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Early morning on the opal field
Sunset at Opalton
Jacky with a dead tree in Elvo
Kangaroo in Opalton
Big goanna in Opalton
Spinifex pigeon in Opalton
Brolgas in Opalton
Black headed python on the side of the Opalton road
Wild camels in Elvo
Wild camels in Elvo
Jacky diggind an opal mine shaft
with pick and shovel and hand winch
in our opal ming claim in Opalton (1990)
Our 1st generator
with electric jackpick
for opal mining
(Opalton 1991)
Start of an opal mine shaft by hand
with an electric jackpick
in our opal claim
(Opalton 1991)
Elisabeth checking an opal mine mullock
for missed opals (Carbine 1993)
Jacky cutting opal
at home in Winton
(July 1993)
Our mobile opal mining camp in Opalton
(1993)
Our mobile opal mining camp
on Drago Batinic's opal mining lease (1993)
Elisabeth sitting
on one of our opal mine mullock heaps
(Opalton 1993)
Elisabeth enjoying some fresh air
(Opalton 1993)
Elisabeth with a billy can
(Opalton July 1993)
Jacky, 12 metres underground,
in our opal mine
in Opalton in 1994
Jacky & Lubo starting to dig a shaft
with an air jackpick in Opalton
(in 1995?)
Refuelling our back-hoe
when travelling from Opalton to Elvo
to start mining in our new opal mining lease
(85 km trip)
Our mobile opal mining camp on our Elvo opal mining lease
(1995)
Digging with our back-hoe
in our opal mining lease
in Elvo
Our mobile opal mining camp with bush shower
on our opal mining lease in Elvo (1995)
Back-filling our opal mining lease
with our front end loader
(in Elvo in 1995)
Back-filling our opal mining lease
with our front end loader
(in Elvo in 1995)
Working with our back-hoe/front end loader
on our opal mining lease in Elvo
(1995)
Working on Tesslar's opal mining lease,
in Opalton in 1997
with our back-hoe/front end loader
Working on Tesslar's opal mining lease,
in Opalton in 1997,
with our back-hoe/front end loader
Working on Tesslar's opal mining lease,
in Opalton in 1997,
with our back-hoe/front end loader
Working on Tesslar's opal mining lease,
in Opalton in 1997,
with our back-hoe/front end loader
Jacky digging with our back-hoe,
in our Opalton opal mining lease (1997)
Jacky, 12 metres down in our opal mine in Opalton,
thinking: where to dig next?
(1998)
Elisabeth, 12 metres deep underground in our opal mine in Opalton,
with the hand winch
(1998)
Hand winch 12 metres deep underground, in our Opalton opal mine, on top of a started monkey hole being dug to reach the 2nd opal level, (another 6 metres further down to dig in 1998)
Elisabeth pulling dirt out of monkey shaft
12 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
in 1998
Elisabeth 12 metres deep underground
in our Opalton opal mine in August 1998
Going to Winton with our prospecting drill
mounted on a Diamond T truck
purchased in Andamooka
(1998)
Travelling to Winton with our prospecting drill
purchased in Andamooka
(1998)
Stopped by police before Cloncurry
because I was travelling to slow on the
high-way with the prospectind drill (1998)
Repairing our prospecting drill
(Back yard home in Winton in 1998)
Showing a galvanised pipe laid on the floor of the tunnel,
and oiled to help sliding a 60 litres bucket full of dirt to the hoist,
12 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
Elisabeth with electric jackpick
12 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
Len Cram
(famous opal photographer)
underground in our Opalton opal mine
taking photos for his next book (in 2000)
Elisabeth going down
our 12 metres deep,
Opalton opal mine,
in June 2000
Jacky digging
12 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
with an electric jackpick
in 2000
Traces of opal in the opal level
in our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres underground,
in 2000
Jacky water pressure cleaning
rough boulder opals
we have mined in Opalton
(At home in Winton September 2000)
Our Opalton opal mining camp for many years
(2000)
Lace monitor (goanna) on holidays
in the ceiling of our opal mining camp
in Opalton
Beautiful spider
in our Opalton opal mining camp
Our Opalton opal mining camp
after a damaging whirly-wind (tornado)
(in 2001)
Our Opalton opal mining camp
after a damaging whirly-wind (tornado)
(in 2001)
Our Opalton opal mining camp
after a damaging whirly-wind (tornado)
in 2001
Our Opalton opal mining camp
after a damaging whirly-wind (tornado)
in 2001
Jacky repairing the damaged roof
of our Opalton opal mining camp
after the tornado
in 2001
Jacky at home in Winton
polishing opals we have mined,
with diamond compound
(January 2001)
Elisabeth at home in Winton ,
cutting opals we have mined
(January 2001)
Digging on our prospecting lease
in Opalton in 2003
Selling our opals
at the 2003 Winton opal xpo
Checking our prospecting drill
at home, in Winton in November 2004
Is our prospecting drill finally ready to work?
