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Our History

About Us  |  What We Do  |  Our Team  

The Australian Opal Centre began in the late 1990s as Lightning Ridge Opal and Fossil Centre, an economic development project at Lightning Ridge, led by community members seeking to diversify a local economy reliant upon opal mining and agriculture.

A high quality, high profile attraction with education, research and community functions would strengthen tourism, create new opportunities and buffer against the impacts of regional and global economics on demand and prices for opal.

Importantly, the concept also addressed a century of neglect of one of Australia's most feted and spectacular natural treasures: opal. Opal was a national icon, yet there was no place in Australia dedicated to opal science, art, heritage and culture; no centre of opal-related education, training or industry development; no public collection of the country's National Gemstone.

As the project grew, its national significance became evident and in 2007, it was renamed the Australian Opal Centre.

Australian Opal Centre Milestones

2004

  • Commenced operations from exhibition space and office in rented premises

  • Design brief developed for new building

2005          

  • Design and engineering team assembled

  • Concept design for building developed by architects Murcutt + Lewin

  • Deductible Gift Recipient status granted

  • First item donated to collection

2007          

  • Lightning Ridge Opal & Fossil Centre became Australian Opal Centre

2008          

  • Title secured on 3.1hectare development site

  • Development Approval granted for new building

  • Showroom refurbished and opened by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW and acting Governor General of Australia

  • First scientific publication on AOC collection item (mussel shell with vertebrate bite marks)

2010          

  • Scale model and architectural rendering of new AOC building

2011          

  • Black Opal Heritage Shed constructed

  • Reception at Government House, Sydney, for the Australian Opal Centre and for Black Opal, State Gemstone Emblem of NSW

2013          

  • Site prepared and excavated for new AOC building

  • Brilliant Ideas (research project and exhibition about invention and adaptation of opal mining machinery) developed with the Australian Society for the History of Engineering and Technology and Lightning Ridge Historical Society

  • Participated in the 1st Changsha Mineral and Gem Show in China

  • New species of meiolaniid turtle from Lightning Ridge published

2014          

  • First annual Lightning Ridge Fossil Dig

2015          

  • Australian Geographic Society partnered in Lightning Ridge Fossil Dig

2016          

  • Rented further workshop space

  • Ran first AOC opal carving courses

  • Commissioned and completed Concept for Complementary and Ancillary Development for the Australian Opal Centre

  • Developed SPARK, an outdoor cinematic experience shown 3 nights per week in Lightning Ridge

  • Lightning Claw (Lightning Ridge megaraptorid dinosaur) published

2016-17    

  • Detailed financial projections developed for new AOC

2017          

  • AOC Founders campaign launched

  • Business case and benefit/cost analysis completed for new AOC

  • Suite of planning documents (Procurement, Project Management, Asset Management and Risk Management plans) completed for new AOC

  • Opalised fossil pterosaur and ankylosaur (dinosaur) fossils from AOC collection published

2018

  • Weewarrasaurus (new species of dinosaur from AOC collection) published - first new NSW dinosaur species named in more than 80 years

  • Agreement to stage construction of the new AOC 

  • AOC Founder commitments reach $1 million total

2019

  • $19 million in government funding committed to new AOC ($2 million Walgett Shire Council, $7.5 million NSW Government, $9.5 million Commonwealth Government)

  • Project manager, quantity surveyor and design consultant team appointed

  • Late 2019, detailed design commenced for new AOC

  • Fostoria (new dinosaur species from AOC collection) published

  • New fossil crocodile from AOC collection, and new dating of Lightning Ridge sediments, published

2020

  • Opalised sauropod dinosaur teeth from AOC collection published

2021

  • AOC and partners host world first online Science of Opal Formation symposium

  • Design and tender documentation of AOC Stage 1 completed

  • AOC Stage 1 tenders received

  • LROFC members resolve to transition to not-for-profit company limited by guarantee

  • Building project put on hold December 2021 due to impacts of pandemic on construction prices

2022

  • First CEO and General Manager of Operations appointed

  • Successful additional fundraising for building project; funding from NSW Government

  • Recruitment of non-executive Directors for Board of Australian Opal Centre Ltd

2023

  • Lightning Ridge Opal & Fossil Centre Incorporated transitions to Australian Opal Centre Ltd; Board forms

  • Building project and tender recommence

  • Barpa Pty Ltd appointed head contractor (builder) for new AOC Stage 1

  • Fossil fish from AOC collection published

  • SPARK sets new audience records

  • Lightning Ridge Fossil Dig celebrates its 10th year