Opal Thieves in Yowah

by Jackie from Outbackjack
(Quorn)

We have recently returned from our Outback adventure to Opal country in Queensland. We stayed at Quilpie, Duck Creek and Yowah and had a great time searching for opal. Whilst we were in Yowah we heard about "opal thieves". Seems some people get a little bush wacked, loose their sense of direction and end up in someone elses mine underground! These holes they make are called rat holes. I guess one kind of figures that greed will make this happen but what about opals that seemingly disappear by themselves?

One guy was cutting some rather expensive opals for a client and after the initial cut he put them on the shelf and went on with other stuff. He comes back later to continue on with the polishing to find these stones gone.

He has some mates staying at his place so he thinks maybe they are playing a prank on him, but when he asks they say they don't have them. Ah he thinks maybe they have hidden them, so when they depart he goes searching. They can't be found. Perhaps his mates are craftier than he first assumes and they are going to post them making him sweat a little longer. But no, they really don't have them.

Where are they? They are expensive stones and replacing them would be costly. He looks everywhere and even asks his neighbour. It is then he discovers the thief. His neighbour has a bower bird nesting in the garden and when they check the nest there are the stones, plus a whole lot of other stuff from around town. Seems some bower birds have expensive taste, I hope it impressed his girlfriend as it left a big impression on the poor stone-cutter.

(As told to me by Peter Broome)

Discover more about Yowah on my website www.outbackjack.info