Opals - The Gem of the Outback

The Discovery of Opal

In January 1915 – 100 years ago – a small group of men named the New Colorado Prospecting Syndicate had unsuccessfully been searching for gold just south of Coober Pedy.

On February 1, they had set up camp and were searching for water when the 15 year-old (William Hutchison) son of one of the men found pieces of surface opal. Eight days later, the first opal claim was pegged.

Due to lack of water and the extreme heat, the party left on February 18th and headed to William Creek. A few months later, the O’Neill brothers & Fred Blakeley arrived and became the earliest opal mining pioneers and introduced the unique method of living underground in “dugouts”. The flies were bad and there were no building materials.

In 1917, the Trans Continental Railway was completed and a number of construction workers came to the opal fields. They were followed by soldiers returning from the First World War. Conditions were harsh and water and provisions had to be carted great distances and under very trying conditions.

During the Great Depression of the late 1930s and 1940s, opal prices plummeted and production almost came to a standstill. But then, typical of Coober Pedy’s history of boom and bust cycles, an Aboriginal woman named Tottie Bryant made a sensational opal find at the Eight Mile field in 1946 starting a new rush to the fields. During the 1960s, the mining industry expanded rapidly as many European migrants came to seek their fortunes. Opal mining developed into a multi-million dollar industry and Coober Pedy became a modern mining town.

Where Opal is today in Australia

Australia has 95% of the world’s supply of commercial opal and the largest percentage still comes from the 70 opal fields around Coober Pedy.

Opal is a true precious stone composed of amorphous silica and water. 85% of all opal found is called potch (opal without fiery colours) which has little value. It is the other 10% of vividly coloured opal that qualifies as the precious opal admired throughout the world.

Miners, with a Mining Permit, can peg a claim either 50m x 50m or 50m x 100m to mine for opal.

The earlier form of mining was by sinking or digging a shaft then tunnelling along the level with a pick and shovel. A hand-pick or screwdriver was used when traces of opal were found.

Since the 1970’s, there has been a rapid increase in the use of mining machines. These days, most if not all prospecting shafts are made by using a Calweld-type drill which is used to excavate holes about one metre in diameter using an auger bucket. The drills can dig to a maximum depth of about 28m to 30m.

Today’s opal fields are subsequently pitted with thousands of abandoned Calweld shafts.

Tunnelling machines with revolving cutting heads and small underground front-end loaders called boggers are used while bulldozers are employed to remove overburden and expose the level where it is shallow.

Spotters follow behind watching for opal and the seam is then worked over by hand-pick.

Waste material (or mullock) from the shafts and drives was originally lifted to the surface by hand windlass, then by power winches (Yorke hoists) or automatic bucket tippers.

Noodling is the process of searching through heaps of discarded mullock for pieces of opal missed by the miners. Many locals make a living from this method and it is also very popular with tourists.

Noodling machines, in which mullock is passed through a darkroom on a conveyor belt beneath ultra-violet lights are also used, and this is another form of mining.

Some people get lucky and find their fortune, others find little chips to keep for memories. Have a look around town, most of the stores have little noodling pits & little bottles of chips for purchase.

Where did the term “Noodling” come from?

Who really knows, the urban myth says that it comes from the term “wet noodle” A man who does not have the courage or is not strong/powerful or ‘man’ enough to mine for opal underground was called a “wet noodle”. This ‘wet noodle’ looks for opal on the surface where it is safe. So maybe not a nice term but an amusing one!

Coober Pedy shops have more opal on display than anywhere else in the world. You will find different types of opal from all around Australia, so all you need to do is shop around for your special choice. All reputable shops will guarantee their opals in writing. Some shops also offer opal cutting demonstrations.