Join us on an epic opal mining adventure! We dive into a claim that once held $100K in gems but ran dry, only to uncover a hidden treasure in a claim I partially mined 20 years ago. Watch as we reveal breathtaking opals now sparkling from this forgotten site. This 17-minute journey is packed with surprises, mining tips, and the thrill of striking opal!
News / workshop
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August 25, 2025
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February 06, 2024
BEST COLOUR EVER!!
It’s late July 2023 and we are back at it on our Olympic claim. When working virgin ground there’s a lot of maintenance and repetitive work that needs doing to get us to the hypothetical prize of that big pocket.
while Shannon is developing a ‘shovel free’ way to load the tipper, I’m scratching around in some level we drove under about 25 years ago and discover a small pocket of stunning crystal seam. As is often the case, a few little geckos have fallen down the mine and we try to get them back up and out into the bush wherever possible.
The opal is thin, the ground is bloody hard, but the weather is beautiful and we even drill an air shaft with our old mate Nick. No complaints from God’s country.. One of these days we will crack it..This video is now hosted on Young Guns Outback Opal Hunters YouTube Channel!
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June 27, 2022
From the moment found to finished king stone, is this stone worth TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS???
In this video we find spectacular opalised shells as featured in our last video, progressing through to the painstaking decision to slice one for inlaid doublet pendants and cut the other into a classic solid crystal opal cabochon. It’s never easy as opal is as unpredictable as the vagary’s of ancient moisture. Fortunately we manage to eek in a beautiful stone in spite of some threatening inclusions and a rapidly diminishing super gem bar of colour across the top. All up, very happy with the finished result! Hopefully we share a few useful tips for old school lapidary methods. Thanks for watching! -
May 04, 2022
A small pocket of beautiful Australian opal shells transformed into gorgeous jewelry.
In February 2021 the Grace Opal brothers (World Class Opal and Kimberley Opal respectively) went pillarbashing once again on our Old 15 Mile claim. How is the serenity underground scratching out stunning gem opalised shell skins. This little pocket turned some absolutely gorgeous jewelry and all has been sold.. This material never lasts long and is getting incredibly hard to find. This particular pocket came from one of the last pillars, in one of the last big underground mines, on one of the last big worked out run fields, on the last freely accessible precious stones field on earth. Thanks for watching!
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