Andamooka (Andamooka)
Andamooka is a town 600 km north of Adelaide in the Far North of South Australia on the lands of the Kuyani and Kokatha people. Andamooka is famous for high-quality crystal seam opal, opalised fossils, and stargazing. Andamooka recently featured in Vogue Magazine's "Best Country Towns in Australia to visit next" ' ''For a real taste of the outback, Andamooka has what you need. The town's observatory has your star-gazing needs taken care of, but you can also go 'opal noodling', essentially fossicking for the gems in a town that was once a hub for the opal mining industry.'' '
* Andamooka Crystal Opal is a luxury brand and is renowned as being the finest quality opal in the world.
* Andamooka opal is the most stable of Australian opal in that it does not fade, craze, or crack.
* South Australia's only known dinosaur Kakuru kujani was discovered in Andamooka.
* Andamooka is the Gateway to 'Ngarndamukia' Lake Torrens National Park, to the 'Outback' via the Borefield Road / Oodnadatta Track to William Creek, Marree, Oodnadatta, and further. Ngarndamukia is a sacred site to the Kokatha, Kuyani, Barngarla, and Adnyamathanha people and is the second-largest salt lake in Australia, spanning over 200 km in length and 30 km wide.
* Opal mining in Andamooka is deemed to be ethical since an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) has been signed by the Kokatha People, relevant government authorities, and the opal miners who are working on the Andamooka Opal Fields.
* Andamooka is home to Karkaroo the juvenile opalised Andamooka Plesiosaur. Andamooka is on the edge of the ancient Eromanga Sea. During the Cretaceous period, the vast ocean's gradual retreat saw large-scale opalisation of a wide array of prehistoric marine life, including giant reptiles and other creatures swimming and roaming the shoreline, and shallow seawater.
* Andamooka is the largest town administered by the Outback Communities Authority instead of a local government area. It is in the state electoral district of Giles and the federal Division of Grey.
* Aboriginal people have lived in this area depending on the supply of fresh water for thousands of years. Aboriginal groups lived in this area during good seasons to take advantage of the prolific plant and animal resources. Campsites in the Roxby Downs dune fields have been dated to 19,000 years ago, and Aboriginal people have continuously occupied South Australian deserts since at least that time.
* Andamooka lies on Kuyani traditional land. The name is derived from a salt lake, named from the Aboriginal "Andemorka", by which the locality was known to Europeans as early as 1866, well before opal was discovered. At that time (1866) it was also known as 'Swinden's Country', after Charles Swinden of Riverton, the leader of the small horseback party which discovered it in 1857. They described it as a tract of 'generally sterile country but having some patches of good pastoral land' resulting in the foundation of Andamooka Station
* Andamooka Crystal Opal is a luxury brand and is renowned as being the finest quality opal in the world.
* Andamooka opal is the most stable of Australian opal in that it does not fade, craze, or crack.
* South Australia's only known dinosaur Kakuru kujani was discovered in Andamooka.
* Andamooka is the Gateway to 'Ngarndamukia' Lake Torrens National Park, to the 'Outback' via the Borefield Road / Oodnadatta Track to William Creek, Marree, Oodnadatta, and further. Ngarndamukia is a sacred site to the Kokatha, Kuyani, Barngarla, and Adnyamathanha people and is the second-largest salt lake in Australia, spanning over 200 km in length and 30 km wide.
* Opal mining in Andamooka is deemed to be ethical since an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) has been signed by the Kokatha People, relevant government authorities, and the opal miners who are working on the Andamooka Opal Fields.
* Andamooka is home to Karkaroo the juvenile opalised Andamooka Plesiosaur. Andamooka is on the edge of the ancient Eromanga Sea. During the Cretaceous period, the vast ocean's gradual retreat saw large-scale opalisation of a wide array of prehistoric marine life, including giant reptiles and other creatures swimming and roaming the shoreline, and shallow seawater.
* Andamooka is the largest town administered by the Outback Communities Authority instead of a local government area. It is in the state electoral district of Giles and the federal Division of Grey.
* Aboriginal people have lived in this area depending on the supply of fresh water for thousands of years. Aboriginal groups lived in this area during good seasons to take advantage of the prolific plant and animal resources. Campsites in the Roxby Downs dune fields have been dated to 19,000 years ago, and Aboriginal people have continuously occupied South Australian deserts since at least that time.
* Andamooka lies on Kuyani traditional land. The name is derived from a salt lake, named from the Aboriginal "Andemorka", by which the locality was known to Europeans as early as 1866, well before opal was discovered. At that time (1866) it was also known as 'Swinden's Country', after Charles Swinden of Riverton, the leader of the small horseback party which discovered it in 1857. They described it as a tract of 'generally sterile country but having some patches of good pastoral land' resulting in the foundation of Andamooka Station
Map - Andamooka (Andamooka)
Map
Country - Australia
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The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
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| EN | English language |