Mining and Opal Fields
Opal Mining
Surface Mining for Opals
Opal mining can be done on the surface with an excavator, bucket loader or even a backhoe. Some miners use spotters to assist the machinery operator to ensure that pieces of opal aren’t missed. Excavators generally dig down to the opal level(s) and the spotters are used to check boulders and pancakes for colour. The opal levels are first found by using a large auger to see what depth the opal is. As precious opal becomes more valuable, it is becoming more profitable to dig down to deeper levels to find opal.
Subsurface Mining
Subsurface, or underground mining, can be done either by machinery or by hand. Specialized machinery e.g., bobcat or dingo, can be used when the opal is deep but not economical to excavate or remove all the earth above it. Hand mining with a pick and shovel or jackpick is tried and true, but physically draining and slow. Hand mining is almost exclusively done in designated restricted areas where mechanical mining with heavy equipment is not allowed. All Flame Tree Opals have been hand mined.
Sheldon’s Opal Mining Experience
“Successful opal mining takes good ground, experience and intuition. I don’t pretend to know everything about opal mining. What I do know about is hand mining. Every day is a new experience seeking out the precious opal. Reading the ground and trying to anticipate what direction the opal is moving, that is the greatest challenge. Mining opal has been one of life’s most satisfying accomplishments.”
Cheers, Sheldon
Opal Fields
Queensland Fields
Queensland produces boulder opal, a distinctive type of opal which is found attached to the ironstone host rock. Boulder opal is unique to western Queensland.
The Queensland opal fields lie within a belt of ancient Cretaceous sedimentary rocks known as the Winton Formation. The Winton Formation extends in a north-westerly direction from the New South Wales border at Hungerford expanding west of Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Longreach and Winton to Kynuna, a distance of about 1000 km. Winton Boulder Opals are found in the most northern area of the Queensland opal fields. The region of Winton where mining is conducted is said to be the largest opal mining area in the world.
The Queensland fields are spread across 1,000km and produce almost all of the world’s supply of Boulder Opal. Seam Boulder Opal, Matrix Boulder Opal, Pipe Boulder Opal, Koroit Boulder Opal and Yowah Boulder Opal, as well as the Yowah Nut, are all found in these fields. This opal is found in scattered locations in the areas of Yowah, Eromanga, Quilpie, Jundah, Opalton and Winton. Almost all boulder opal is found by open cut (surface) mining. But there are still underground (subsurface) miners finding precious opal using hand tools.
New South Wales Fields
Commercial mining started in the late 1880’s at the White Cliffs fields. By the 1920’s it had a population of more than 3,000. White Cliffs produced fine quality opal in large volumes. Sadly, the area was worked out by 1930 and the field all but died out.
The Lightning Ridge field was discovered in 1905 by kangaroo shooters. The ‘Ridge’ produces almost all of Australia’s black opal. Lightning Ridge opal is typically found as nodules or “nobbies”. The outlying areas of Grawin, Glengarry, Sheepyards, and Mulga Rush predominantly produce opal in seams.
South Australia Fields
Andamooka is in the desert and located near the edge of Lake Eyre. It was discovered in 1935. It reached its peak in the 1960’s when the population reached 3,000. However, this field is essentially worked out with very little production since the 1970’s.
Most of the world’s white opal is mined at Coober Pedy. The Coober Pedy mining area extends over 50 kilometres, running approximately north to south. Opal was first discovered in 1915. By 1964 opal miners found it difficult to sell lower grades and often discarded the opal. The town reached its peak in the 1970’s when enormous quantities of opal were being produced and world demand was high. The majority of Australia’s opal comes from Coober Pedy.
The Mintabie opal field was short lived. In 1978 a group from Coober Pedy found nice black opal at Mintabie. Within a few years the population grew to 1500. Large bulldozers, scrapers and excavators essentially mined out this once rich field. Mintabie produced a fine quality opal. Today there is only very limited mining activity.
Opalton, Queensland
In 1887, George Cragg, a stockman from Warrnambool Station, discovered opal in an area that became known as Opalton. It is situated about 120 km from Winton. The Opalton area is the largest and richest Queensland Opal deposit, known for the quality of the opal mined there. Opalton is where we mine our beautiful boulder opal.
Click on these links below to find out more about Opalton, camping in Opalton, tours of Opalton, and fossicking in Opalton.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opalton
https://www.experiencewinton.com.au/about-winton/towns-of-winton-shire/winton
https://www.experiencewinton.com.au/directory-record/65/opalton-bush-camp
https://www.reddirttours.com.au/opalfossicking.html
https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/areas-facilities/fossicking/western-opal/opalton