Opalton mining for boulder opal 2026
A collection of articles about fossicking Opalton, the first one is from ABC News
The red, rugged country of the remote Queensland outback is a far cry from the white powdery slopes of the French Alps, but there’s nowhere else that Chamonix chairlift builder Remi Demazure would rather be.
Key points:
- The remote locality of Opalton is experiencing a tourist boom
- Local miners say it’s thanks to being featured on the internationally popular TV show Outback Opal Hunters
- Work is underway on improving existing facilities and developing future projects
The remote, red, and rugged expanse of the Queensland outback often conjures images of endless horizons and harsh isolation. Yet, deep within this spectacular, ancient landscape, a unique phenomenon is unfolding. This is Opalton, a historic settlement that is currently undergoing a vibrant and unexpected renaissance. It is a world entirely different from the white, powdery slopes of Europe—a fact that has drawn global adventurers like French Alps chairlift builder Remi Demazure, who has traded the pristine snow for the sun-baked dirt in pursuit of treasure.
Opalton is not just any dusty speck on the map; it is one of Australia’s most historic and revered opal fields, famous for producing stunning seam and boulder opal. For generations, the settlement remained a destination primarily known only to determined local miners and seasoned fossickers, people dedicated to the solitary, back-breaking search for the legendary stone of shimmering colours. The underlying lure of Opalton extends far beyond monetary reward; it lies in the sheer thrill of unearthing a geological masterpiece that has lain hidden beneath the earth’s surface for millions of years, an experience that connects the fossicker to deep time.
Recently, however, the secret of Opalton’s rugged allure has gone global. As reported by ABC News, this remote locality is experiencing a significant tourist boom, fueled by its prominent feature on the internationally popular reality television series, Outback Opal Hunters. The show has successfully captured the drama and high stakes of the hunt, inspiring viewers from around the world to pack their bags and try their luck in the dirt. This sudden influx of visitors, both domestic and international, has brought new life and energy to the dusty settlement. Local miners, while accustomed to solitude, are welcoming the attention, noting that the increased traffic is already necessitating critical infrastructure improvements. Work is currently underway to upgrade existing facilities and develop future projects, ensuring Opalton can sustainably cope with the surge in opal tourism. This collection of articles explores the geology, the characters, and the economic transformation of this remote outpost, guiding you through the magic and rugged reality of fossicking in the revitalized heart of the Australian outback.
Mr Demazure and his partner Malicia Sliwimski had been travelling the world before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the pair managed to get into Australia to complete their pilgrimage to an unlikely location — Opalton.
“Since we were children, we grew up with these TV shows, Opal Hunters and Gold Hunters, and it’s always been a dream to see the outback life, and we had this opportunity, so we thought why not.”
Opal fever, not tourism
Opalton, almost 1500 kilometres from Brisbane, has featured on the television show Outback Opal Hunters since 2018, and local miners attribute the rush of tourists to the remote location to the success of the internationally popular program.
It’s late in the tourist season, and most of the big crowds have retreated to cooler climates, but the camping grounds atop one of Queensland’s largest opal fields are still alive with domestic and international travellers.
It’s a joyous sight for Queensland Boulder Opal Association (QBOA) secretary Alison Summerville, who says Opalton’s tourism has relied on word of mouth for the past 40 years.
“I think the Outback Opal Hunters are far, far ahead of COVID,” Mrs Summerville said.
“We’ve actually been restricted, because we used to get all the southern people come up from Victoria because it’s warm, so we’re expecting a bumper year next year and possibly even the year after when all these people go, ‘thank God we can get up here and enjoy the warmth again’.
“To see it today, it brings me a lot of joy to hear all these young people chatting and talking, and how passionate they are about something that we’re passionate about.
“We’ve been doing this for 30, 40 years and it’s just fantastic.”
Bold vision for boulder opal mining
Pickaxes have been downed, and mining machinery left dormant for a series of working bees over the past month to improve facilities to cater for the growing tourism demand.
But it’s just outside the Opalton Bush Park where the future of the region is being designed.
QBOA president James Evert says the time is now to capitalise on the tourism boom and immortalise the stories of the past.
