The-Opal-Field Map

When you look at a map of the-opal-field you cannot see where the opal is, but if there are a lot of claims registered it means there is definitely opal there somewhere, or it was there.

This is Shields Rush, as you can see by the map there is a water bore within the field. It is an unused bore that had little water and of bad quality. The water level was about 800 feet deep.

The numbers on the map are the registered claim numbers. Claims with numbers crossed out have been cancelled or lapsed. Some of these claims have been reregistered several times. This is a copy of the master map held by the Department of Mineral Resources at Lightning Ridge. When a claim is registered it is drawn on this plan at the same time, and the same applies when a claim is cancelled. This way it is kept up to date at all times.

As the plan indicates a claim can be surveyed to almost any shape or direction. Sometimes these plans can become inaccurate when a miner doesn't take enough care when surveying his claim. As long as the miner hasn't pegged an area larger then 2,500sq meters, the pegs in the field stay firm.

The large area pegged on the top of this map is the mulga mullock dump.

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