Andamooka Observatory

04/04/2025

🎟 TICKETS ON SALE – AUSTRALIAN OPAL AWARDS GALA 2025 🎟
https://australianopalawards.com.au/award-gala-night/

📅 Date: Friday, 25th July 2025 (Doors open 6pm)
📍 Location: Lightning Ridge Bowling Club
🎭 Theme: Roaring 20s Formal Attire

Join us for an elegant evening celebrating the best in Australian opal artistry.

Witness the announcement of the award winners, recognising outstanding craftsmanship and design in the opal industry.

What you can expect;

🔹 Formal dinner & awards presentation
🔹 Live entertainment & themed experience
🔹 Models showcasing a selection of jewellery entries
🔹 Industry networking & celebration

🎟 Tickets available now! Secure your place at this premier industry event.
https://australianopalawards.com.au/award-gala-night/

-

04/04/2025

Just a reminder that this is why we're seeing such serious flooding in Western Queensland.

The Channel Country is one of the world’s largest inland river systems and all the water falling in our region will eventually flow into Lake Eyre via three river catchment systems.

So this is where the water goes.

This is why so many towns in the southern end of the state (Jundah, Stonehenge, Windorah and Eromanga) are flooded. Apart from receiving extraordinary rainfall in such a short period of time, these towns are also at the bottom end of our catchment - meaning all the rainfall from northern regions will eventually channel into the south. Usually this process takes 10+ days and then another 3 weeks to get to Lake Eyre, so while other parts of Queensland might move on, these regions will be feeling the effects of these floods (the good and the bad) for a while.

Map: Desert Channels Queensland

Water from other towns (Quilpie, Adavale and Thargomindah) will also channel south, but into separate lakes – not Lake Eyre. These lakes are at the Qld-NSW border and are fed by the Bulloo River, which is the only system in the region that does not flow into the Murray-Darling or Lake Eyre.

04/04/2025

04/04/2025

The SAFC was delighted to welcome the Coober Pedy Together committee to Adelaide Studios this week for a tour of the facilities. Last month SAFC CEO Kate Croser's attended the official re-opening of the Coober Pedy Drive-in, the only drive-in in South Australia and the most remote drive-in in the world! Learn more: https://www.cooberpedydrivein.org.au/

We look forward to continuing to build on our relationships with South Australia's regional areas.

📸 (1) SAFC CEO Kate Croser and Coober Pedy Together at Adelaide Studios
(2) Kate Croser in Coober Pedy with resident Linda
(3) Cooper Pedy Together, the Drive-in volunteer committee and Kate Croser at the official re-opening,
(4) Kate Croser with Umoona Community Chairperson Dean Walker
(5) Coober Pedy Together member Sandy Williams presents the SAFC with a rare edition of the 1972 Coober Pedy board game (with an offer to develop a new digital game version)

03/04/2025

April is citizen science month! ⚛️🔭

Did you know anyone can become a citizen scientist? You don’t need a science degree or any special skills, just curiosity and an eagerness to learn ✅.

Citizen scientists play a crucial role in expanding our scientific knowledge and there are many research projects in Queensland that are always looking for additional support 👋! So whether you're looking to spend more time in nature, learn more about science, or have a fun activity with the kids, you can start now and add being a scientist to your list of humble-brags. 🤓

You can:
🔬 become a storm watcher through the Storm Spotter Network with Bureau of Meteorology
🔬 identify frog calls with Frog ID
🔬 collect data on bees and their use of bee hotels with Bees in the Burbs
🔬 and much, much more!

There's over 100 citizen science programs, so check out https://www.des.qld.gov.au/our-department/news-media/down-to-earth/queensland-science-scene to learn more about becoming a citizen scientist and find a program near you!

03/04/2025

WATER from the past couple of weeks in the Simpson desert forming lakes along the sand dunes and stretching for kilometres with the main body of water to arrive.

03/04/2025

New on our website!
Check out the latest from our 2025 pitfall trapping at Arid Recovery. From quirky critters to long-term trends, see what turned up in this year’s survey.

👉 Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2025pitfalltrapping

01/04/2025

The Coober Pedy Gem Trade Show is holding a Meet & Greet on the 18th of April (the Friday night before the trade show) please send us an email if you would like to attend. [email protected] bookings are essential

01/04/2025

A growing body of research suggests that “star-bathing” can help lower stress levels, increase happiness and foster a sense of perspective. https://bbc.in/4hTjCAE

31/03/2025

We were stoked to host a group from BHP South Australia on a customised opal tour through the Andamooka Opal Fields!
The crew had the opportunity to explore active opal mines, hear stories from the diggings, and experience the raw beauty and history of opal mining in the outback.
A real standout was visiting Peter 'The Oracle' Tauber’s opal mine—a living legend and a true craftsman of the field. Massive thanks to Peter for sharing his time, knowledge, and a glimpse into the day-to-day of life opal mining.
It's always a pleasure to show passionate people the heart of Andamooka. Thanks, BHP, for joining us!

31/03/2025

It was marvellous to have Paul Sedawie of Seda Opals—former President of the Opal Association of Australia and a generous donor to the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge—at the Andamooka Observatory. Paul’s dedication to promoting and protecting Australian opal is second to none. We also had the pleasure of a visit from Ray and Diane Wood, opal miners from the Virgin Valley Opal Fields and shareholders of the famous Bonanza Opal Mine in Nevada, USA 🇺🇸.

It’s always excellent to connect with fellow opal lovers from around the world. Thanks to Paul, Steve, Ray and Diane for stopping by and sharing your knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for all things opal.