Digging for opal in Australia

1972 - Back to the Good old Days - it's Opal fever at Lighting Ridge: Its a bit like going back 50 years in time just now at Lighting Ridge, Australia - for the town has been hit by Opal Fever! For a 28 years old German digger recently discovered one of the best finds of Opals in the area for half a century - word got round, and withing days the Opal Rush was on. The population of Lighting Ridge rose rapidly from 500 to 1, 500 - a third of them professional miners, and the rest part-timers. Claims were staked, and 434 holes were sunk straight down, ranging in depth from left of 90ft. Men, women, and children are in on the Lighting Ridge Opal Rush - housewives are abandoning their housework to become miners and really doing men-sized jobs. And though most of the miners are loth to admit it, not trusting their fellow-miners - many of them are finding Opals, worth thousands of dollars. Photo Shows Mrs. Lohse, the Opal Queen, as she is called, hard at it in her mine shaft. (Credit Image: (c) Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS.com/Mary Evans)

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19600105 90ft Abandoning Admit Claims Depth Digger Discovered Doing Dollars Fever Finding Finds Holes Housewives Housework Lohse Loth Opal Opals Ranging Rapidly Really Ridge Shaft Staked Sunk Though Trusting Withing Word Worth

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