Opal Mining in Australia

In Lightning Ridge, the opal bearing soil is mainly situated deep underground. The miners drill a roughly one-meter wide hole into the ground all the way to the opal level, usually around 20 meters deep, and then spread tunnels and caves around the hole to dig the opal bearing rock. The dirt, hopefully containing opal, is raised to the surface and transferred to a designated washing site. Using old concrete mixing trucks, filled with the dirt and constant stream of water, the material is washed to remove as much sand and clay as possible. Finally, the miners do a tail-out, where they sort the rough opal from other rock material. No chemicals are used in opal mining. In addition, Lightning Ridge soil doesn’t contain poisonous substances. Therefore, the opal mining produces only very little waste or other emissions.

The opal mines are mainly operated by small businesses, owned by families or groups of friends. No big mining corporations are involved in opal mining in Lightning Ridge. The regulations regarding mining in Lightning Ridge are strict, which ensures that the mining stays in the hands of small businesses and individual miners, and that the mining is done in a sustainable manner. The regulations are set by, among others, the government of the state of New South Wales and that Lightning Ridge Miners Association. You can read more about these regulations from the bottom section of this page.