The tour will depart from Sydney on 26 September (Friday) and return on 4 October (Saturday), and positions are limited.
The first stop will be Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, the source of the world’s finest black opal and rare opalised fossils. From there, the tour will travel to Winton in Queensland to learn about boulder opal.
The tour then heads to Coober Pedy in South Australia, handling light and crystal opal, before returning to New South Wales to visit White Cliffs, where opal ‘pineapples’ are mined.
After a successful tour last year, AOC event organiser Maxine O’Brien said it was an unforgettable journey.
“Throughout the tour, the lucky participants will enjoy stunning outback landscapes and meet opal miners, cutters, sellers, gemmologists and palaeontologists,” she said.
“The real star, however, will be Australian opal and the opportunity for first-hand knowledge at the source of this elusive gemstone, with those who know it best.”
Costs include charter aircraft, ground transport and tours, expert guides, meals and accommodation.
To register an expression of interest, contact register@australianopalcentre.com. For further information, visit www.australianopalcentre.com/opaltour.
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