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Just an update, the open pit mine had depleted and closed out in 2021. But the company has constructed and is now operating the largest underground mine complex to extract gold and copper beneath the open pit mine, an operation that could going on for 40 years to the future. If the documentary says that the open pit costed 3 billion, the underground mine costs 1 billion a year to construct. The construction has been going on for the past 6 years and is still going on today.

The topic itself is extremely fascinating as well as this mine in particular, but I just want to point out how much better and "cleaner" these older documentaries are without constant bland rock music and overly excited narrator, plus unnecessary drama. I really enjoy them and would chose them any time

I'm a jewelry artist and this documentary appears on my watch list. This was a real treat to watch.

I have had the pleasure of working here during the time that the HEAT Road was built. I worked from Ridge Camp and was involved with the Maintenance / Warehousing, when the first D11 Caterpillar dozers and the first Cat 785 Dump trucks were brought in. At that time also, the P&H Shovels arrived and section by section, transported up the hill. Not shown here, are the 2 tunnels on the access road and that caused transportation headaches for the transport of the shovel swing gear. At that time, Freeport began privatising their infrastructure and utilities. Timika, the port town was expanded and the lowlands area expansion began, It was a really interesting mine community in which to operate and I am proud to have spent time there.

Who needs a television. So many thousands of quality documentaries on you tube.

My dad Young-Bok Kim, spent over 25 years(early 1970 to late 1990) at this site as a Mill Supervisor. I visited him many times and we loved it. Too bad, I did not have a chance to work with him at Freeport. My Dad passed away on September 28th of 2019. Behalf of my family we thank everyone who worked with him. He Loved, Indonesia, the People, Work, and Freeport. God Bless Everyone ........

This probably should have been a 2-hour documentary. What I saw was good, but I would like them to have spent another hour showing more footage of the mechanics of the mining operation.

Magnificent!!!! The logistical support needed for operations such as this is mind bending.

Never drove a car: Drive this 300 ton hauler over there and get loaded, watch the cliffs, here's the keys.

I think that dozer operator knows a lot about physics. He engineered that road on the fly. He may not have graduated from MIT but I would not discount his knowledge.. The fact that he did it on an old school dozer is all the more impressive. I tip my hat to you sir good job.

This documentary had me glued to my seat. The human drive is very inspiring. Superb!!!!

I worked there for 5 years. Awesome place and great people to work with. The pit & underground mines and processing facilities engineering marvels. Papuan and Indonesian people and cultures truly wonderful. A great memory in my life. Would love to go back one day.

I worked there in the late 90's . We built an expansion to the processing plant. Politics and business aside, it is an incredible engineering feat. Amazing experience for me working above the clouds.

Back when the Learning Channel used to have quality programming.

One of the most memorable documentaries I've watched in recent years. Thanks for uploading

The pit is done. Now the underground mine beneath is nearly ready to go. It's an engineering marvel as well.

I have seen and lived through a lot in my seventy years, I even did some mining, but this documentary is something else. Hats off to these people.

My parents work here since 2004 and I was raised in Tembagapura. This place is one of a kind. Regardless of the politics that surround this place, especially in recent years, I don't think I would ever relive my childhood anywhere but this place. I just hope the Indonesian government don't mess up it now that they have a majority stake in Freeport Indonesia

This was a master feat of engineering. That dozer driver that created the road to Ertsberg should get a million dollar bonus cheque annually for life.

Amazing documentary! No need for 4K when the content is as good as this!... we need more of this to lift our human spirit and believe we can do really amazing things. Thank you!

This was a fabulous documentary. Thank you for uploading it.

The guy who created heat road is a good example of a guy moving through his work life time from the bottom to the top. You should always promote internally before you look to the outside. He became an expert at mountain road building from all that past work he did. In a way you could say this is the guy that made it out of a death match out of hundreds of other guys. He's the best of them.

one of the coolest documentarys ive seen in a while. its good to see the older way of doing things. its how i grew up, and i keep those values dear to my heart. Its good to see that they still exist, through those who watch it, feels part of something greater..

I'm not into mining or geology in particular but, man, this was an amazing documentary. To me, this was about man's extraordinary feat of problem-solving, dedication & perseverance against seemingly insurmountable odds.

My dad worked here for 17 years, I was born and raised in Tembagapura. I miss this place, truly is a wonder.

Truly a spectacular documentary! An amazing discovery.

The whole thing is quite unbelievable from the topic to the logistics to the people who made it happen to the people who filmed it happening. Glad I watched it. Incredible work!!

Well documented and narrated. Informative and a delight to watch.

