Unearthing Opal Stays

Come and join us for the most amazing adventure of your life, searching for opal in a real-life working opal mine with a chance to keep $1000 worth of opal you dig out!!

See and experience the primary tourist attractions that Coober Pedy has to offer or relax in desert views and underground comfort to prepare for the fully hands on mining experience of 2 nights!

A one of a kind three-day, two night customised hosted experience! Our goal is to ensure that you get to experience the Coober Pedy highlights on your must-see list and get a hands-on real deal adventure. We build a package to suit you….do a little or do a lot!

You will have exclusive use of a comfortable, quiet, spacious self-contained underground dugout with 3 bedrooms, 1 x king bedroom, 1 x queen bedroom and 1 x twin single room, 1 bathroom with bath, kitchen with Espresso Coffee machine, lounge room and laundry facilities. Under cover parking and free wifi. Outdoor entertaining area, firepit and bbq overlooking amazing desert views with birdlife and kangaroos. Pets and children 12 and above are welcome. Complementary beer and wine in your dugout and meals supplied.

We are helpful, experienced and committed to providing a once in a life time opal mining experience and a unique experience living underground. We tailor your package around 3 days of your selected experiences and 2 nights of hands on mining in our actual opal mine working with us! We build the hosted itinerary around you!

Day One we pick you up from the airport and settle you in to the dugout. Night one is dinner and then out to the mine site for mining.
Day Two is a relaxed start then selected activities of your choice. Night two is sunset at famous “Breakaways” then dinner and night 2 of mining.
Day Three is cleaning and sorting of opal from the two nights of mining and drop off as part of your departure. We host and guide you during the three days.

How you spend your time between the nights of mining is your choice. Choose from the many tourist attractions Coober Pedy has to offer, tour the opal fields, hear a few stories about characters and maybe even meet some of them or just relax. We are here to host and guide you during your stay or drop you to wherever you wish to experience at your own pace.

What to expect at the mine

We expect 2-3 hours per night at the mine unless of course we find a big one and get carried away in the moment and want to mine for longer!

With 2 generations of experience we have developed an efficient mining technique in an easy to access open cut mine. No ladders or winches as we drive you right down into the open sky mine. We will have the mine site prepared for you in advance, so that your time spent at the mine is digging on the level maximising the chance of unearthing opal!

Once on site we will provide an explanation and tour of our mining operations where you’re welcome to get a close view of our unique and customised mining equipment. We will brief you on safety and provide you with safety equipment, UV blacklights, headlamps and of course a pick and battery operated jack pick to dig out your gems.

We will be using the 50 Tonne Excavator during the night to work forward in the mine revealing new ground to check with the UV blacklight to locate the opal. With a little luck on our side you will dig out your very own opal using hand tools and keep up to $1000 AUD worth! If we find a “big one” you will have the first hand experience and excitement in unearthing & holding a beautiful coloured opal and see the magnificence that they exhibit.

We will provide refreshments and snacks at the mine and if the night is chilly maybe a camp fire to warm by.
We will take complementary videos and photos of your experience.
You are also invited to join us in the UAO workshop and cutting room on day 3, where you can be part of the tumbling, cleaning, and sorting process of the opal found over the 2 nights. A beer or wine is often enjoyed during the process!

Feel free to contact us for more information and pricing.
Cheers Dan and Renee

info@unearthedaustralianopal.com

Ph: +61 400 436 252 (international)

Ph: 0400 436 252

To reiterate we are providing an actual working mine experience, where you are with us, to work as we do. Whilst the anticipation and excitement of finding beautiful opal is why we do what we do, the reality is that the open cut conditions and mother nature can make it a significant challenge. The machinery can be a little noisy, the conditions can be dusty and whilst we do our best to make it as safe as possible the surfaces can be rough. There can be insects and the occasional scorpion that are attracted by the UV and white lights. Mining has an element of danger but ensuring your safety is our primary concern and we guide you throughout the evening. Digging opal from the ground is hard work so be prepared to roll up your sleeves to unearth your own gem opal. These facets are the day to day for us and the “Real Thing” that is part of the experience.

Lastly our aim is to give you the best chance of finding and digging your own gem opal, we want you to experience that excitement. Opal is an elusive gem and despite best efforts, preparation, and the best signs unfortunately we cannot guarantee that you we will find precious opal. We can guarantee that we will do our best to provide you the real experience and as much information as we can in an effort to make your time in Coober Pedy memorable.

Oh and if you're lucky you may get to meet our local friendly wild Dingo “Ding” who randomly visits us on the mine site.