Location and Access
Coober Pedy
South Australia aprox 2km from post office,
1 Clarke rd.
Description
REAL OPAL MINE.
PT PCE 1 POTCH GULLY RD COOBER PEDY SA 5723 PT PCE 1 OL020383. Crown land license HD OH (Coober Pedy) D xxxxx X 1. (redacted for security)
We are set to go mining and seek partners. There is estimated to be between $100,000 and as high as a million dollars worth of opal in the claim.
This leased from the crown (Department of environment, Water and Natural Resources ) site is approx. 80 x 80 meters of which the western half will be mined for this agreement. Consisting of 1/3 loose fill and 2/3 virgin opal bearing hillside. Located 1km from the post office. The lease can be converted to freehold. There is now 1 dwelling finished and occupied operating entirely on solar power with a water recycling system for gardening. There is also a caravan parked as a campground with water sewer and power set into its own yard for visitors.
We have a 24hr onsite engineer. the following tools have been purchased and are on site. An excavator, tipper, flat bed transporter, btd 6 bulldozer, 60kva generator, 2 x tunneling machines and 1 tunneling machine trailer, bobcat, tandem trailer, 2wd ute fuel tender, 4x4 site car, 2x( 4x4) spare cars. as well as a completely equipped engineering, cabinetmaking and electronic work shops
What We Need & What You Get
We need a tracked tip truck, 2 x 40' shipping containers and a tracked bobcat, a total of about $50,000 plus expenses, you get 1% of the opal found for every $1000 contributed.
You can choose to take the uncut stones or we can organize their setting or sale for you. If the raw opal is value added by being cut and set you may be able to significantly improve your return. We have access to one of Australasia's most experienced gem cutters. (Stan in Waragul) or GNK opal or john n yoka opal.
During the summer and this start up campaign we will be concentrating on site works setting up a workshop and renovating the big tunneling machine.
We expect to finish site works and the rebuild of the big tunneling machine by may 2015 and start tunneling soon after. upon the start of the tunneling daily updates will be available for investors. the results of the days mining will be posted on the net.
Risks & Challenges
Opal mining is a physically and financially very risky business. Its also a very rare gem. the total world opal output per year is less than any other gem including diamonds so its hard to find. Although I can guarantee we will find opal I cannot guarantee how much or what quality it will be. You can see the opal in the wall of the residence already on the site so it is highly unlikely there's no more. the survey drilling has turned up multiple hits.
The other risk is trust. Most partnerships in Coober Pedy are on a handshake. You get to know who you can trust who you can work for and who to avoid like the plague. I have been lucky and have managed to maintain a sterling reputation and have not had any problems in previous partnerships and would be happy to supply references.
I have been closely associated with the heart of Coober Pedy and absolutely love the place. This town is not a stop over for our family we are permanent and well known residents and proud of our town. I would absolutely hate to blacken its name in any way. If we can bring in outside investors we may be able to inject some new blood into the industries.
You should not invest in opal unless you can afford to loose your investment. Please don't invest in this project unless you feel comfortable with these high risks.
Other Income
As soon as we start getting material we can start cutting and polishing to value add to the base product. There can be up to 1000% mark up from the miner to the end client. We have opal buyers for wholesale opal. one of these jewelers sells on ebay at a hansom profit. If you choose you can manage your share of the gems found.
Each parcel of gems will be independently classed.
This is a generous offer, we have spent probably $250k and the government has put in $75K to date to bring the project to the stage we can start tunneling for opal. We will also supply the fuel costs for the tunneling as well as the labor to dig the opal out. Normally these two costs are covered by all the partners and is worth $150 a meter of tunnel.
Mining is a risky business and expensive. Please don't invest if you have any doubts.
Ph Bret 0435 189 083
Geology
Typical soft sand stone coober pedy style. Ideal for tunneling. There is a cut 10m high that shows up a strong slide and a smaller but equaly strong intersecting slide. there has been pockets of opal removed from the face and some underground tunnels were put in chasing the opal in front of the slide. Due to the hill it become impractical to keep tunneling so they tore the valley out with a bulldozer. then filled it up again with tailings.
I emptied it out again (about 5 thousand tons.) and put in a residence, septic systems Solar power, water and the net. I also built an all weather short cut acsess road to the main road.
History
This site was purchased about 6 years ago and a residence and site works were done. during this time we worked our claim in the opal fields at 17 mile. now we are looking forward to rebuilding the tunneling machine and get tunneling. The machine (we have two) is a lind a professionally built machine. its done a lot of work and needs a bit of a retweek.