Updates 2 April 2026.

Added additional information to Stuart Lloyd’s profile.

Updates 4 March 2026.

Added profile for Allan W. Eckert, author of A World of Opals.

Updates 16 February 2026.

Added listing of streets and their origins/definitions/history. Minor edits to a few articles, added or improved sources on some photos (Fred Bodel, Charlie Gibson profiles). Added additional sources to Spirit of Lightning Ridge and First Shaft Lookout pages.

Updates 13 February 2026.

Added additional information on Sid Sharkey’s profile. Added Shearer’s Six Mile to Historic Opal Fields.

Updates 10 February 2026.

Added quotes to Sid Sharkey, About Lightning Ridge, Imperial Hotel. Added sources to About Lightning Ridge. Updated sources on Old Town. Added embedded video to Lightning Flash Newspaper. Added libel case info to Harry Abotomey and Tom Brady.

Updates 7 January 2026.

Added sources to the Timeline, more to be added. Added information about firefighting incident in 1905 to Jack Murray’s profile.

Updates 5 January 2026.

Added profiles for the six Regal and Vice-Regal visitors, accessible via the Authors & More page: Sir Harry Rawson, Sir Dudley de Chair, Sir Philip Game, Sir John Northcott, Lord Casey and Dame Marie Bashir.

Updates 24 December 2025.

Added profiles for George Weldon, Jim Craig, Cecil Hammond, Phil Lambert-Smith, Jack Leechman, Silent Jim Reid, Bob Potts (Jr.), Douglas McEwen, Kelsey I. Newman and Garnet Preston. Added additional information to Charlie Nettleton’s profile, reorganised some sections.

Added image of Eric Catterall’s book to the Authors page. Updated image of W. C. Eyles The Book of Opals.

Updates 4 December 2025.

Added profiles for Archie Gillespie, Charlie Kinder, Freddy Leiske, Jack Austin, George Bailey, Frank Brown, Don Campbell, “Scrub Bull” Edwards, “Tingha Bill” Grant, Walter Hague, “Peggy”, Harry Abotomey, Queenie Allport, Roy Allport, Bill Younger.

Formatting updates across most pages, added ‘double line’ graphic above references.

Updates 1 December 2025.

Added references from the Angledool court ledger (1899-1903) to Joseph Beckett, Frank Doucutt, Charles Gibson, John Murray-Gibbes, Jack McNamara, Charles Nyghyah, Robert Moore and Tom Cullen.

Updates 29 November 2025.

Added advertisement image to Bottle House page.

Updates November 17 2025.

Added section to Charlie Nettleton’s profile, added images of grave marker and site, newspaper articles. Added pull quote. Minor adjustment to pull quote formatting.

Updates 28 September 2025.

Added links to Anton Steinbach profile, minor formatting adjustments.

Updates 27 September 2025.

Added photographs to The Kite Brothers, Cleared Line, Bore Baths, Frank Leechman.

Updates 26 September 2025.

Added signatures to Jack McNamara, Harold Frazer, Dolly Frazer, Florence Murray, Albert Reeves, Albert Dominick, Fred Bodel, Andy Bastian, Jack Francis profiles. Updated/improved signatures on Jack Murray, Joe Gibbons, Jim Murray profiles.

Added references page to Ion Idriess.

Updates 19 September 2025.

Minor updates to E. C. Andrews’ profile.

Updates 17 September 2025.

Added signature mark to Mrs. Ann Ryan’s profile.

Updates 16 September 2025.

Added Facebook “like” button to the home page. Added video clip to Sid and George Graham profile. Added Sid & George Graham in to the Characters listing!

Updates 15 September 2025.

Site published!

Minor updates to several opal field pages, mostly adding links and fixing formatting.

Updates 14 September 2025.

Added custom 404 page. Added profile for Anton Steinbach/Thomas Jackson/The Count. Minor updates to Thorley’s Six Mile.