As seen on Discovery's Outback Opal Hunters
Mine real opal at night with me in Coober Pedy
For one night, you're not watching miners. You are one.
Real opal mining, not a tourist simulation. You unearth fresh ground with me, with real tools and see what the ground reveals.
Check datesHow the night runs
- We meet about half an hour before sunset and I run you through the opal briefing. Then you follow me out to the claim in your own car. If that does not suit, ask about a pickup from where you are staying.
- We gear up and I show you the ground. We walk into the open cut. There are no ladders on this mine and no winches. We walk in.
- Then you dig. Beside me, on freshly opened ground, after the sun's set and the desert cools off.
Three ways to do it
Opal Miner for a Night
The night on the crew. You work with the real tools, a pick, a jack pick and a UV black light. The ground is prepared ahead so your time is spent digging on the level.
Straight about the deal. Opal found stays with the mine. Every guest takes home an opal keepsake, and kids are guaranteed to find and take home a small opal of their own. There is also the option to buy opal at a discounted rate.
The Miner's Cut
The deeper version. Longer on the tools, jackhammers in hand, and a smaller group, so there is more of me to go around.
The next morning you come back for the workshop. Cleaning, classing and cutting, and how the value of a stone is actually decided. You keep a share of any opal found.
Make it your own
Some people want more than a night. Multi day digs, a daytime session, deeper underground, a private tour, a bigger group. Special needs and VIP arrangements too.
Tell me what you are after through the booking site and we will see what fits.
Prices, dates and the fine print live on the booking site, always current.
Check datesTravelling solo or as a pair?
You can still book a night. Solo travellers, couples and small groups all have a way to make it run, and the booking site explains how.
The honest bit
Nobody can promise you opal. This is a production claim, not a show pit, and some nights the ground gives up nothing. That is the same deal I get.
The season runs March to November. Nights start about half an hour before sunset, so we go when the light does.
Ages 8 and up, and kids come with a responsible adult.
The mine is walk in, no ladders. It is still a working site with uneven ground underfoot, so let me know about any mobility or access needs when you book.
Book ahead, dates go. Coober Pedy sits on the Explorers Way, the Adelaide to Darwin drive, on the way to Uluru, so it is an easy night to build into the run.
Get on the list
Not booking tonight? Leave your email. New videos, fresh opal in the store, and the season dates for the mining nights.
What guests say
Something you have to do in your lifetime is spend a night on the face with Dan and his team.
History, science with a hands-on experience that is just great fun. The real outback opal mining experience!
Book a night
Before you go
Season runs March to November and dates go. Not this trip? Get on the list and you'll hear when nights open up.