Opal mining in lightning ridge 1995.
- Thread starter dezman
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Building the third and final camp before the new building laws came in! I used iron bark and cypress as the white ants are very hungry out there. I wanted this cabin to stand a hundred years but early on it nearly burnt down in the first few months with a wood heater I wrongly installed!
I am lucky that's for sure, so many close calls in life.
The wife and I built this to lock up stage in four weeks flat, then I fitted it out between mining and rain. To be young again, I push the young guys now to get out there and have a go while they have some life in them.
I hope I get to build again soon, one last go at it would be nice.
I am lucky that's for sure, so many close calls in life.
The wife and I built this to lock up stage in four weeks flat, then I fitted it out between mining and rain. To be young again, I push the young guys now to get out there and have a go while they have some life in them.
I hope I get to build again soon, one last go at it would be nice.
Some dangerous ground I tried working, it had fallen in from the surface in two claims and they found $18,000,000. I was hoping for a little by digging along the edge, but now I look back you are on opal or not.
I had put in hundreds of these props that are made of cypress and can hold 60 tonnes, some were needed and some not. You can get away with a lot in sandstone country, here you can see the hardwood capping bending to the weight. The trick is to put them in early before any movement starts, I had been down in claims where all the dirt is gone! Each prop about two feet apart and holding up 50 feet of over burden.
Near here some guys were working some very dangerous ground, as I talked with one of them in a drive some 50 feet back from the working face . The walls were pealing pieces off as we stood there chatting, each morning they had to clear the drive out from the night before. I'd thought I took some risks but these guys were at the limit for a few days, but were rewarded in the end.
There are safety courses now before you dig to help people understand the dangers involved, but greed is a powerful force.
I had put in hundreds of these props that are made of cypress and can hold 60 tonnes, some were needed and some not. You can get away with a lot in sandstone country, here you can see the hardwood capping bending to the weight. The trick is to put them in early before any movement starts, I had been down in claims where all the dirt is gone! Each prop about two feet apart and holding up 50 feet of over burden.
Near here some guys were working some very dangerous ground, as I talked with one of them in a drive some 50 feet back from the working face . The walls were pealing pieces off as we stood there chatting, each morning they had to clear the drive out from the night before. I'd thought I took some risks but these guys were at the limit for a few days, but were rewarded in the end.
There are safety courses now before you dig to help people understand the dangers involved, but greed is a powerful force.
Here we are digging and propping as we pull the dirt out, a waste of time as there was little in it.
I think back now and kick myself with hindsight for we could of done some long drives in the search of a new patch of opal.
There is some pattern around the main run of opal through the field where you get pockets every 50 to a 100 feet. If your lucky enough to pickup on them. Most pockets are about five to ten feet long and sometimes you can be right next to it and not even know.
Which leads me to my final story of the Big find I had.
I think back now and kick myself with hindsight for we could of done some long drives in the search of a new patch of opal.
There is some pattern around the main run of opal through the field where you get pockets every 50 to a 100 feet. If your lucky enough to pickup on them. Most pockets are about five to ten feet long and sometimes you can be right next to it and not even know.
Which leads me to my final story of the Big find I had.
Yes pay day for mr cash! No tax on opal and the buyers come to town with bags full of it or they have some sent to the bank which they write these checks against it. But first we had to find a big parcel to sell.
Well with our $3000 in hand I talk my partner into a prospect hole near by on the field, down to 60 feet and blasting on top it costed $1200 to drill a one meter hole.
I local 9" driller had pointed me over to some trees where he had drilled up some good potch, and you always get potch with colour.
Well we set up the hoist and started to dig out a bit of room to move, even though its only about 22 degrees the humidity is 99% down there and boy do you sweat. We were heading to a 9" hole to get some air flow going.
Three days and three truck loads later we reach the hole and I cleaned it out with tent poles connected to one another and rammed it from below, easy.
But no sign of opal and just a little bit of silica going on! Weekend and time to go home, see ya on Monday mate.
