"just got back from Lightning Ridge. Unfortunately i hit a kangaroo in the middle of the night. Poor thing, but these creatures are so unpredictable. The just jump out in front of you from behind a bush. there's not way you can miss them at times. Sad. Spent some time at the Grawin mines. There's a mountain of opal 'mullock' up there [tailings] for fossickers. Some really expensive black opals have been found there if you have a small pic and shovel, a bucket of water, and a lot of patience. Bought and sold a few parcels of opal rough. Rubbed down a small parcel of black opals but must have left them in the pocket of my leather jacket which i have lost somewhere. so that was $1000 down the drain.procedure. Best wishes to all precious stone searchers. Peter"

"Hi Peter,
Welcome to the wiki, nice to have an Aussie onboard! I've enjoyed your posts to the opal blog; you'll find lots of fellow gem hunters here. Tho not me, I'm a crystal fossicker ... one of my favorite places in the world is Mooralla, on your side of the pond. Sorry to hear you met a grasshopper on your midnite ride. A banana-bender friend of mine laid himself out for awhile when a wallaby jumped in front of his motorbike. Cute little buggers, but ya never know when they'll bounce. Had one jump down a hole with me a couple years ago, had to wait for him to get tired before I could help him out. Too bad about that rubbed parcel you misplaced, but imagine how delighted the bloke or shiela who finds it wll be! That's the thing about luck, no predicting which way it will turn ... kinda like roos on the road. Sounds like you've had your share of good luck. Me too, and that's what I think about when the bad luck hits. Gee, I'm gettin all philosophical, just like sitting around a campfire in the Grampians, tipping back some tinnies with me mates. Ooroo.
Bob"

"We're an equally spoilt mob on our side of the pond, Peter, easy to get accustomed to the good life! Good luck with the big Ridge parcel ... if its kosher, please favour us with a photo. Bob"

"LOOKS LOKE YOU GOT THE PIC'S IN. IF YOU WANT TO PUT IN THE DESCRIPTIONS YOU CAN GO TO THE PHOTOS AND CLICK EDIT THE PHOTOS AND WRITE IN THE DESCRIPTIONS. HOPE THAT HELPS. SUPER PICTURES AND GREAT LOOKING OPAL. MY MOUTH IS WATERING AT THE SITE OF THE !!! LOL
TIM AND SHARON"

"yup,i got 'em in but didnt know quite what i was doing. something came up asking about putting them in different albums. i hope i didnt put them where they shouldnt be! i wish they had smilieys we could put in. it helps with emotions. ...peter "

"My learning curve was long in figuring out this wiki system too, Peter, but once you get the hang of it, she's right. Doesn't matter if you put your photos in an album, that just makes it easier for someone to eyeball all your stuff. We use ;~)) (wink) or lol (laugh out loud) instead of smileys, if I follow your drift correctly.
Love that cartwheel red cab! Thanks for posting pix. How'd your parcel go? I've only dug opal at Mintabe, where I got hooked on that beautiful black.
Bob"

"Was lucky, Paul, the wally fell in while I was having lunch at camp. Didn't notice it until I was halfway down the ladder, when something jumped. About jumped out of my socks! She proceeded to bounce around the 10 X 10 ft. hole like it was a racecourse. I went back to camp and got a gunny sack. Every time I moved, she started racing again, but slower every rev, until finally she just sat still and I bagged her. Still was a squirmy load to carry up a ladder, guess she weighed about 10 lbs. When i let go the bag, she sat still for a moment, cocking her ears like they do, then bounced off like her tail was alight! Like you, I've been chastized a bit for not having gotten my camera, lol.
Bob"