Thurs, 20th June, 2024 Opal Inn Caravan Park, Coober Pedy to RV Park at Old Timers Mine & Museum, Coober Pedy, SA (Annalise’s birthday and exploring)

7.7 degrees minimum in the camper and clear sky. Only a max of 17 again today!

Sent Annalise a message for her birthday. Hope Beau gives her lots of giggles and smiles.

We packed up and headed out of the park. Jon had left early this morning in the work truck to head to Alice Springs.

Drove around the township and up on to a hill where an alien craft had landed. No info about it.

Around to the Big Winch 360 Cafe Bar and a 360 degree cinema. Walked up the ramp to the lookout. There is also a big blower too. I realised I was at the sucking end not where the opals would drop down - that was from the big bucket high up behind me.

The Big Winch was big. The original was built in the 70s to attract customers to Claus Wirries’ shop. High winds blew it over in 1986 - the old barrel is behind the sign.

Love the story in the corner of the sign.

Great view from up here. Looking across to Umoona Opal and the Opal Cave hill. Then around the township. Lots of underground homes built into the other hills further out.

Interesting story. Bet the kids didn’t climb it in summer - be a bit hot to touch.

Looking out from the end of the lookout. The old drive-in doesn’t look very good any more. It was built in 1965. My brochure is from last year and it was still being advertised as a going concern. Maybe the strong winds wrecked it too.

Continued scanning around. Below is the free RV Park where we will stop tonight.

As we headed back to the truck we spotted the Comfort Inn - they made good use of all the spare tyres.

We went down to the RV Park to have lunch. The wagon travelled from Adelaide with supplies to Anna Creek Station in 1875. Certainly not as comfortable as our truck.

Onto the Umoona Road to find the old gaol. The Umoona Community was at the end of the road just along from it.

Found some gypsum - very fine crystals like fibres.

Headed around to another church - a few more mine entrances on the way, or the beginnings of a home.

The Catacomb Church, opened 11^th June, 1977. Love the altar.

Back into town and around to the Opal Cave where the chap gave our rock a bit of a rub with his machine to see if there was any more opal - no just the section we could see. 

Still very pretty but not worth a fortune! He said that there was no opal found when this cave was dug out by Faye as it was too high on the hill for opal - it was just to house the shop. He said that the 360 cafe decided to dig out underneath to put in a motel and found millions of dollars worth of opal but ended up digging out too much to make it into a motel. With all that money they don’t need the motel!

There was a walkway up onto the hill top that we missed the other day so up we went. On top was another entrance down into the Opal Cave. Also a tunnelling machine, unique to Coober Pedy, that miners use to dig out their mines. Nice landscaping.

Continued along the top and over the Umoona Museum. They have landscaped up here too.

Looking down over our truck and the spaceship.

Back down and across the street to check out the mural I saw from the 360 lookout. It is a shame they have put car parks in front of it blocking the full view.

Next door is another opal place but it was closed. Great ‘beetle’ and a boat out front. Two little dogs where on guard duty in the boat and barked a lot was we walked by on the street.

We wandered along the street checking out a few other opal shops - so many I wonder how they manage to make a living. That might be why there are so many closed now too.

Headed out of town - lots of smashed homes too! Onto the road to Oodnadatta to check out the Moon Plain. We had visited the Painted Desert when we did the Oodnadatta Track in 2018. At the turn off is the Dingo Fence which is now a boundary fence for the Conservation Park and station.

Onto the gravel road - flat and rock strewn.

We stopped at a pull off area just before we dropped down onto the plain. Moon Plain has been used in lots of movies and commercials. In the drier times the soil becomes soft and powdery. Lots of gypsum shining in the sunlight.

We didn’t continue on to the breakaways as we had seen the photos and they say it is best to visit at sunrise or sunset. 

Headed back to town and around to the public noodling area on Jewellery Shop Road - great name. Had lunch then checked out the history boards.

We chatted with a young couple trying to find a bit of opal too. Steve said ‘there is too many piles here to dig through’ and the chap said ‘you never know the next rock might be a good opal’. A few minutes after that Steve came back with a lovely opal - in a plastic bag. Someone must have dropped it. Mightn’t be worth much but it has a lovely blue colour. I had a wander over one of the many mounds and didn’t find anything.

Headed back to town and topped up with diesel at a smaller servo/workshop at $2.25/L.

