A day at Andamooka

Wednesday, June 11:

Washing day and the chance to visit Andamooka, an opal mining town 30kms east of Roxby Downs.

After lunch we drove the 20 or so kms to Andamooka which is a very different opal mining town established in the 1930s. There is no underground housing and the housing is of whatever is around – some good, others just tin shacks. There is no commercial opal sellers though the town does have a combined store which seems to sell everything. 

We spent an hour or two looking particularly at the old shacks in the main street which have been restored. One was lived in by the artist Jack Absolom’s father who ran a store in the town. The huts are small but would be cool in the summer. One feature was the position of the outside dunnies – all in a line up the back on the hill. Everyone in town could see you going in and out!

At the edge of town is a community playground and free camp site complete with toilets etc but I think the flies would drive me crazy.

By the free camp is a display of old machinery which kept Wal entertained for about half an hour. There was even an old Land Rover.

Inside one of the dugouts at Andamooka.

An array of equipment used on the Andamooka opal field.

No privacy in the dunnies on the hilll above the main street of Andamooka.

Homes at Andamooka surrounded by mounds of dirt dug out looking for opals.

Wal reading about the various trucks used on the opal field. This one has a blower fitted to it. Like a vacuum cleaner it sucks out all the dirt, rock and hopefully some opals.