Opalling @ 27 58 01 S, 144 37 59E

The population of this settlement is 100, 150 houses, a school with 2 students, a general store, a library, a weekly market – we bought a pumpkin for $2! The Flying doctor comes in every Friday for a clinic. Fuel is delivered each week.

Here we are – trying our luck at opal digging. We are learning the hard way and that is not to wear jandals out to the opal fields. The double gees – very prickly thorns stick to your footwear and ‘wear’ themselves through your jandals. Mine are now ruined.

Not having much luck – honestly we had no idea what we were looking for-nuts, hard stones-yes, well, we did find some stones to bash with the hammer and Murray found some sparkly stones.

Basic equipment is a long handled pick, a spray bottle of water, a sieve and a spade.

Carol and Wally from Clunes showed us how opalling is done. They have been coming here for 8 years!

Carol is also a very accomplished needlework woman as can be seen by her ‘craft bag’.

We are not in the caravan park, consequently the toilets are very basic and we share with the local wildlife.

The other noticeable aspect of this country is the acidic/chemical smell in the air coming from the Gidgee tree. Bright yellow flowers abound. We picked up this smell south of Bourke-small wafts-at first we thought it was the result of the floods, or the cattle. But no, this tree is rife in Central Queensland and the smell is worse after rain. Many asthmatics do not tolerate the smell.