Highlights
- Where the Olympic Australis — the world’s most valuable opal — was found in 1956
- Rejuvenated by Tottie Bryant’s rich 1945 strike
- Old workings, handmade sculptures and characters who still live out on the field
About eight miles (13km) north of town, the Eight Mile is one of Coober Pedy’s richest and most storied opal fields. It was given new life by Tottie Bryant, a woman of Aboriginal and European descent, whose 1945 strike sparked a fresh rush — and in 1956 the Olympic Australis, the largest and most valuable gem opal ever found, was unearthed here.
Today it’s a window into the working opal fields: a moonscape of mullock heaps, old diggings and weathered machinery, dotted with the handmade sculptures and junk-art miners are fond of, and still home to a scattering of people who live and dig out here. It’s a great self-drive add-on to a town visit.
Mind the shafts. This is active and historic mining country with countless unfenced shafts — never walk backwards lining up a photo, keep kids close, stick to formed tracks, and only fossick in the designated public noodling area. See outback safety before you explore.
Last checked 2026-06-30. Something wrong? Suggest an edit.