Liam stayed in bed while I drove back to the hills. The colours and contours changed as the sun rose but again the haze reduced the effect. Worth coming back for in a season other than Spring.
The Arkaringa “cabins” are mine Dongas which was lucky as I only had to reach up a bit to pull the smoke alarm off the ceiling after the burning toast set it off. There really wasn’t anywhere else out of the wind to set the stove up so I had to bring it inside (Liam was only a little bit embarrassed).
An uneventful drive to Mt Barry Station then onto the Oodnadatta – Coober Pedy Road. This took us through the Moon Plain that is dry, dusty and lifeless. The gibber plain before it could have been calls the Mars Plain – red, rocky, dry and lifeless. After a quick diversion through the Breakaways (another multicoloured set of hills) we came into Coober Pedy.
Every opal field we’ve been to has been so different. White Cliffs remains our favourite. Smaller, more “personal” with shafts and small but extensive diggings. Andamooka and Stuart Creek were “crude” – huge holes scraped with a bulldozer and spread over a much larger area (although Stuart Creek was barely visible because of the dust storm). Coober Pedy wasn’t at all romantic. An enormous field (well over 4000 square kilometres) with warning signs everywhere that if you didn’t have a claim you had no reason to be there. Far too professional for us!
The person in the Information Centre was very helpful (the best of the trip) and gave us a map with the public noodling area highlighted as well as a pointer to a suitable underground motel. We got the last room.
Unlike the room we had at White Cliffs last year which was a cosy cave, this was a 3 bedroom apartment. Although it was carved into the side of a hill, it was so big that it didn’t feel any different to a normal motel. We had two double and four single beds to choose from.
The moment had finally arrived when Liam could hit the mullock heaps. Again, the White Cliffs experience had set a high level of expectation. Unfortunately, the public noodling area didn’t make the grade. We found a few small slivers, a few better pieces in the car park gravel but not much to get excited about.
The manager of the motel had said that some guest had luck in the noodling area of Tom’s Working Opal Mine on the Stuart Highway so that’s where we headed next. Liam had found his first bit of colour within minutes than lots more. We did the right thing and paid our money to go on the self guided tour which was interesting. We went back to the noodling immediately after. One of the ladies in the mine shop looked at our collection from Andamooka and Coober Pedy and although she though some of the pieces were nice didn’t think they would pay for the holiday (Liam doesn’t believe her).
The Arkaringa “cabins” are mine Dongas which was lucky as I only had to reach up a bit to pull the smoke alarm off the ceiling after the burning toast set it off. There really wasn’t anywhere else out of the wind to set the stove up so I had to bring it inside (Liam was only a little bit embarrassed).
An uneventful drive to Mt Barry Station then onto the Oodnadatta – Coober Pedy Road. This took us through the Moon Plain that is dry, dusty and lifeless. The gibber plain before it could have been calls the Mars Plain – red, rocky, dry and lifeless. After a quick diversion through the Breakaways (another multicoloured set of hills) we came into Coober Pedy.
Every opal field we’ve been to has been so different. White Cliffs remains our favourite. Smaller, more “personal” with shafts and small but extensive diggings. Andamooka and Stuart Creek were “crude” – huge holes scraped with a bulldozer and spread over a much larger area (although Stuart Creek was barely visible because of the dust storm). Coober Pedy wasn’t at all romantic. An enormous field (well over 4000 square kilometres) with warning signs everywhere that if you didn’t have a claim you had no reason to be there. Far too professional for us!
The person in the Information Centre was very helpful (the best of the trip) and gave us a map with the public noodling area highlighted as well as a pointer to a suitable underground motel. We got the last room.
Unlike the room we had at White Cliffs last year which was a cosy cave, this was a 3 bedroom apartment. Although it was carved into the side of a hill, it was so big that it didn’t feel any different to a normal motel. We had two double and four single beds to choose from.
The moment had finally arrived when Liam could hit the mullock heaps. Again, the White Cliffs experience had set a high level of expectation. Unfortunately, the public noodling area didn’t make the grade. We found a few small slivers, a few better pieces in the car park gravel but not much to get excited about.
The manager of the motel had said that some guest had luck in the noodling area of Tom’s Working Opal Mine on the Stuart Highway so that’s where we headed next. Liam had found his first bit of colour within minutes than lots more. We did the right thing and paid our money to go on the self guided tour which was interesting. We went back to the noodling immediately after. One of the ladies in the mine shop looked at our collection from Andamooka and Coober Pedy and although she though some of the pieces were nice didn’t think they would pay for the holiday (Liam doesn’t believe her).
Hi Liam
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear you had fun at Toms Working Mine, I wish to go to Coober Pedy, Your self guide tour was at the Toms Mine? I want to but opal, did they have a shop there too?
Regards,
Trevor
otm@berrydopals.com.au