21:42 - What a marvelous analogy (the violin)... Excellent documentary...

Excellent documentary. Loved it. Thank you.

Thank you for licensing & publishing this documentary. This type of information should be preserved as original source human development data and preserved in blockchain archive for all time. This is truly an engineering marvel. And the people involved such as Iliad Hamis are amazingly specialized...very hyper-specialized human intelligence. The future-bots will find this quite interesting. Thank you.

I just watched this documentary again and as impressed as I was the first time! So brilliant, what men achieve daily!

Tembagapura, folks lived and worked there for 20+ years until my father retired as mine superintendent. I still have my Lupa Lela Club membership card, I’m member #67. That picture of the Huey brings back memories, I flew PK-VBR with John and Ted for years!

I’ve probably watched this over a half dozen times and enjoy it every time.

Could you imagine how frightened the natives must've been when they saw heliocopters and men dangling cutting down trees and gutting their forests? Damn. That had to be scary for people who knew little about the world outside of their jungles.

Excellent!! I love docs like this. Wish it hadn't ended. But, all good things...

Incredible most of this was done in 5 years! I’ve seen 20 mile flat road projects here in the States take that long 😂

The best documentary ever. I couldn't stop watching once I started.

Wow! Just wow! One of the best documentaries I've seen in awhile. I learned so much new info in this. Thank you very much. Who needs superheroes when you have the people who figured all this out! Mindblown

Never fails to amaze me how wonderfully determined and resourceful mankind can be when greed is their motivation!!! Such a shame we don't apply the same principles when dealing with how to sort out the many major problems around the world that would actually help save lives, feed people who are starving, provide simple things like water and medicines etc etc. One day soon though!

Excellent! I'm Indonesian glad to see our local friend Ilyas Hamid was respected as part of this incredible documentary.

Brings back memories. This is one of the old documentary films of the Freeport McMorran Mine in Irian Jaya. I worked up there in the 90's. It is a Copper Mine, Gold is just a byproduct of the process.

I have been to the top of high mountains at sunrise and sunset. It is awe inspiring. They are so majestic. But I have a pilot friend that showed me pictures from an altitude of 30,000 feet, going over the ocean, with the sun rising above mountains in the horizon. Seeing this every day must be humbling and almost bring tears to the eyes.

I dunno, this is actually more depressing than it is amazing

Great to see you back. Love the videos and education you share

So glad I found this documentary!!!!!

Dang! Breathtaking doco. Came across it by accident, began ... and was riveted every second right unto the end. Personalities and challenges and rewards. The topography and images are rewarding enough, but the challenge and vision of the mines founders is just staggering. I remember once reading a Vietnamese account of meeting 'foreign' (Read 'white') guys. It read something like: "They are an extraordinary enemy. There is no obstacle too hard, no challenge too dangerous, no enterprise too difficult that they will not attempt and conquer, and if they fail, they will leave it to their next generation to accomplish."

Early 2000’s discovery channel.. I miss this.

A video on the high lines would be awesome as well.

Funny, this just queued up in my UKposts feed--didn't go looking for it. As it started, I was like "wait, they're going to talk about where I lived when I was kid!" My dad was one of the "exceptional men" mentioned in this video. He was an exploration geologist for Freeport-McMoran and worked on surveying the surrounding area, especially the Grasburg. I actually remember, vaguely, Frank Nelson. Also remember my parents talking about Dave Potter. Our family lived in Tembagapura, the company built town below the minesite from 1972-1976. Most of my first memories are from living in this town. We used to go on the road shown in the video that was carved on the ridges for the weekends to float in inner tubes on a river in the lowlands. Kids in the neighborhood would get together and go into the jungle to play Cowboys and Indians, except we would also swing on vines. I remember one time school was cancelled because two opposing tribes from either side of the valley decided to "go to war" and gathered on opposite sides of the river that ran through town, in the actual town. This involved a lot of shaking of weapons at each other and an occasional half-hearted spear throw across the river. Another time about 4-5 friends and I got lost in the rain forest below the townsite and some of us were getting worried about how to find our way back. No problem: we lived in a valley with a river coming down it--just go downhill till we hit the river, and then work our way upstream to town. Remember one of our native friends reaching into a bird's nest, picking up an egg, cracking it with his teeth and sucking out the yolk. Yeah, not your normal memories that I would have had growing up in suburbia USA in the 70's. Wouldn't trade them for anything.

