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Welcome to the
Andamooka Community Website
The opal mining township of Andamooka is one of the world's major sources of precious opal.
Originally known as ‘Arndoo-moka', the name Andamooka is made up of two local Aboriginal (Kuyani) words, which combined; refer to the ‘loaded (or powerful) bone' of Aboriginal traditional lore and retribution. Another story about the origin of the name is a reference to a waterhole pointed out by John McDouall Stuart on 21st June 1858.
In 1872 a pastoral lease was taken out for Andamooka Station, 58 years later in 1930 two boundary riders found opal at the site now known as Treloars Hill.
The discovery was not generally made known but news of major finds leaked out bringing miners to the field.
Early living conditions during the Depression years were to say the least, difficult but certainly practical, with miners and dealers making use of local materials in the construction of their early semi-dugout homes, typified by the Heritage Listed Cottages in the Historical Reserve.
While conditions have improved over the years, Andamooka has never lost its unique character or Characters.
Andamooka Today
Today, with a population of around 800 - 850 Andamooka hosts a rich assembly of nationalities that live and work together in an environment that outsiders may consider harsh and resembling a ‘moonscape'. To Andamookans however, this is the ideal place to live, uncluttered and free of bureaucracy and hassles of city life.
Opal is still being found at Andamooka, though less than it was. There are still a variety of things for visitors to do. You can tour the opal fields, absorb the history, noodle among the dumps, tour an underground house or visit one of the many opal showrooms and buy directly from the miner or the cutter, thereby eliminating the middle man.
We invite you to explore our website and hope to see you soon exploring our amazing town.
The Andamooka Community Website is supported by the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association.
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