Opal Fields of Australia
Where are the opal mines?
It is said that over 95% of the worlds opal comes from Australia.
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, Mintabie, 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.
This section 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. If you are interested in these publications, please Contact Us for prices and details.
For more information, read the Encyclopaedia of Australian Opals to learn more about opals.
