Wild opal mining town in the desert between Roxby Downs and Lake Torrens.
With the prosperous mining town of Roxby Downs (famous as a uranium mining site) only 34 km away, Andamooka has changed over the past 25 years. A quarter of a century ago it was one of the wildest of all Australia's opal mining towns. Today some of the streets are paved, although there is no curbing or guttering, and nearly all of the community lives in houses which are above ground and built with some care for symmetry and tidiness. And there is even a hint of a suburb. Twenty five years ago nearly every house was built out of corrugated iron. It is still, however, a town driven solely by opal mining and, as such, everything else plays a secondary role. Andamooka lies in the middle of the desert 15 km west of Lake Torrens and 76 m above sea level. All around are cones of white soil where miners, like gophers, have been burrowing for gems. Given that the annual rainfall is only 203 mm it is hardly surprising that residents wanting a bit of garden are almost certainly doomed to failure.
Location
Andamooka is a located 590 km from Adelaide and 285 km from Port Augusta. It is only 76 m above sea level.
^ TOPOrigin of Name
There is some dispute about the origins of the word 'Andamooka'. some sources claim it was the local First Nations (Kuyani) term for a large waterhole which was pointed out to the explorer John McDouall Stuart as he made his way through the area in 1858. Other sources claim the Kuyani word is 'Arndoo-moku' which means a loaded or powerful bone which was part of local First Nations lore.
^ TOPThings to See and Do
Buying Opals
There are hundreds of good reasons for going to Andamooka. It is a surreal town and the people who live there, and spend their days digging for opals, are a fascinating breed of eccentrics driven by the belief that one day they will find a gemstone of extraordinary value. In the meantime they find small opals and offer them for sale in small shops. Some they polish. Others are unpolished. They know which stones are worth real value. There's a wonderful level of mining eccentricity. One sign declares "Andamooka Opal ... the World's Finest!" (what - only one?) and Duke's Bottle House (which has a motel attached) has a reputation for having fine stones.
Historical Cottages
Located in the main street, built in the 1930s, and open for inspection all year round, these semi-dugouts (an attempt to deal with the harsh summer heat) are unlike the dugouts in, say, White Cliffs or Coober Pedy, because the soil around Andamooka is heavy in clay. They are listed on the National Heritage Register because they are typical of the kind of rough accommodation created by the early miners in the area.
Andamooka Observatory
The Andamooka Observatory is a family-owned tour business that offers daily tours and creates personalised and private itineraries that take guests into the Andamooka Opal Fields. The tours are ideal for guests who want a pristine desert experience, amazing starry nights, fine food and wine, vast open spaces, abundant wildlife, and the chance to learn about Australia’s national gemstone: opal. Tours can be customised to include bush tucker banquets and beverages, searching for opal with LED Ultraviolet flashlights, opal mining, paleontology, opal cutting lessons, birding, sunsets, stargazing, and nocturnal tours. Daytime tours are at 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. Prices: Adults $50 / Kids: $25 / Kids under 5 are free. The tours last for two hours. Night time tours start at 7.00 pm, last for two hours and cost - Adults $55 / Kids: $25 / Kids under 5 are free. Bookings are essential tel: 0466 265 377.
Cal the Stoner’s Stonemasonry
‘Cal the Stoner’ is a sculptor and artisan stonemason who explores changes in natural stone, through placement in different environments. Cal is currently creating a life sized tiger that when complete will have opal eyes and Andamooka rainbow matrix claws! The Andamooka Tiger is made of Grampian sandstone and when finished will weigh nearly one tonne. Cal moved up to Andamooka from St Kilda (Victoria) to set up an open air stonemasonry Art Studio. Visitors are welcome to Cal’s studio between 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm Entry fee is a cold beer. Call Cal and let him know you are coming: 0403 042 973.
Other Attractions in the Area
Lake Torrens
Lake Torrens is only 15 km from Andamooka but the road is difficult and should only be attempted by people in 4WD vehicles. It is unwise, even with a 4WD, to attempt to drive on the lake as it can hide soft mud below an apparently stable surface.
History
* This is desert country with little or no water. The Kuyani First Nations people moved through the area, from water hole to water hole, for thousands of years.
* On 21 June, 1858 the explorer John McDouall Stuart, attempting to cross Australia from south to north, passed through the area.
* In 1872 the Andamooka station pastoral lease was established.
* Opals were first found at Andamooka in 1930 by two boundary riders, Sam Brookes and Roy Shepperd at Treloars Hill.
* The famous 'Andamooka' opal, known as the Queen's Opal, was presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1954. It was cut and set in an 18 carat palladium necklace.
^ TOPVisitor Information
There is no visitor information in town but the locals, particularly those at the opal shops, will help with directions.
^ TOPUseful Websites
There is a friendly, community website with lots of useful information about the town. Check out http://andamooka.sa.au. For a small town it is a remarkable website full of interesting information.
^ TOP
Love that you refer to Andamooka Opal with reference to ‘what – only one?’.
Fun fact, having grown up in Andamooka (1974-1975) and Coober Pedy (1975-1980), I can tell you that locals do not pluralise opal with an ‘s’. It’s all referred to as ‘opal’.
One of the only places in Australia that I could find my favourite Danish beer: Carlsberg Elefant (that was in 1998!)
When we visited in 1962 we were working at the Woomera missile range with 15JSTU on Bloodhound surface to air missile not too far away. When we visited Andamooka we were amazed to see half buried ancient cars, people living underground with corrugated roofs, the best house in town looked very nice above ground and owned by the opal dealer who had his own plane, we went down a mineshaft probably 20 ft and into a horizontal shaft looking for opals. We came away with opal pairs for £25 and black opal as well as opal veined rocks, terrific experience. There were no tarred roads then only scraped sandy surfaces to drive on with wheel ruts to stay in, you had to drive about 50/60 miles an hour to not shake to bits on the corrugations very dodgy! You could see truck driving dust 5 miles away, overtaking was blind.
Brilliant time
And the cemetery is a must with some iconic graves of miners
Yes, and one of them was Bernie Zander, the uncle of my wife. Killed 50 years ago and we still remember him.
Took our caravan there in 2022. Good camp ground with amazing amenities. Interesting museum and great little local cafe. RFDS outstation very helpful. Worth a visit!