Our opal mines pictures

Here are some photos of:
Australian Boulder opal fields around
Opalton, 125 km south west of   Winton, Outback Queensland, where we mine our opals.
The Australian "bush" with animals, scenery, pictures of our mining and opal cutting equipment.
Some mining scenes in the open air and some of the tunnels we dug by hand (with electric jack pick).
Those tunnels are on average 12 metres deep underground and 2.5 metres high.
Some rough boulder opal and some half finished stones.
All of this should give you an idea of the process involved .
Young lace monitor
Goanna
Black headed python
Wild camels
Brolgas
Brolgas
Wild
camels
Goanna
Black headed python
Young lace monitor
Sunrise on opal field
Boulder opal country
Boulder opal country
Small opal mines
Early morning on opal field
Boulder opal country
Boulder opal
country
Early morning on opal field
Small opal mines
Sunrise on opal field
Elisabeth in tunnel
Air cooler underground
Elisabeth in tunnel
Automatic hoist
Elisabeth going down the shaft
Elisabeth going down the shaft
Automatic hoist
Elisabeth in tunnel
Air cooler underground
Elisabeth in tunnel
Underground
Tunnel vision
View from bottom of shaft
View from top of shaft
Tunnel vision
View from bottom of shaft
Tunnel vision
View from top of shaft
Underground
Tunnel vision
Underground
Hand shaft started
Underground
Elisabeth checking for pipe opal traces
Elisabeth on waste dump
Elisabeth checking for
pipe opal traces
Underground
Elisabeth on waste dump
Underground
Hand shaft started
Bottom of automatic hoist
Elisabeth having a rest
Jacky and dead tree
Elisabeth in tunnel
Repairing hoist
Starting a shaft
Starting a shaft
Bottom of
automatic hoist
Jacky and dead tree
Elisabeth in tunnel
Repairing hoist
Elisabeth having a rest
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Earth boring machine
Earth boring machine
Mining with back hoe
Mining with back hoe
Mining camp
Mining camp
Mining with back hoe
Earth boring machine
Sieve and trailer
Mobile camp
Mobile camp
we're going fishing
Rough boulder opal
Rough boulder opal
Mobile
camp
Hot weather is upon us (40° C in
the shade ), we're going fishing;
Wishful thinking! We are actually
going home to start cutting the
opal we found.
Mobile camp
Sieve and trailer
Boulder opal split, then sawn
Rough boulder opal
Rough opalised fossil wood
Rough boulder opal
Boulder opal split in 3 pieces
Boulder opal split in 3 pieces
Rough boulder opal
Raw opalised fossil wood
Boulder opal split, then sawn
Polished boulder opal specimen
A beautiful parcelof faced boulder opal
Polished boulder opal specimen
Polished boulder opal specimen
Small rough boulder opal specimens
A beautiful parcel
of faced boulder opal
Elisabeth cutting opal
Elisabeth cutting opal
Jacky cutting opal
A wheel barrow full of opal
A wheel barrow full of opal
Elisabeth and Jacky hard at work again. After finding it, boulder opal has to be cut and polished.  
We hope you enjoyed our pictures

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Copyright © 2004 - 2009 Delarue opals
Watch also the following videos posted on You Tube of 3 very rare and exceptional boulder opals, we have mined: