Most of the Australian opal mines are located in three states:

1. Boulder Opal: Queensland . Boulder opal is mined in a large area between Quilpie in the South and Winton in the north. The boulder and black opal fields nearly meet at the border between Queensland and NSW.
2. Crystal Opal: South Australia . This is the home of the Coober Pedy, Mintabee, and Andamooka mines, famous for light opal, which includes crystal, grey and white opal. Sometimes called 'milk' opal.
3. Black Opal : New South Wales . This is the home of Lightning Ridge, famous worldwide for its black and semi black opal. White cliffs further south toward the South Australian border, is all but mined out but was probably the largest opal mine in the world before Coober Pedy was discovered.

The following pages describe opal mining in Australia, yesterday and today. Many of the photos you'll see on these pages are displayed, with permission, from the reference books offered for sale at this site . If you're interested in ordering one of these beautifully illustrated publications, you'll find the title and a hyperlink to that book's description whenever you see such a photo.

Click on the Next and Back buttons at the bottom of each page to move from page to page through this online booklet about Australian Opal Mining. And, if you haven't already done so, be sure to read the Encyclopaedia of Australian Opals to learn more about the gems themselves.