Well with our $3000 in hand I talk my partner into a prospect hole near by on the field, down to 60 feet and blasting on top it costed $1200 to drill a one meter hole.
I local 9" driller had pointed me over to some trees where he had drilled up some good potch, and you always get potch with colour.
Well we set up the hoist and started to dig out a bit of room to move, even though its only about 22 degrees the humidity is 99% down there and boy do you sweat. We were heading to a 9" hole to get some air flow going.
Three days and three truck loads later we reach the hole and I cleaned it out with tent poles connected to one another and rammed it from below, easy.
But no sign of opal and just a little bit of silica going on! Weekend and time to go home, see ya on Monday mate.
Well I stood in our ten foot drive and decided to dig to the right, and one hour later we are digging out beautiful opals. You can see the fault in the photo, my partner is the one shovelling. The other guy came down to have a look at real paying dirt, his name was Jim and had no luck at all! Which I was to find out later when we worked together.
The level was hard and it took some effort with the air hammers to break it up and fill the truck. My partner would take the load to the dam to wash while I gouged out the opal which ran in a narrow band, then off home to rub down out finds.
The level was hard and it took some effort with the air hammers to break it up and fill the truck. My partner would take the load to the dam to wash while I gouged out the opal which ran in a narrow band, then off home to rub down out finds.
The only stone to turn up in the wash and I didn't miss it!
I gave Jim the pick to have a go at digging out his first bit of opal, even though he had good job in the city like being in charge of the electrical fit out of home bush bay Olympic park. He couldn't find any opal!
Well I heard him go oh as he hit this one then he managed to drop the big piece that was then losted in the dirt. Oh well I said it will turn up later don't worry about it.
I gave Jim the pick to have a go at digging out his first bit of opal, even though he had good job in the city like being in charge of the electrical fit out of home bush bay Olympic park. He couldn't find any opal!
Well I heard him go oh as he hit this one then he managed to drop the big piece that was then losted in the dirt. Oh well I said it will turn up later don't worry about it.
Oh I pulled this pic off my IG site!
This was our best stone from the run which lasted eight day and produced $80,000 worth of opal all up. This piece sold for $8400 as it had a bit of sand in it and had to be cut down some. For some reason this one was a about six inches lower down from the band I was digging the others out of, and gee I hit it hard!
I was just kicking myself in not being more careful, but lucky it survived with out any damage.
This proved to be the last good patch I'd find from then on. Then the market crashed in Japan who were our biggest buyers and you couldn't give it away.
Summer was coming fast and my wife was in Dubbo giving birth to twins, I had no fuel money left to dig and couldn't sell want I had anyway.
So I packed up and had an auction to sell everything and move south and start a new venture. Lucky for me as the ridge just died without Japan's support in buying opal, with hindsight it was the right decision to make.
I'm tempted to try again next winter and see if my luck and ageing body will hold, I must be mad for iv very little money. But to find enough to buy some land would be magic, see how I go with the sapphires over summer.
Thanks for reading.
This was our best stone from the run which lasted eight day and produced $80,000 worth of opal all up. This piece sold for $8400 as it had a bit of sand in it and had to be cut down some. For some reason this one was a about six inches lower down from the band I was digging the others out of, and gee I hit it hard!
I was just kicking myself in not being more careful, but lucky it survived with out any damage.
This proved to be the last good patch I'd find from then on. Then the market crashed in Japan who were our biggest buyers and you couldn't give it away.
Summer was coming fast and my wife was in Dubbo giving birth to twins, I had no fuel money left to dig and couldn't sell want I had anyway.
So I packed up and had an auction to sell everything and move south and start a new venture. Lucky for me as the ridge just died without Japan's support in buying opal, with hindsight it was the right decision to make.
I'm tempted to try again next winter and see if my luck and ageing body will hold, I must be mad for iv very little money. But to find enough to buy some land would be magic, see how I go with the sapphires over summer.
Thanks for reading.
Great story Dezman.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing.
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