect?
Without water, little progress is made on Australia's Palmer River Goldfields. So treasure hunter Mat had to move his wash plant to another location. That cost time and money because there was no income during the move. Fortunately, the gold digger can also rely on his buddy Andreas in this situation. The German adventurer makes his way down under to help his friend. And because Mat's mine is now designed for three workers, Andreas wants to bring his 19-year-old son Tobi with him.
Tobi was able to follow his father to Northern Queensland after the operation in Germany. And the wash plant works non-stop. That is why the gold diggers are optimistic about the future. But then Tobi sets off into the bush with a detector to look for nuggets there. The 19-year-old loses his bearings in the wilderness. And the next day, the investor announces himself on the phone. The first repayment is due. Can the adventurers get the missing 30 ounces of precious metal in time?
The investor wants to see gold? Precious metal that Mat does not yet have. That's why the adventurer has only one thing left: he has to improvise! Creative ideas are called for when searching for treasure on the Palmer River Goldfields. And the night before Mark leaves, Mat fires up the furnace. Every ounce, every nugget, every grain of gold that he has unearthed with his German buddy and his son Tobi in the last few weeks is melted and poured into bars. And then comes the moment of truth: is the investor satisfied with the result?
The Palmer River driveways are flooded. Mat and Andreas cannot do anything there. That's why the adventurers head south. Because a friend of Mat's recently found a giant nugget near Charters Towers. However, a surprise awaits the men at the meeting point: the precious metal comes from a huge cattle farm. And you can't just unpack your gear and prospect for gold on private property because that would be illegal. Therefore, in this case, nothing goes without the permission of the owner.
Two men, one mission. Mat and Andreas are good friends and they share a great passion: searching for precious precious metals! In the Australian outback, the men are hoping for the really big find. But the wilderness does not reveal its treasures without effort - this is especially true in the rainy season. That's why the duo has to fight for every ounce with heavy machinery Down Under. And the hard work on the Palmer River Goldfields doesn't get any easier with an investor behind you. On the contrary: because the investor wants to see results. Will professional treasure hunter Mat and his German buddy fulfil their dream of huge nuggets in season four?
For 130 years, the hope of fame and fortune has drawn intrepid adventurers like Alex Stead to Western Australia. The Brit has leased a 1,200-hectare piece of land in the outback to dig up fat nuggets. His father-in-law Eric and his best friend Jimbo help him on the treasure hunt. But the men are stuck on schedule. The team's new processing plant should have been up and running five weeks ago. Is there enough time left until the end of the season to achieve the goals they have set?
Andreas and his son Tobi have returned Down Under to celebrate Mats' birthday in Longreach. The trip becomes a journey into the past, because in the birthplace of the gold digger, 1500 kilometres south of Cairns, the German adventurer Mat gets to know old buddies from their teenage years. And after the party, it's off to Treasure Hunting. The men in the state of Queensland are not after fat nuggets, but rather relics from Australia's history, such as coins from the 19th century.
Mat invests in a new business in Australia. The adventurer wants to dig up opals Down Under with his buddy Andreas and his son Tobi. The first search for clues was promising, which is why Mat acquired prospecting rights in the outback. But the plan is risky, because the men cannot rely on metal detectors and proven technology when searching for the precious gems. Treasure hunting requires a good nose and years of experience. Will the beginners learn the hard way or will the company be a success?
Andreas is on his own in the search for opals because Mat has injured his wrist. Is the investment in the new mine still paying off? At Forsayth, the adventurers then aim for valuable precious metal. A four-ounce nugget was recently unearthed there. But the goldfields are huge, so the local men get involved in a shooting competition. If they lose, they will have to give up their beloved metal detector. But if they win, the gold digger will tell them the exact location.
Farm instead of gold mine: Matthew Vaughan visits his best friend in Germany. On Andreas Macherey's farm, the men take care of his highland cattle. But the gold digger from Down Under is not used to winter temperatures around freezing. That's why Mat is drawn back to the Australian bush. In order to increase his income, the treasure hunter wants to complete a large wash plant there. And Andreas also has his hands full in the Eifel. "Big Foot" or the giant barn? Who will put their project into action first?
Mat has bills to pay in Australia. Two fat nuggets are just what he needs. The find eases the financial situation of the treasure hunter a little. But the lucky streak doesn't last long. Down under, the gold digger nods off at the wheel of his SUV and crashes the vehicle into an embankment. Although Mat is only slightly injured in the accident, his off-roader is completely destroyed. Meanwhile, Andreas is expanding his machine park in the Eifel region and is looking for precious metals in a friend's gravel works.
After an accident in Australia, Mat tows away his wrecked SUV. The treasure hunter Down Under is supported by his brother Rhien and the experienced bush trucker Steve. But the campaign is not a sure-fire success. The truck carrying Mats Off Roader to the Palmer River camp gets stuck in deep sand. And Andreas wants to bring precious metal to light in a gravel plant in Germany. For this he needs the right equipment. Andreas' buddy Kai designs the largest gold panning facility that has ever been built in this country.
The wash plant is ready. Andreas wants to use the dredge to search for precious metals in a gravel works in Germany. But does the machine keep what it promises? And does it create enough negative pressure to suck stones and soil out of the rivers in Australia? The first endurance test is sobering. Meanwhile, Mat and his brother Rhien roll up their sleeves on a goldfield on the Palmer River. The men Down Under are rewarded with a few nuggets for their efforts. But the yield is not enough to settle all outstanding accounts.
The self-made dredge does not yet work 100%. But it might be enough for a treasure hunt in a German gravel plant. However, Andreas has to develop a new technique to separate the precious metal from the sand. Mat, meanwhile, heads to the outback with his brother Rhien and his buddy Paul to dig up fat nuggets. And what about "Big Foot"? If the Australian gold digger can finish his wash plant faster than Andreas can finish his barn extension, he gets his beloved SUV back.