Chose a spot at the 72hr RV Stop but left the roof down as the wind has come up and it is a dust bowl in here. We had noticed some travellers parked by the creek out of town so might go over there if the wind doesn’t settle.

Went across to the Old Timers Mine to do the self-guided tour. There is an old mine shaft outside.

Inside is the showroom with a gate entrance to the mine tour area. They have left bits of opal in the walls as show pieces when they were digging it out the shop area in January 1987. Green crystal opal. Who knows how much of it is still hiding in the wall.

Paid our entrance fee and got our map. 

I put on a hard hat - Steve had his cap on so he didn’t bother. Lots of gypsum in the walls. The lady said they were happy for people to take photos and share their story.

All the interesting points were marked with a number. This is Milky Opal and was found when the dug the shop entrance in 1987.

Down the stairs to the new mine opening. The original was the old shaft we looked down before going into the shop. Jim O’Neill was the first opal miner in Coober Pedy. When they dug the post hold on the left they found lots of precious opal which was very helpful financially.

Headed into the mine. It was deepened to allow easier access for the tourists. The floor was dug out a couple of feet. There are tunnels everywhere.

Marker 9 is a cavern where a miner had crawled in to gouge out the opal.

Ben Mohr - you can see all the pick holes in the walls.

Glad I took the helmet as I have hit my head a few times with the low ceiling. Lots of little holes everywhere where the drives have broken into each other.

Minnie Berrington was the first woman to own a mining claim here (1925). Steve gave her a hand to get the mullock out.

Then he climbed up the shaft using the original foot holes.

Peered through mesh into a little hole to see signs of green crystal opal. A miner found this opal years ago and must have intended to come back but he never did.

An old timer showing Steve how to climb up the shaft. Not my cup-of-tea.

Glad they dug down a bit more so we can stand up more.

More info as we wandered through the tunnels. These walls were dug with a modern tunnelling machine.

Looks like there is a tunnel or cave off this shaft.

All about using explosives.

Up out of the actual mine but there is more to see as we work our way through the rooms off the shop area. Fabulous photos of them digging out the shop. Where we are parked was the mine’s dump.

Wandered around looking and reading - fabulous display the Gough family have set up.

Lovely display of the young Will who found the first opal on 1 Feb, 1915. Sadly he drowned two years later aged 20.

Great history boards.

Into the original 1918 dugout home. Quiet, the mail driver is sleeping.

Life was certainly a challenge for the wives and children out here.

On the other side - was the pool room. Now a miner’s dugout display.

Down the stairs passed the wall safe.

Some old photos of when the Gough family lived here. Fabulous display and looked very comfortable.

Great coffee table.

Bedroom, lounge, bathroom then down a few steps to the girls’ bedroom. When he dug this room he discovered the old mine. Huge sections of gypsum across the walls.

Continued on into a replica of Bill Oliver’s post office.

A few bits and pieces from the old days. Said goodbye to Carl in his shaft.

Back into the shop where I bought a fridge magnet. Again too many opals to chose from, haha. Happy to have found our few little bits along the way. Definitely worth the visit.

Steve had a noodle in the boxes out the front. What he found he gave to some kids in the other box.

I went back to the camper.  Put the fridge magnet with the one from Lightning Ridge.

The wind is still blowing but not as fiercely as before. Uncle John returned my call. So lovely to hear his happy voice. Feeling much better. I said where we were and he told me the story of when he went visiting one of the Costigan daughters who, with her husband, had an opal mine in Queensland.

Steve came back and set up camp. We had a drink and nibbles after we got the heater going. Got out our thick coats and beanies to walk up to the 360 Lookout to watch the sun set. Straight walk up!

The moon was up on the other side. Full moon in 2 days.

Selfie time. The wind was cold and blowing hard. Wasn’t the best sunset as there were no clouds to catch the after glow.

Back to the camper and our neighbours had come back. A couple from Blue Mountains and their 2 kids have been on a 2 year trip and after 18 months are heading home. Travelling with kids is good but has its drawbacks too they said. The kids certainly didn’t feel the cold. I had forgotten to take our ‘camp’ photo before.

Nice and warm in the camper. The wind has settled at last but too cold to stay outside chatting. We have had a great time exploring the various opal fields and learning all about opals. There is one more, Mintabie, west of Marla but it is on Aboriginal land so no access allowed, other than the miners obviously.

More travellers pulled in so it ended up being packed but it was all quiet except for the hum of diesel heaters!