In fact, we were just about 45 feet "down under"...the ground that is! Yep, we were about 900km west of Brisbane at the Koroit Opal Fields visiting our friend Gene McDevitt. This American bloke got it in his head to start mining an opal claim about 3 years ago and transits regularly to and from the US. He and his associate Shawn spend countless hours down in the dirt jackhammering away at tons and tons of sandstone in search of the elusive opal "level" where all the opal exists. Once they get the "rough" stone its up to the surface for more countless hours of cutting and polishing. Now that I've been down in the mine and seen how it all works and how hard it is to actually get this stone from the ground I have a new appreciation for these shiny little jewels! Ohhh and they are so beautiful! At times I'd close my eyes and think I was staring in the heart of an opal. The cool thing about opals is that there are never two opals that are the exact same. Its one of the few stones used for jewelry that is not formed from the existence of trace elements like copper or iron etc. Relatively few details are actually known about how they form but more info. is on the way as they gain in popularity.

This has really been a highlight of our trip. The opal mining in itself was awe inspiring but more than that The Outback was breathtaking. The sunsets here make life worth living. The miners have access to bore water that comes from 530 or so feet down in the down and spews out almost boiling hot. They shower with this water and there's even a concrete bath poured near the irrigation ditch to let you enjoy a natural hot mineral water bath. Amanda and I enjoyed some of the best sunsets of our lives here! Without a doubt, the sky at dusk here is as majestic as it gets. In the east the sky becomes a range of deep purples to blue and then blends into oranges, reds, and yellows as you move to the west and the setting sun! I wish I had remembered to bring the camera for these special occasions. Guess those images will have to stay in my head. We did take quite a few pictures of the camp and mine though so without futher ado, here they are.

Koroit Miners

Our excellent host. No he is not crazy. He just looks like it!
Gene the Opal Miner

Here's a shot of the camp. It may look messy but it's really just organized chaos!
A Miner's Camp

And what's behind car "bonnet" number 1?
The Long Drop
You guessed it!
The Dunny!

When we weren't using the above we were eating. And if we weren't cooking over the open flame we were in here being culinarily creative.
The Mess Hut

Even Zack the dog gets to have a feast...on a pair of kangaroo legs!
Ewwww!

Now, on the mine! This is the rubble pile where all the excavated sandstone gets to go. A small bucket gets hoisted up with the extra stone, dumps and then self returns to the bottom of the shaft.
Pile o' crap!

Here's where you go from human to troll:
Shaft Hole

Here it is from the ground looking up. Its alot farther than it looks.
Underground

And now a few shots of this top secret mine!
This is what you see if you look left right when you hit rock bottom!
Left
Here's to the right.
Right
In the mine:
Tunnel
We are working hard!
Shawn
Me
Amanda

And here is the real deal in the rough!
Ooohhhhh!
Ahhhhhhh!
Holy Crap!

Those were a few finished opals from Gene's mine! What a cool experience! But The Outback was amazing too! Here's a few shots. Keep in mind that they've had enough rain recently to help relieve a 10 year drought. Things are much greener than normal out there.
A Lush Outback
Amanda
Snakebite? Cow Remains

Here's where we went yabbing for crawfish on the Paroo River.
4X4 in the bush
Ghost Gums by the Paroo
More Paroo

And finally, an aboriginal watering hole. They built many fires on exposed ironstone to get the shape and it keeps water even in a drought!
Water!

If anyone wants to check out Gene's Official site its:
www.koroit.com
He and Shawn are great guys. If you ever need some opals then let him know.

Remember to check the weird animals and things entries too. I've added a few pics and will update them whenever I get the opportunity.

Also, if anyone would like to see pics of something I'm not showing then please let me know your ideas. And I'm already trying to get pics at the nudie beaches so any other ideas would be appreciated.