OPAL MINER

PROSPECTOR

STORIES FROM UNDERGROUND

Some real and wonderful times were had at Coober Pedy along with some really good fun. At one time I was helping at the Van Park, making all the signs and some maintenance work around the park. At this time the tourists were at the height with t a lot of the younger people coming through Coober Pedy on their trips around Australia. My side line at this time was to load 8 people into the old transit van and take them out to my mine during the day for $5 each, or at night for black light noodling at $10 each. They could keep what they found (sometimes really good opal was found) but on all they continued their trip with praise and their own opal. Word Travels fast and this became a day and night thing. The day trips were out to the claim, have a noodle around and then down the hole (30+ m 100 feet). If they were game and most were, this was the fun time for Tony and me. Tony and I were friends and we worked together in this venture. As you will have seen in the opal site, the opal fields are covered in heaps that the tailings from under ground. This leaves lots and lots of drives (tunnels) under the round. Some are filled to nearly the top. This leaves enough room to crawl through. In some places, drives are connected with only a small opening, with no light or sound. It's that quiet, you can hear your heart beat and plenty of fresh air made this a good place for the unexpected new chums from the other side of the earth. All pre-warned of the hazards ahead and armed with a candle each, they would descend the 104 feet of the mine I was working. For safety reasons, Tony was last down the hole. All rest up shakes and nerves settled down, we would start our tour. Sometimes walking upright, then on hands and knees until we were all on our bellies with much dust and only candle light. A lot of laughter and giggling from excited girls. We would arrive at a large ball room (a large area where opal was dug out). Here was the rest time after being on the move for at least 15 minutes. At this point Tony or I would explain the fundamentals of mining opal. Now to get the true sense of darkness, all candles were blown out. This also gave people the time to gather their thoughts in complete relaxation. Ha Ha. Time to go. "Tony, you got matches man?" "No, you got em Shayne." "Don't bullshit Tony, you always have them." Moans and whispers in the crowd. "Tony, stop mucking up man. Come good and light the candle. Any one got a light?" Everything was left in the transit van, so we know that no one had a light. So it is decided to follow the leader through the blackness of the drives back to the ladders. this could cause a lot of fun and did bring people together. It was always good to get back to the worked part of the mine and sit down and light a smoke from the lighter in my pocket. This would bring some very good discussion and that extra sense of humour out of the group. All in all, everyone saw the funny side of this when all settled down, we would then take to the drives again, leaving lit candles at various places. This drive went from the 3 level to the 2 level (minded up the slide). This was all walking as the drives were all cleared. At level 2, 25-30 feet higher up, we all went along a drive to where the connect was made into the next mine. This small hole was only big enough to crawl through on one's belly for 2-3 feet. All in the next ballroom, a quick talk on the opal mined in this place and back through the hole. Ha ha ha ha. Me first placing the candle away from the hole, just enough dim light to see when they came through the hole, hands first. I did say it was a small hole. I would have hands full of copi dust (white clay turned to dust) and cover the people as they came through. Each one took a turn to do this. The next part was the best. Sliding down the slide. It all started with cardboard slides then ended up with everyone on their bums (backside) and even rolling in all my trips became quite a legend. After a short while, as a foot note, everyone was sworn to secrecy so as not to spoil the trip for the next group. After this, it was back up the ladders and into town to wash to copi dust off. Yes, all looked like ghosts when leaving the hole. In the 4 months that we gave these tours, there was only one emergency. A girl (who was a blond, but don't take offence) was 60 feet up the ladders had called down to me. "I feel faint. I'm going to fall." This is dangerous. If I climbed up and get 20 feet, then she falls, I go to the hospital too. "Take your dress off and tie it around your waist and the ladder, putting your legs though the rungs." After a bout of shouting back and forth, she sorted herself out and I climbed up to her. We then climbed the remainder up like monkeys stuck together up a tree.

The best opal found by a tourist was a shell opal and valued at $1,500. Everyone had opal to take with them and all had a least one good cut stone.

The oldest person to go underground was 78y she came from Germany.

The youngest was a 7-year-old boy from Victoria.Australia.