AUSTRALIAN WHITE OPAL is highly sought after and was discovered in 1915. White Opal makes up approximately 75% of Australia’s Opal production.
Where Does White Opal Come From?
Can you find the Australian town, Coober Pedy in the map below? Coober Pedy produces the majority of the world's White Opal.
The Opal mining fields of Coober Pedy lie in the outback of South Australia.
Roughly 1,700 people live in Coober Pedy, Australia and 80% of them work at mining-related jobs while living underground to escape desert heat and freezing winters. These houses require ceilings a minimum of 4 meters high to prevent collapse.
Miners have dug over 250,000 mines, making Coober Pedy a dangerous place for tourists to walk around without the proper knowledge.
The name “Coober Pedy” comes from the
Aboriginal Australian kupa piti, meaning “boys’ waterhole.”
The town is sometimes referred to as the
"opal capital of the world" because of the quantity
of Precious Opals that are mined there.