“What we’re seeing is a generational change,” Mr Evert said.
“We’ve got to capture this modern history from the 60s, 70s onwards, when a lot’s happened here so the timing is right to grab it while the memories are still here.”
The Opalton Exhibition and Visitors Centre is still in the design phase but will be unlike anything the mining outpost has ever seen. It’s hoped the centre will provide the foundation of a bustling tourist industry.
“As a local coming from the Winton district, it’s so great,” he said.
“It’s going to be a major attraction for all the tourists that come into the area, and the operators in the surrounding area to come here to Opalton confident there’ll be people here to greet them.”
Gems in the rough capturing imaginations
Opal miner Col Duff has called Opalton home on and off since 1991, and is currently fixing up his campsite in preparation for retirement.
Mr Duff has been watching the region he loves slowly develop over the past 30 years, but few can say they’ve contributed more to the spike in Opalton’s global reputation than him.
His opal fever and larrikin persona caught the eye of the producers of Outback Opal Hunters, resulting in his mining operation in Opalton debuting on the first season of the show, and securing the remote outback town’s presence for the following six seasons.
“This has been the best opportunity to promote the outback, Winton Shire, Opalton, and the Bush Park for the past couple of years,” he said.
“We’ve had heaps of people coming through, and that means it grows, we get more water tanks, more dongas, more shower and toilet blocks.
“This is a little community way out in the middle of nowhere, so to get people to come and visit is great, it gives miners a chance to sell stones, a bit of socialisation, and people get to enjoy the outback as it really is.”
But is the dedicated opal hunter worried about all the extra fossickers and miners digging into his profits?
“We’ve probably only dug about 5 per cent of the known opal reserve here in Opalton, so we’re not going to run out of ground to chase opals in,” he said.
“This’ll last 1,000 years.”
From the Queensland Government Website
Western opal fields
Opalton designated fossicking land
The Opalton Field, also called the Fermoy Field, was one of the largest and most extensively worked opal deposits in Queensland. Mining activity on the field is mostly limited to small-scale hand mining but some larger operations using heavy machinery are present in the surrounding area.
Access
The Opalton Field is located about 124km south-west of Winton. From Winton, take the Jundah Road (mostly unsealed) and travel 15km, turn left and travel a further 109km (unsealed road) past Weona Homestead to Opalton.
Visitors are requested not to call at Weona.
Map
Facilities
The Opalton community has established a bush camping park with shade shelters, water, toilets and showers adjacent to the area. A small fee applies. There is a shop with limited supplies.
Camping is also allowed in the Opalton designated fossicking land for a maximum period of 3 months. Camping permits can be obtained for the payment of a small fee from the same outlets as for licences.
Fossicking notes
The Opalton area is popular with tourists as a place to speck or noodle fragments of opal or ironstone matrix from the surface or from the spoil dumps of old workings. However, known areas of shallow ground, such as the old Brilliant Claim area, may offer the more serious fossicker a chance to dig and find that outstanding gem.
Special conditions
Commercial mining activities still occur in the designated fossicking land and numerous mining claims and a mining lease (ML6032) are current (see map). Do not enter these mining tenures without the written permission of the holders. Pegs mark the corners of each tenure.
Boulder Opal Mining and the 2026 Outlook
The opal fields of Opalton, while enjoying a renewed lease on life thanks to international television exposure and a subsequent tourism boom, remain fundamentally centered on the extraordinary geology and challenging reality of boulder opal mining. As the Queensland Boulder Opal Association (QBOA) prepares for a “bumper year” in 2026, driven by an easing of post-pandemic travel restrictions and sustained interest from newcomers like Remi Demazure, understanding the specific nature of this unique gemstone and the mining methods required to extract it is crucial. This outlook moves beyond the immediate excitement to examine the practicalities and the future of production at this historic site.
The Geology of the Treasure: Boulder Opal Explained
Opalton’s fame rests almost entirely on the boulder opal it produces, a variety unique to the geological structures of western Queensland. Unlike the delicate, light-colored seam opal found in fields like Coober Pedy, boulder opal is characterized by its formation within, and attachment to, a host rock—typically a hard, brown ironstone, often referred to as ‘ironstone matrix’ or ‘boulder’.
