KOROIT OPALS
MINING OPS AT KOROIT 
Some of the Opal ore that comes out of the rugged ground... Frank & Heather are Aussie friends from downunda and who are the owners of the Robin J mine at KOROIT. They have graciously forwarded some photos of interest of the daily operations of the Robin J. ( there is also a Koroit town in western Victoria ) Koroit in Queensland is not a township as there is no electricity, running water or any of the comforts of life that we take for granted , Being rugged harsh bush land most supplies and fuel to run their machinery has to be trucked in by the miners who can only operate their mines when ever the weather or seasonal conditions allow. Koroit opals are renowned for the unique distinctive type of Opal found in that area. 
Site Map: Compliments of wickepedia.... The Koroit Mining Fields are located about 80 km north west of Cunnamulla. Which is in the shire of Paroo. 
Some glorious sunsets are typical of the inland district of the Paroo 
Operations are open cut and the use of heavy machinery is employed to do the basic hard work of removing the top layer to get at the opal bearing rock below. 
From the photos you can just imagine what a labor saving devise the heavy machinery is. Tackling that hard clay and ironstone with a pick and shovel would be a back breaking task as the earth is so hard it would take forever to remove the top soil.
Photo shows Heather inspecting the mullock heap. Once the digging is completed the laborious task of hand picking through the rubble searching for promising opal bearing rock looking for that elusive color. The rock and boulders then have to be sliced into manageable slabs to be graded then finally ready for sale to the worlds market.... `
THE MANY PROBLEMS OF MINING THE BACK COUNTRY
Althought the photos were sent in by Frank ( Koroit Opals ) he has informed me with a sigh of relief that the below machinery was not his
Things can get a wee bit boggy during the wet
Not one but two machines got stuck and thats a problem way out in the back blocks.!!!!
Those interested in purchasing opal rough direct from the Robin J Mine at Koroit can view their site in our Links pages
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