I watch this most nights and fall asleep to it. Best documentary ever and to think this was all accomplished back in the 70's. Big respect to those who worked and fell trying to pursue the very things we need in 2021

Hard dangerous work. Much respect. I was a minor for nearly 18 years. It had its ups and downs. I didn't have to pay rent, food was free, I had a free car for the last 3 years but I had to abide by my parents rules so long as I lived in their house.

Yes, it is an astonishing place. I had a chance to visit back in 2014

that guy who did that road for them saving them millions and millions I hope they gave one hell of a bonus for the job

Being an Aussie I thought the "Super pit" at Kalgoorlie was huge and super impressive, well after seeing this, these 2 mines and what it took to establish them both just took a huge dump over Kalgoorlie's mines head and then rubbed it's nose in what had spilled on the floor. Big thumbs up to Ilyas Hamid for having more of an Aussie attitude then the so called experts from Australia who said it would be a multi million dollar project and then "Cool Hand Ilyas" steps up and says "Yeah nah, fuck that. Give me a dozer a couple of mechanics, fuel and some chickens to eat and I'll have her done for a couple of million." If he was born here in Oz he would have probably tacked on a few slabs of beer for him and the boys each week just to keep performance and moral up?

The narrators voice kept me hooked to watch this fully

Salute to the great workers and miners.

I worked on that mine, I was working for Western Star Trucks Australian and used to travel there from our base in Brisbane Australia, about the year 2000

Thank you for sharing what is the best doco ever on mining ...loved it so much .. God Bless you all

How great it would be to be an engineer to create the process to mine this deposit!! Too good!!

What an incredibly fascinating video and subject. Bravo. Well done. You have a new fan and subscriber here.

37:30 This is going to cost tens of millions of dollars. Ilyas- 2 things: Get me a bulldozer... and hold my beer.

This documentary is gold.

Such a great accomplishment can only be achieved with as great visionary and determined people. We could identify them all as Giants. One of the great video I had the great pleasure to see. Thanks many times too.

Wow this is a really well put together documentary. Very informative and interesting. I didn't want it to end. This was really good. Well done.

Respect to my fellow Dozer operators 🙌🏻

This was spectacular information! I just love these old documentaries. Though as I am a prospector myself it was nice to see prospector Jay out there panning for gold like the old timers did back in the day... I guess that's how it is always done...I wonder do any of the locals do any prospecting on there own? I know it's big in Australia.

Brilliant enjoyed that immensely ☺️

Brilliant documentary I was glued to it all the way through.

They should digitize these documentaries in UHD. Someone back in 1999 must have the masters

Amazing and awesome documentary. Perhaps only Antarctica can challenge this place in hardship - I don't know.

Unfreakinbelievable awesome documentary 👏 👌 👍

During the Suharto era, Indonesian students were told it's copper only. Thus, there's a city called Tembagapura (copper city)

Really excellent content. Thank you for your work.

Wow that really was an amazing achievement to gain access 👏,never heard of this untill now,how fascinating,great doc,thx.

Wonderful documentary. Never knew anything about this before.

Incredible achievement and incredible deposit.

“Gold you say? We’ll spend billions and move mountains to get it!” “That village needs a fresh water supply line you say? Sorry, we don’t have the resources....”

Excellent documentary 👌

This looks straight out of a movie setting in space.

Incredible documentary

What an amazing documentary, I am Australian & have heard many stories of the copper & gold mines in the PNG mountains, some of the relies have even worked at some of them, but I had no idea of the Irian Jaya, also called West Papua, mines. There have been a lot of political problems in the region to do with independence from Indonesia, but they were not even hinted on in this doco, I guess a story for another time, very well made watch.

I love all the positive comments and interesting insights !! This was a awesome documentary 👏

Good video reminds me of the Panama canal and the challenges they faced? Amazing though really human in genuity

A fantastic presentation! Extremely clear and informative.

*Man falls down cliff and gets speared through the heart* Shouldn’t have replaced me after 30 minutes

I’ve heard about this mine. It makes the Kalgoorlie super pit seem small. Great video !!!

its so sad to see those beautiful mountains be demolished

Great documentary 👍 amazing what can be accomplished when we set aside the concept of "impossible"...

This documentary was so freakin cool. THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THIS!!!

What a great documentary!

Wonderful documentary, I had never heard of the area before and I do not feel stupid because of it.

4:40 He just has to be a villain from a movie.

Amazing!!

Great story!!! This is something you don't see many more times in your life again!!!

Brilliant documentary.

Now this is why I love UKposts!!! Fantastic amazing show👍💪🔥

this is very good one... more gold more gold.. GREED IS GOOD.. NEED MORE GOLD

Very fantastic documentary that motivates us for more research