A look at an incredible donation of more than 450 opalised fossils from opal fields around the world, generously donated to the Australian Opal Centre by Paul Sedawie.
Engineer, blacksmith and innovator Harry Zack built this metalworking anvil almost a century ago from recycled parts -- check out how recycling and reuse has been part of Lightning Ridge's opal mining heritage since the very beginning.
For decades opal has been traditionally cut into the oval cabochon shape, but now opal carving is quickly becoming a great alternative. We discuss the pros and cons and examine some incredible examples of carved opal.
Prehistoric animals ate a lot of things, and whatever they ate had to come back out again somehow -- lets check out some coprolites and regurgitalites.
Built in the 1930s, the heritage cottage in Morilla Street, Lightning Ridge was home to the Spicer family and the Graham brothers, and now houses part of the LRHS's extensive opal mining heritage collection.
Is this the tiniest dinosaur ever found in Australia? Quite possibly. Two fossils found four decades apart tell the story of embryonic dinosaurs in prehistoric outback Australia.
Curiosity Mine and The Dinomaniacs arrange for Mike Poben, discoverer of Weewarrasaurus pobeni to have a first hand encounter with a recreation of his own dinosaur.
What exactly is jelly opal, and what are inclusions -- and even more specifically, what are kernels? Opal and opal mining terminology is pretty strange, let's explore it.
There are many species of Acacia in Australia, and here are four of them native to the semi-arid region surrounding the opal fields at Lightning Ridge -- including one that's famous for smelling awful.
Belemnites, coprolites, plesiosaurs and peculiarities -- check out some of the amazing donations added to the Australian Opal Centre's incredible collection this year.
Warwick Schofield shows us the ruby saltbush, one of the species of saltbush that has adapted to live in the semi-arid desert-like environment around Lightning Ridge.
In the middle of a semi-arid dustpan is a one-hectare patch of tropical rainforest, built by sensible and sustainable practises and clever use of available resources.
Leopardwood is a common tree on the opal fields at Lightning Ridge, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve including some clever survival mechanisms and a spectacular seeding process.
Some behind-the-scenes terminology from the Australian opal industry. In this video, we discuss sorting opal for selling and a story about a very lucky salesman.
Three plants with red fruits or flowers, all with strikingly different properties and purposes. Introduced species aren't always invasive, but they still have an impact on the environment around them.
I grew up in what seemed like a normal house, but it actually has history dating back to the early 1900s, and a railway line that had the potential to change the history of outback New South Wales.
I caught up with Rebel and Thiago at The Hungry Spirit at Lightning Ridge to discuss some frequently asked questions from the previous video about the syntropic garden growing in semi-arid Lightning Ridge.
Lightning Ridge is an opal mining town in New South Wales, Australia. A lot of things are unusual about Lightning Ridge, and its cemetery is no different.
The Australian Opal Centre building is under construction on the historic Three Mile opal field at Lightning Ridge. Learn about the history of the AOC and take a tour of the building site as the construction progresses.
