0 0 More by John Plummer This article was originally published with the title “Australian Opal and Opal Mining” in SA Supplements Vol. 52 No. 1342supp (September 1901), p. 21505 ...

Opal mining is a risky business that has lured hordes of Greeks, Serbs, Croats, Italians, and Germans to build one of Australia's most multicultural outposts in the middle of the desert.

They had stumbled into the city of Coober Pedy, a partly subterranean community and the opal capital of the world.

The Fire of Australia, the world’s finest uncut opal, has gone on permanent public display for the first time since its discovery more than 60 years ago.

Scattered around town are do-it-yourself mining operations, abandoned film props and a cafe that serves both waffles and opals.

Researchers have discovered the fossilized remains of a herd of dinosaurs in an opal mine in the Australian outback.

Hidden behind clouds of economic uncertainty, bureaucratic red tape, and workforce challenges, there’s a bright future on the ...

Precious opal found in the Williams opal mine near Coolgardie in Western Australian. (Image credit: Government of Western Australia) ...

While Mexico, Brazil, Honduras and the United States also have mines, Australia officially claims that "95% of the world's precious opals" come from its territory.

By the mid-1800s, mining developments promised new opportunities in outback Queensland.

For 25 years, Kev Phillips has endured heat, flies, dust and isolation as he pores through rock and rubble on his small mining claim in southwestern Queensland, hunting for boulder opal.