Peter’s Story

This story is dedicated to Mintabie and the fellowship of miners who were part of the colourful history of one of Australia’s premier opal fields.

I felt on top of the world and digging out breathtaking opal in our newly named “Prize-fighter Claim”.

We had just found an incredible pocket of black opal in our Jet Black claim and I was still on a high.

I had just finished the exhilarating task of digging out a large pocket of exquisite opal from our Prize Fighter claim.

Stafford owned an investigator drilling rig and had been grid drilling a claim he owned beside a successful finished claim.

My life, now in a perceived state of upheaval was in turmoil. I was feeling totally insecure with our permanent return to Canberra.

Peter’s Story starts in Grabben Gullen, a sleepy little one horse town about an hours drive north east of Canberra.

It was around about this time that opal mining at Mintabie exploded (No pun intended).

I was feeling intensely excited and keen to get back to Mintabie and start work on the Jet Black Opal claim.

The week before opening my new shop was hectic. I flew down to Melbourne to purchase stock with my remaining money. With a limited budget it was a difficult exercise.

With schooling finished I really had no idea where my life would take me. I knew I wanted to do something with geology.

Mintabie is a long 3 days drive from Canberra and I swear crossing the Hay plain that every blade of grass, every salt bush and the three trees on it had not changed since we crossed last.