Andamooka township. A South Australian Outback opal mining town. The house made of old beer bottles in this hot thirsty desert town. Now part of the local museum and Post Office. .
Andamooka. Population 260.
These Kuyani lands had a salt lake called Andemorka which was the name adopted by the first pastoralist, Charles Burney Young, for his sheep station in the 1870s. Prior to this the first white man to explore this area, with the help of an Aboriginal youth, was Charles Swinden who returned home with some alluvial gold. He fell ill at his Riverton home and died there before he could tell anyone of its location but it was in the Andamooka region. At that time Swinden of Riverton, had his main station at Woolundunga north of Port Augusta. Andamooka station had its difficult times and in the early 1890s a station worker murdered his wife. The police trooper was sent a message to come and arrest the man which he did. The worker was taken to Port Augusta for trial but a jury acquitted him as it was decided that his poor wife died of heat stroke. Charles Burney Young’s venture at Andamooka was taken over by his son but it always lost money and eventually the Bowman brothers took it on for some time.
Opals were discovered here in 1930 when two station workers discovered opals whilst sheltering from a thunderstorm. No town existed for decades but miners or noodlers camped at the site including some local Aboriginal people. The town emerged slowly from the miner camps. The first Post Office opened in 1947 and was named Andamooka. By 1959 Andamooka had 300 residents for which a third were Aboriginal people. Opal mining increased in the 1960s and more town facilities were established as mines created more “dug outs” for their homes. Opal mining was mainly done by individuals and the town gained a reputation for independence and a dislike of government regulation. The opals also attracted miners from diverse cultural backgrounds. At its peak in the 1960s Andamooka had 2,000 residents. In 1978 when the first town newsletter was published it was printed in three languages- English, Hungarian and Yugoslavian.
Historic buildings in the town include several dugouts in the hill side to keep them cool in the long hot summer:- Frank Albertoni’s house in 1931 which is the oldest house on ten mine field as Andamooka opal was only discovered in 1930; Tom Brady’s dugout built in the late 1930s with other rooms nearby and the outside toilet on the hill top behind the dugout; Mrs Perry’s kitchen built in 1951 but it replaced an earlier hut built in 1931; and Andy Absalom’s house built in 1942 and he was the father the Broken Hill artist Jack Absalom. The town also has a mining machinery museum on the drive into the town and there is a café in the local galvanised iron public hall. Behind the hall is the Andamooka Primary School – high school students are bussed into rOxby Downs Area School. Further along the main street is the Post Office, opal gallery and small museum. In front of it is the famous bottle house made of used beer bottles. Nearby by is an Aboriginal gallery and the Long Bus opal shop. Andamooka is only a short distance from Lake Torrens and it is directly west from Leigh Creek but there is no access across Lake Torrens. To get from Andamooka to Leigh Creek one would have to travel by roads through Port Augusta or Marree. Interest in opal jewellery is increasing at the moment and Andamooka opal has always been known for its rare and exceptional opals. Andamooka opals have flashes of red, orange, green, blue and purple and a distinctive vein structure making them very desirable.
Andamooka township. A South Australian Outback opal mining town. The house made of old beer bottles in this hot thirsty desert town. Now part of the local museum and Post Office. .
Andamooka. Population 260.
These Kuyani lands had a salt lake called Andemorka which was the name adopted by the first pastoralist, Charles Burney Young, for his sheep station in the 1870s. Prior to this the first white man to explore this area, with the help of an Aboriginal youth, was Charles Swinden who returned home with some alluvial gold. He fell ill at his Riverton home and died there before he could tell anyone of its location but it was in the Andamooka region. At that time Swinden of Riverton, had his main station at Woolundunga north of Port Augusta. Andamooka station had its difficult times and in the early 1890s a station worker murdered his wife. The police trooper was sent a message to come and arrest the man which he did. The worker was taken to Port Augusta for trial but a jury acquitted him as it was decided that his poor wife died of heat stroke. Charles Burney Young’s venture at Andamooka was taken over by his son but it always lost money and eventually the Bowman brothers took it on for some time.
Opals were discovered here in 1930 when two station workers discovered opals whilst sheltering from a thunderstorm. No town existed for decades but miners or noodlers camped at the site including some local Aboriginal people. The town emerged slowly from the miner camps. The first Post Office opened in 1947 and was named Andamooka. By 1959 Andamooka had 300 residents for which a third were Aboriginal people. Opal mining increased in the 1960s and more town facilities were established as mines created more “dug outs” for their homes. Opal mining was mainly done by individuals and the town gained a reputation for independence and a dislike of government regulation. The opals also attracted miners from diverse cultural backgrounds. At its peak in the 1960s Andamooka had 2,000 residents. In 1978 when the first town newsletter was published it was printed in three languages- English, Hungarian and Yugoslavian.
Historic buildings in the town include several dugouts in the hill side to keep them cool in the long hot summer:- Frank Albertoni’s house in 1931 which is the oldest house on ten mine field as Andamooka opal was only discovered in 1930; Tom Brady’s dugout built in the late 1930s with other rooms nearby and the outside toilet on the hill top behind the dugout; Mrs Perry’s kitchen built in 1951 but it replaced an earlier hut built in 1931; and Andy Absalom’s house built in 1942 and he was the father the Broken Hill artist Jack Absalom. The town also has a mining machinery museum on the drive into the town and there is a café in the local galvanised iron public hall. Behind the hall is the Andamooka Primary School – high school students are bussed into rOxby Downs Area School. Further along the main street is the Post Office, opal gallery and small museum. In front of it is the famous bottle house made of used beer bottles. Nearby by is an Aboriginal gallery and the Long Bus opal shop. Andamooka is only a short distance from Lake Torrens and it is directly west from Leigh Creek but there is no access across Lake Torrens. To get from Andamooka to Leigh Creek one would have to travel by roads through Port Augusta or Marree. Interest in opal jewellery is increasing at the moment and Andamooka opal has always been known for its rare and exceptional opals. Andamooka opals have flashes of red, orange, green, blue and purple and a distinctive vein structure making them very desirable.