By Nigel Austin courtesy of The Advertiser

8 September 2005

A NEW opal rush has started in the Coober Pedy region following the chance find of 1.4kg of opal "floaters" lying on the ground.

Opal miner John Dunstan registered the first claims at the new field of Opal Ridge on Tuesday morning.

They were followed by eight other claims yesterday as a new bout of opal fever took hold of the Outback town.

Mr Dunstan, who found the floaters - pieces of opal eroded from larger rocks - about 35km south of Coober Pedy on Mount Clarence station, said he hoped the find would boost mining in the region.

"It could be really exciting for Coober Pedy, because the early indications are that the field is 5km-6km long by 3km wide," he said. "We pegged Opal Development leases on Tuesday and the rush started today with about a dozen vehicles there and various people pegging the ground. The ultimate would be that it is a multi-million-dollar opal field for Coober Pedy."

Northern Regional Development Board's far-north economic development officer Ross Sawers said it was too early to know what was underground.

"But coming on top of the find at Allans Rise earlier this year, it provides great hope for the future of opal mining in the region," he said.

Mr Dunstan said the good thing about this area was the "floaters" indicated a large variety of opal.

"While it looks promising, it's early days yet," he said.

Mr Dunstan said there had been a big decline in the value of opal found in the region each year.

"I'd say we're only producing 20 per cent of what we used to produce 20 years ago," he said.

"If not enough rough opal is being found, overseas buyers stop buying and it puts the opal industry in decline."