Public Noodling Area

Coober Pedy’s free public fossicking ground on Jeweller’s Shop Road - sift through the mullock heaps left by decades of mining and keep any opal you find. One of the town’s earliest and richest fields (first worked by hand in the 1920s), it was set aside for safe public “noodling” when the town grew over it, so there are no open shafts to worry about. The area runs between Old Water Tank Rd, Jeweller’s Shop Rd and Harlequin Drive, around (but not including) the fenced Faye’s Underground Home.

Open 24 hours - try it by day, or at night with a UV blacklight to make the opal glow. There are shaded picnic tables and interpretive signage on site. You can noodle by hand for free; using any digging tool such as a pick or shovel counts as mining and needs a permit. Bring a hat, water and sturdy shoes, and stay clear of any unfenced shafts nearby.