red earth opal - the opal mine tour

robsY9270ZU

Graham Dawton knows his stuff. The tour through and uder his claim in White Cliffs was informative and being underground comfortable (out of the sun and heat).His style is amiable and the way he explained the creation of opals and how to find them was easily understood.The Cafe and show room give a great opportunity to see how beautiful this gem is and what can be done with it.

MandyF321

A must do so informative and interesting well worth the $20 thanks Graham.This is a wonderful part of Australia that can't be missed.

493jillh

We had a great tour of the mine after a chat in the shop about opals and their formation. We headed off to the mine. Safety talk and then we went underground. We heard about the history of the mine and saw the newer machinery used for the remineing efforts searching for pineapple opals. Seeing pieces of opal in the soft rock was interesting. Finding pieces on the surface needed a really sharp eye. Tour is 3 pm so best to plan to stay the night , an experience in itself. Beware of wildlife crossing the road driving into white cliffs. Best not to do it at dusk in a conventional car.

Whitwillow

This tour was the highlight of a recent tour of north west New South Wales. The tour takes you underground into a working opal mine. The thrill of finding opals in the ground is one to remember. White Cliffs is like Lightning Ridge without all the tourist traps and the low grade opals found on this tour will always remind me of a very enjoyable day.

melissad920

Great little town in the middle of nowhere. Had a delicious lunch in the red opal cafe (made by Graeme & his family).. Then we were off on the opal mine tour. Graeme was a fantastic tour guide, full of knowledge and happy to share with all of us on anything and everything to do with mining for opals. Once inside the (working) opal mine we were shown first hand how much work is involved. A great hands on experience for people of all ages with a great guide.. Would recommend to anyone in the area :)

Thetribe6

We loved this mine tour as Graeme has such passion for his craft of mining for opals. He clearly loves conducting the tours and his easy-going nature ensures that everyone will have a fun and informative experience. Our four children and ourselves found it to be an unforgettable experience, which comes highly recommended to all visitors to White Cliffs. The cafe which is run by Graeme's family is also a real treat in White Cliffs. And book into the Cave Cottage, you won't be disappointed.Take the long drive to White Cliffs from wherever you are...it is a truly unique experience.

graveolens

A real little oasis in the Outback. The tour was excellent with Graeme explaining a day in the life of. He clearly loves what he does and was keen to share his wealth of knowledge with everyone. My son loves opals and at 10 years old has decided he wants to be a geologist and gemologist. Graeme really took the time to speak with him and has further fuelled our sons (and ours!) passion for opals and following your dreams. Tour is highly recommended for all ages.

Countryladd

We went to the Red Earth Opal Mine tour today and really enjoyed it. It's nice to be informed and entertained without being bullied into anything. An added bonus is the beautiful cafe where a lovely lady made her first babychino for my daughter. It was very much enjoyed. The tour was great, informative and fun. I would definitely go again just to see how they are going - I thoroughly recommend this tour.

TALKHoliday

White Cliffs is an amazing little town in the middle of nowhere with so much history and information to offer. We did the Red Earth Opal mine tour with Graeme which was fantastic. Going into a working opal mine and learning about the techniques Graeme uses to mine opal was truly fascinating. The attached cafe was lovely and we had the opportunity to stay in the new Cave Cottage owned and run by Graeme and his wife.