The value of the deposit was obvious from the start, but the means of extracting the bitumen was not.
ðə vˈæljuː ʌvðə dᵻpˈɑːzɪt wʌz ˈɑːbviəs fɹʌmðə stˈɑːɹt, bˌʌt ðə mˈiːnz ʌv ɛkstɹˈæktɪŋ ðə bɪtˈuːmɛn wʌz nˈɑːt.