00:00 Most opal miners only dream of their eureka moment.
00:06 For Dave Darby, the dream came true.
00:08 At his late father's mining site in October 2020,
00:12 he had a rush of adrenaline after discovering a heavy, avocado-shaped rock.
00:17 I said, "Oh, well, there could be something in here."
00:20 And sure enough, it was a bit more than what I expected,
00:23 but, yeah, it was one of a kind.
00:25 Weighing in at just under 400 grams,
00:28 the gemstone is worth a small fortune,
00:31 but it means much more to the Darby family.
00:34 It's a very spiritual stone.
00:36 It's like a dreamtime stone, and it belongs here in Australia.
00:40 It's a connection to the Mother Earth here in Yauwa.
00:44 Known as the Yauwa Moon, he could have got top dollar,
00:47 but the 53-year-old wanted his family's legacy to live on
00:51 and sold it to Geoscience Australia.
00:53 To make sure that it does stay in Australia, which is really important,
00:56 really important to Australia and our cultural society.
00:59 It will be part of a public exhibition called The Rocks That Shape Australia.
01:03 A lot of the outback was opened because of opals,
01:05 and then they've become really culturally significant
01:07 because they are the national gem of Australia.
01:10 Yauwa's locals know the significance of the rare gemstone,
01:13 most likely formed during the Cretaceous period.
01:16 Between 65 and 135 million years ago,
01:20 it was all happening during the time of the dinosaurs.
01:23 While 95% of the world's precious opal is produced in Australia,
01:28 the Yauwa nut can only be found here in south-west Queensland.
01:33 It's made unique by its avocado-type shape, which resembles a nut.
01:38 I'm glad it went to the Geoscience Museum in Canberra.
01:42 And, yeah, there should be more of it.
01:45 The lucky miner is back fossicking before heading to the unveiling in Canberra.
01:50 [no dialogue]
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