It would change the game for at least one life-long opal miner and Lightning Ridge local. Butch McFadden's sprawling mining claim is like a living open-air museum. Repurposed cement mixers used ...

Bill Kotru has seen many mines give way during the 43 years he has been digging for opal in Lightning Ridge, but he now fears another collapse will soon take a local road with it. Authorities have ...

But mining black opal isn't easy. After investing tens ... And a lot of the black opal is found here, at Lightning Ridge. It's located on the edge of the Outback, with a population of just over ...