The geological process begins when silica-rich solutions seep into fissures and cavities within the ironstone rock layers, which formed during the Cretaceous period in the ancient Winton Formation. Over millions of years, the silica slowly solidifies into opal. The presence of the dark ironstone matrix is key, as it provides a naturally dark background against which the vibrant play-of-color in the thin opal veins, or “seams,” is dramatically highlighted, often making boulder opal exceptionally valuable and visually striking.
The challenge for the miner lies in the fact that the opal layer is often very thin, sometimes just a millimeter thick, necessitating careful extraction to maximize the size and quality of the final stone. Col Duff’s assertion that only about 5% of the known reserve has been dug hints at the sheer volume of untapped ironstone that must be processed to find these elusive, precious seams.
Techniques for Boulder Opal Extraction
Mining for boulder opal at Opalton ranges from small-scale fossicking by tourists to more intensive commercial operations. The size and location of the opal dictates the methods used:
Fossicking and Noodling: For tourists and newcomers, the most common activity is specking or noodling. This involves sifting through the spoil dumps left by commercial miners or simply walking over the surface of the designated fossicking area. Rain often washes away the fine dirt, exposing fragments of opal or ironstone matrix—the “floaters”—that were missed. This is the simplest and most accessible form of the hunt, requiring little more than a keen eye and a small pick.
Shallow Ground Digging (Hand Mining): The historical Brilliant Claim area, noted for its shallow ground, is popular for more serious fossickers. Here, the technique is typically hand mining, using simple tools like pickaxes, shovels, and sometimes small jackhammers. Miners follow the ironstone layers, digging small shafts or tunnels, looking for the characteristic ‘potch’ (common, non-precious opal) or color that indicates a potential seam. The material is then brought to the surface to be broken down and inspected. This method is slow, physically demanding, and requires a high degree of persistence, but is the traditional way to chase the opal seams.
Mechanized Mining (Commercial Operations): Larger operations in the surrounding area employ heavy machinery, such as excavators and bulldozers, to remove significant amounts of overburden (the layers of rock and soil above the opal-bearing stratum). They then use smaller excavators to carefully work the ironstone layer, often loading the material into specialized tumblers or processing plants to wash and break it down, making it easier to spot the precious stone. While more efficient, this method requires substantial capital investment and carries a higher risk, but it is necessary to efficiently process the vast quantities of host rock.
The 2026 Outlook and Future Sustainability
Looking ahead to 2026, the Opalton field is poised to capitalize on its newfound global prominence. The completion of improvements like upgraded water tanks, dongas, and shower/toilet blocks—along with the potential foundation-laying for the visionary Opalton Exhibition and Visitors Centre—will transform the visitor experience from rugged camping into a more welcoming and educational destination.
Key factors for 2026 and beyond:
Infrastructure Investment: The QBOA’s focus on the Visitors Centre and essential facilities demonstrates a commitment to sustainable tourism. This infrastructure will not only accommodate more visitors but also help to preserve the “modern history” of the field, as James Evert emphasized.
Miner-Tourist Interaction: The presence of both seasoned miners and enthusiastic newcomers creates a unique dynamic. For miners like Col Duff, the influx of visitors provides a direct market to sell their stones and a social outlet, offsetting the initial concern over increased competition for ground.
Regulation and Land Use: The special conditions, which highlight the active commercial mining leases (like ML6032) within the designated fossicking land, underscore the necessity of clear signage and respect for private tenures. Sustained growth relies on responsible fossicking that does not interfere with the ongoing, larger commercial operations. Clear marking of boundaries, a task James Evert and Col Duff have undertaken, will be essential to manage the mixed use of the land.
The future of Opalton is not just about finding more opal; it is about balancing the historic allure of the treasure hunt with the reality of modern, community-supported tourism. The sustained global visibility promises to keep the ‘opal fever’ running hot, ensuring Opalton remains a vibrant part of the Australian outback for generations to come, just as Col Duff predicted—a field that could last “1,000 years.”