Sunday, September 18, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
- Rough Opal & Off to Koroit
Safety Harbor, FL - USA
After spending the last couple hours out in the sun sorting rough Koroit opal, I'm taking a break and having some lemonade.
Much of the rough I just sorted will soon be for sale on: www.koroitstore.com . . . by soon, I mean within the next 48 hours.
On Sunday I'll be on the way back to Australia. I'll be bringing my computer with me this time - so I hope to be doing a better job of keeping you informed and updated here and I also hope to be periodically adding parcels of rough opal for sale on koroitstore.com while I'm still in Australia.
Now back to work . . .
After spending the last couple hours out in the sun sorting rough Koroit opal, I'm taking a break and having some lemonade.
Much of the rough I just sorted will soon be for sale on: www.koroitstore.com . . . by soon, I mean within the next 48 hours.
On Sunday I'll be on the way back to Australia. I'll be bringing my computer with me this time - so I hope to be doing a better job of keeping you informed and updated here and I also hope to be periodically adding parcels of rough opal for sale on koroitstore.com while I'm still in Australia.
Now back to work . . .
Sunday, August 28, 2011
- Rough Koroit Opal
Safety Harbor, FL - USA
I'm in the process of putting together parcels of rough Koroit opal for sale. Feel free to email me if you're interested or if you have any questions (koroit at gmail dot com).
.
I'm in the process of putting together parcels of rough Koroit opal for sale. Feel free to email me if you're interested or if you have any questions (koroit at gmail dot com).
.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Briefly . . .
Koroit, Queensland - Australia
Unfortunately my posts here during this trip have been sporadic and poorly written. I appologize. My access to the internet has been brief and sporadic. Often there are other people around and while trying to compose and type I'm involved in at least one if not two conversations.
During this session on the internet I have tried to deal with some details regarding paperwork concerning my exploration permit. I've exchanged a few emails with the department of mines. Unfortunately, once again, I feel like the protagonist in Kafka's The Trial - desperately trying to make sense out of a morass of confusing, contradictory, annoying and illogical exchanges, ever changing rules and regulations and abrupt and uniformative replies to my questions. However, the end of my story probably will not be the same as the end of Kafka's story.
Unfortunately my posts here during this trip have been sporadic and poorly written. I appologize. My access to the internet has been brief and sporadic. Often there are other people around and while trying to compose and type I'm involved in at least one if not two conversations.
During this session on the internet I have tried to deal with some details regarding paperwork concerning my exploration permit. I've exchanged a few emails with the department of mines. Unfortunately, once again, I feel like the protagonist in Kafka's The Trial - desperately trying to make sense out of a morass of confusing, contradictory, annoying and illogical exchanges, ever changing rules and regulations and abrupt and uniformative replies to my questions. However, the end of my story probably will not be the same as the end of Kafka's story.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Blue Sky & Exploration
Koroit, Queensland - Australia
There is something special about the sky in the outback of Queensland on a sunny day. The sky glows with a rich saturated blue like nothing I've ever seen back in the US of A.
Yesterday, under such a sunny sky, I spent a few hours going for a walk with a few friends on our exploration permit. It was a very interesting walk. We found a few old mine shafts (in one of the shafts was a rather large dead snake), some old workings, some potch and some color! Plenty of solid ironstone and nuts are visible. It looks like it will be very interesting and we will be pegging a few new mines in the area.
Today I went for a crawl through an old, but recently exposed tunnel at my mine. The tunnel is about 30 years old . . . and I found some color. We'll be mining that area in a couple of weeks. . . and we'll be so very grateful for the beauty we'll uncover!
Next week I'll be packing a backpack and going for a lengthy walk on our Exploration Permit and taking a look at a larger area than we explored yesterday.
Thanks to my friend Len - at this moment I'm sitting in his mining camp and using his computer. His camp is simple and comfortable and includes a fireplace I made nearly 10 years ago. Len's camp is made from scraps of steel and pieces of corrugated iron with a state of the art satellite dish on the roof.
It's always an adventure and there's always something to be learned. . . and there's always a reason to say thank you to the universe.
There is something special about the sky in the outback of Queensland on a sunny day. The sky glows with a rich saturated blue like nothing I've ever seen back in the US of A.
