Ken McKenzie spoke to us this week about his hobby of opal mining. He mines for opal at Andamooka, near the Olympic Dam uranium mine. To mine for opal you need a prospecting license and then to stake a claim. Opal is 65-70 million years old and is found in seams between 3 and 15 meters deep. Modern miners generally use bulldozers, excavators, jackhammers, and explosives. Some of the people who use explosives are licensed to do so. One of the most famous opal miners in Andamooka was a Yugoslavian bloke named Barry Smith. We thank Ken for his interesting and entertaining presentation.
