What is the lure of the opal ?

It can best be understood by seeing a picture of a parcel which was sold while I was in Coober Pedy. It is over 6 1/2 ounces of extremely colorful crystal which really has the 'kick'.

According to the records of the South Australian department of Mines, less than ONE percent of the miners ever discover a significant strike.

Even though the probability of payback is less than that of the slot machines at Las Vegas, the lure of the opal draws thousands of folks each year to at least spend a few weeks on the fields.

The opal that we discovered in almost three weeks, hardly paid for the base line investment, and even after I left , and an additional $500 was spent on some new 'teeth' for the excavator, and Kent and Milton explored another 12 feet below the level we had been following, it has been disappointing so far.

I really believe that you could squeeze out a living by just noodling the cast off rubble from previous miners (with no equipment), but it would be such a dismal living that you would be better off on the 'dole' ... :-(

So it is truly a lust that drives these miners to search for the most precious of the opal, the type that drives men mad in search of it and women become appreciative and explore greed ...:-)

Although there's just no way to portray the beauty and unlimited seduction of the finest opal, these two examples do not overstate the perfection of the opal.

Next I get back to the travel log...

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Last modified: July 8, 2007
Murray Willis