Yesterday, under such a sunny sky, I spent a few hours going for a walk with a few friends on our exploration permit. It was a very interesting walk. We found a few old mine shafts (in one of the shafts was a rather large dead snake), some old workings, some potch and some color! Plenty of solid ironstone and nuts are visible. It looks like it will be very interesting and we will be pegging a few new mines in the area.
Today I went for a crawl through an old, but recently exposed tunnel at my mine. The tunnel is about 30 years old . . . and I found some color. We'll be mining that area in a couple of weeks. . . and we'll be so very grateful for the beauty we'll uncover!
Next week I'll be packing a backpack and going for a lengthy walk on our Exploration Permit and taking a look at a larger area than we explored yesterday.
Thanks to my friend Len - at this moment I'm sitting in his mining camp and using his computer. His camp is simple and comfortable and includes a fireplace I made nearly 10 years ago. Len's camp is made from scraps of steel and pieces of corrugated iron with a state of the art satellite dish on the roof.
It's always an adventure and there's always something to be learned. . . and there's always a reason to say thank you to the universe.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Koroit - Accident, Flying Doctor, So Strange
Cunnamulla, QLD - Australia
Two weeks ago, on Friday July 8, while driving along a winding outback dirt road between two opal mining fields in Koroit, I came across a scene I hope to never experience again. I was the first to arrive at the scene of a head-on collision approximately 60 seconds after it occurred. It involved two vehicles and three people.
I'll spare you the details, but there were broken bones and blood. I did the best I could to assess and stabilize those involved and quickly drove to the nearest phone to get help. Police, ambulances and a fire truck eventually arrived. Many other miners from the area pitched in and helped. Luckily Jack Barnes and Ross Barton from the Department of Mines office in Quilpie happened to be nearby and offered help and the use of their GPS and satellite phones. Many thanks to Jack and Ross.
The Flying Doctor landed a plane nearby to fly the two most seriously injured people to a hospital in Brisbane. The third person was taken by ambulance to Cunnamulla and then later flown to Brisbane. All three people will be ok, although two of them are still in the hospital after having multiple operations.
This accident occurred on an outback mining road. If I had not come by it could have been well over a day or two before anyone found them.
Our time here is beautiful and brief. We are such fragile creatures. Give your loved ones a hug and a kiss, be grateful and wear your seat belt.
On a lighter note - some pretty rocks have been coming out of the ground. Opal production in Koroit is down, but not non-existent. . . and in a month or two I expect it to be increasing - details later.
In many ways this has been the strangest trip I've ever had to Australia since I first set foot here in 1987. Some of the story can be shared and some of it will need to remain unshared . . . I will try to put some of it into words soon.
Two weeks ago, on Friday July 8, while driving along a winding outback dirt road between two opal mining fields in Koroit, I came across a scene I hope to never experience again. I was the first to arrive at the scene of a head-on collision approximately 60 seconds after it occurred. It involved two vehicles and three people.
I'll spare you the details, but there were broken bones and blood. I did the best I could to assess and stabilize those involved and quickly drove to the nearest phone to get help. Police, ambulances and a fire truck eventually arrived. Many other miners from the area pitched in and helped. Luckily Jack Barnes and Ross Barton from the Department of Mines office in Quilpie happened to be nearby and offered help and the use of their GPS and satellite phones. Many thanks to Jack and Ross.
The Flying Doctor landed a plane nearby to fly the two most seriously injured people to a hospital in Brisbane. The third person was taken by ambulance to Cunnamulla and then later flown to Brisbane. All three people will be ok, although two of them are still in the hospital after having multiple operations.
This accident occurred on an outback mining road. If I had not come by it could have been well over a day or two before anyone found them.
Our time here is beautiful and brief. We are such fragile creatures. Give your loved ones a hug and a kiss, be grateful and wear your seat belt.
On a lighter note - some pretty rocks have been coming out of the ground. Opal production in Koroit is down, but not non-existent. . . and in a month or two I expect it to be increasing - details later.
In many ways this has been the strangest trip I've ever had to Australia since I first set foot here in 1987. Some of the story can be shared and some of it will need to remain unshared . . . I will try to put some of it into words soon.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
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