(Home back yard in Winton 2004)
Our prospecting drill ready for prospecting
(Home back yard in Winton 2004)
Traces of opal in the opal level
of our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres deep underground,
in 2005
Small trace of opal
in the broken rocks,
after blasting the opal level
of our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres deep underground,
in 2005
Traces of opal in the opal level
of our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres deep underground,
in 2005
Elisabeth, 18 metres underground
in our opal mine in Opalton,
in 2006
Our new and last permanent opal ming camp in Opalton
with flush toilet, electricity (solar panels), 4 big water tanks, washing machine
High class living on the opal field
(2007)
Looks like Pepsi, the lace monitor, is visiting Branko too
(Opalton 2007)
Branko won't mind, just come in
(Opalton 2007)
Good bye, Pepsy
(Opalton 2007)
Small hand mining claims
in Opalton
Our diesel air compressor, petrol generator
and motorised hoist
on our Opalton opal mining claim (2007)
View from the bottom
of the 2nd opal level,
of the mining shaft we have dug by hand,
60 feet deep,
in our Opalton opal mine (June 2007)
Elisabeth with our diesel air compressor
in our Opalton mining camp (2007)
Jacky with our diesel air compressor
in our Opalton ming camp (2007)
Elisabeth and our motorised hoist
on our Opalton mining claim
in Opalton
Elisabeth and fireplace in our Opalton mining camp
(2007)
Elisabeth and our small vegie garden
in our Opalton mining camp (2007)
Elisabeth digging with an air jackpick,
18 metres underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
in June 2007
Elisabeth digging with an air jackpick,
18 metres underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
in June 2007
Elisabeth digging with an air jackpick,
18 metres underground,
in our Opalton opal mine in 2007
Elisabeth digging hard with an air jackpick,
18 metres underground,
in our Opalton opal mine in 2007
Jacky starting to dig a new tunnel with an air jackpick,
18 metres underground,
in our Opalton opal mine in 2007
Fixing our motorised hoist
on our Opalton opal mining claim
Our motorised hoist at dusk
on our Opalton opal mining claim
Our motorised hoist in daytime
on our Opalton opal mining claim
Jacky digging a new tunnel
with an air jackpick,
in our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres deep underground, in 2009
Our jackpicks and electric drill gathered,
before closing down our Opalton opal mine for the year,
in July 2009
Elisabeth with our tools gathered,
before closing down our Opalton opal mine for the year,
in July 2009
Elisabeth with our tools gathered
and the trolley used underground,
before closing down our Opalton opal mine for the year
in July 2009
Elisabeth closing our Opalton opal mining camp gate.
We are going home to Winton to spend the summer
(in 2010)
Jacky with our motorised hoist
on our opal mining claim in Opalton in 2010
Elisabeth with an Opalton road sign
(2010)
Rough pipe opal in boulder
we have mined,18 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine in 2000
Jacky sawing some big rough boulder opals we have mined in our Opalton opal mine, with a petrol driven 20 inch drop diamond saw, at home in Winton
Elisabeth at home in Cardwell,
cutting opal we have mined in Opalton.
(2010)
Jacky servicing our motorised hoist
on our Opalton opal mining claim (2010)
Our motorised hoist ,
connected to the opal mining shaft
on our Opalton opal mining claim.
Jacky digging with an electric jackpick,
18 metres deep underground, in our Opalton opal mine
in 2011
Jacky digging with an air jackpick,
18 metres deep underground, in our Opalton opal mine,
in 2011
Elisabeth smiling,
18 metres deep underground,
in our opal mine in Opalton
Some of the underground tunnels
18 metres deep underground,
we have dug by hand
in our Opalton opal mine (2011)
Elisabeth smiling
18 metres deep underground,
in our opal mine
in Opalton
Entrance to underground Ball Room
(Opalton)
A 12 metres deep opal mining shaft
we dug by hand,
in our opal mine in Opalton.
Viewed from the bottom
An 18 metres deep mining shaft,
we dug by hand
in our opal mine in Opalton.
Viewed from the top
18 metres deep underground tunnels
we dug by hand
in our opal mine in Opalton
(in 2000)
House air cooler in an underground tunnel
of our opal mine in Opalton
(in 2000)
Jacky checking the rocks
after blasting the 2nd opal level,
of our Opalton opal mine,
18 metres deep underground
Playing hide and seek underground
12 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
(2000)
Jacky in front of the start of a new tunnel
18 metres deep underground
in our Opalton opal mine
The trolley that Elisabeth uses to carry the dirt to the motorised hoist
18 metres deep underground
in our Opalton opal mine
Bottom of the shaft with our motorised hoist ladder
fixed to the wall,
18 metres deep underground,
in our Opalton opal mine
View of the bottom of our motorised hoist ladder,
12 metres deep,
in our Opalton opal mine
