Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy, South Australia and its opal

Coober Pedy is in the Stuart Ranges, 750 kilometres (428 miles) north west of Adelaide, South Australia. Many of the locals live in underground houses. It is this practice of the miners of living underground which led local aborigines to call the place kupa piti meaning 'white man's burrow.'

Coober Pedy opal is found in deeply weathered, white to mauve, Bulldog Shale of the Cretaceous age. The locals call the light, porous host rock sandstone. The opal is mined from horizontal or vertical veins up to about 25 metres (82') below the surface.

All opal mining is carried out on opal claims 100x50 or 50x50 meters within the Coober Pedy Precious stones field. You need to have a precious stone prospecting permint and register the claim with state goverment Authority P.I.R.S.A.

All types of mining is done here from Open cuts, Underground mining using Blowers and tunneling machines and Noodling machines that look through the Mullock (Opal dirt) that the miners have deposited on the surface of the claims for opal the miners missed.

Crystal Opal

Opal Fossils