Mon, 17th June, 2024 Community Campground, Andamooka, SA (history and opals)

6.2 degrees, clear sky and all quiet.

I worked on my blog while we waited for the outside to warm up like it is in the camper.

Didn’t work but we put on our coats and walked into town as we need some exercise too. A row of old machinery is on display with a bit of information.

Nice park made from the local stones as the cemetery was the same.

This one needs a bit of fixing up.

A lot of the opal shops are closed - I suppose Covid and maybe they are now online shops. Fancy driving this bus up here. Bits of potch and opal in the pathway and on rocks on a platform.

Here’s a nice little cottage.

Someone has gone to a lot of work here.

Further along we found the first of the historical cottages which are semi-dugouts. They were either very short or the houses have sunk.

Walked up the side and checked out the other rooms as it went up the hillside. Big thick walls.

Tiny sleepout with a ‘night toilet’ and the outhouse further along.

Looking back over the house.

Steve tried the winch.

A huge matrix opal was mined by Otto Zuna - he found it on Tea Tree Flat. We couldn’t see anything on the rock, just the bits around the base.

The info board about the cottages. So great the locals have preserved them.

Onto the next ones.

Fancy climbing up and down these ladders all day.

These two were close together.

Hard to imagine anyone living like this now.

Maybe the laundry or just a storage place.

The last house in the row.

Looking back along the houses.

Another sad shop with lovely stone work.

Across the road is the Post Office with a bottle ‘room’ out the front.

We went into the Post Office which is above the museum. Lots of beautiful opals pieces and jewellery for sale too. Too many to chose from so I didn’t get anything!! Want to find my own. The lady showed us an untreated matrix opal - looked like a rock, just like the big one we saw outside. Once they treat it with hot water and then sulphuric acid the colours appear. Wow.

We went down the ramp into the museum (donation) - fabulous aerial photo.

The wall down was lined with photos of locals and different stories. Sadly a lot of the characters are no longer around. There was a chap who had the Ettamogah Pub out on one of the fields and it was the place to go but it is closed now he has passed.

This dress has opals all over it.

Fabulous display and so many other things to look at.

Some dinosaur bones too.

One of Cal’s spare Tiger claws.

They have inlaid opals in the wall.

Lots of other stones from all over the place - even some gold from Kalgoorlie.

Some very old fossils.

Headed back out and found a couple of old murals and an info board on our way home.

Some homes here are very nice.

Cold walk back as clouds have come over. Was hoping to do some noodling in the sunshine but I think I will just stay in and write up my blog.

Back to the camper for lunch with lots of finches etc having a wonderful time in the trees beside us. They always sound so happy.

Steve went for a wander and came back with a few bits of opal that he found around the fireplace beside us. This one has a lovely colour.

We played cards while we had our drinks inside then dinner and a movie.

About 9pm a shower of rain fell from those dark clouds.